CPD Changes 2026: APC Standards Retired, PSA Launches Its Own

Accreditation of continuing professional development (CPD) for Australian pharmacists changed at the end of 2025. The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) stopped accrediting CPD activities and retired its standards, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) launched its own standards and accreditation framework. Neither step changed what the Pharmacy Board of Australia requires of you. A separate review could, but so far it is only a proposal.

If you are a registered pharmacist, an intern pharmacist, or a CPD provider, this guide explains what happened, why, and what you need to do. If you are still preparing for the OPRA or CAOP, this comes later: the Board's standard says you don't need to meet it when you first apply for provisional or limited registration in Australia.

What Changed?

On 30 June 2025 the APC announced it would stop accrediting CPD activities and retire its Accreditation Standards for Continuing Professional Development Activities, which took effect on 1 July 2013. APC chief executive Bronwyn Clark noted that the Pharmacy Board does not require CPD to be accredited by a third party.

This means:

The APC does not accredit CPD activities. Its website lists this among the things it does not do
The three organisations it worked with (PSA, Advanced Pharmacy Australia and the Australasian College of Pharmacy) could accredit activities against the APC standards only until 31 December 2025
Accredited programs may use the APC logos on their promotional material until 31 December 2026
The APC still accredits degree programs, intern training programs and pharmacist education programs, including medication management review, aged care on-site pharmacist and pharmacist prescriber programs

What Did NOT Change

It is important to understand what remains the same:

The Pharmacy Board of Australia still requires pharmacists to complete CPD, under a registration standard dated 1 December 2015
The amount of CPD required has not changed
Your obligation to plan and document CPD has not changed
The types of activities that count as CPD have not changed
CPD does not need to be third-party accredited to count toward your registration requirements: the Board has set no mandatory proportion of accredited CPD

What May Change: A Proposed New CPD Standard

Separately, Ahpra and the National Boards, including the Pharmacy Board, consulted from 15 May to 17 July 2026 on a draft revised CPD registration standard. The draft proposes at least 20 hours of CPD each registration year, including at least 5 hours of interactive CPD with other practitioners, plus a CPD portfolio and records kept for five years. As we read the draft, that would replace pharmacy's current credit system.

This is a proposal, not a rule. The consultation paper says Boards may recommend a revised standard to the Ministerial Council, and that if it is approved, practitioners will get substantial notice before it takes effect. We found no announcement of a decision as of 7 November 2026, so keep following the current standard.

Why Did the APC Step Back?

The APC gave these reasons in its June 2025 notice:

Expanded scope: since the standards were developed, the profession has shifted towards expanded scope areas across different pharmacy settings
Alignment: the change brings the APC into line with the broader CPD accreditation landscape
The Board's position: the Board does not require third-party accreditation of CPD, and the APC understood it was about to consult on revised CPD standards, which made the timing suitable

The PSA's New CPD Standards

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) launched its PSA Standards for Continuing Professional Development for Pharmacists on 12 December 2025, and says they are active from January 2026. CPD providers can apply to PSA to have activities accredited against them under its PSA Accredited CPD framework.

At the launch, Associate Professor Fei Sim, then PSA National President, said the standards are meant to give pharmacists confidence in the quality of the CPD they access.

Key Features of the PSA Standards

PSA describes its standards as primarily outcomes-based. There are seven, and they expect that:

Learning needs relevant to pharmacy practice in Australia sit behind the activity
Learning outcomes come from the needs assessment
The design uses contemporary educational practice to achieve those outcomes
The content is evidence-based and non-promotional
Assessment methods measure whether the outcomes were achieved
Evaluation checks the activity's quality and relevance to practice
The provider responds to learners' needs and keeps appropriate records

PSA also says pharmacists can use the standards to assess for themselves whether an activity suits their learning needs.

How PSA Accreditation Differs from APC Accreditation

Aspect	APC (Retired)	PSA (New)
Standards basis	Accreditation Standards for CPD Activities (effective 1 July 2013)	PSA Standards for CPD for Pharmacists (active from January 2026)
Who assessed activities	Three accrediting organisations: PSA, Advanced Pharmacy Australia and the Australasian College of Pharmacy	PSA's CPD team and its accreditation assessors
How long accreditation lasts	Set for each activity: ask the provider for the expiry date	Standard 2 years, unless the assessor sets a shorter term
Application process	Via an accrediting organisation	Direct to PSA
Contact	None: the APC keeps its standards online for reference	CPDaccreditation@psa.org.au

PSA Is Not the Only Option

The APC's notice names no successor, and the Board does not require accreditation by PSA or anyone else. Advanced Pharmacy Australia says it will keep endorsing CPD activities against its own education standards, and the Australian Journal of Pharmacy has published its own accredited CPD standards for activities associated with the journal.

Key Dates and Timeline

Understanding the timeline is essential for both pharmacists and CPD providers:

Date	What Happens
30 June 2025	APC announces it will stop accrediting CPD activities and retire its standards
12 December 2025	PSA launches its Standards for CPD for Pharmacists
31 December 2025	Last day the three organisations could accredit activities against the APC standards
5 January 2026	PSA application forms and provider handbook become available
15 May to 17 July 2026	Consultation on a draft revised CPD registration standard (a proposal only)
31 December 2026	Last date accredited programs may use APC logos on their promotional material

An activity you enrolled in while it was accredited against the APC standards stays accredited until its accreditation expiry date. Ask the provider for the date.

Impact on Registered Pharmacists

Your Registration Requirements Are Unchanged

The Pharmacy Board of Australia's current standard applies to all registered pharmacists except those with non-practising registration. It requires you to:

Plan your CPD each year, by reflecting on your scope of practice against the National Competency Standards Framework
Complete activities worth at least 40 CPD credits in each 12-month CPD period, which runs from 1 October to 30 September
Earn at least 20 of those credits from Group 2 and/or Group 3 activities, so no more than 20 can come from Group 1
Keep records of your CPD for the previous three full CPD periods

Credits are not the same as hours. The Board's guidelines give one credit per hour for Group 1 activities (information accessed without assessment), two per hour for Group 2 (knowledge or skills improved with assessment) and three per hour for Group 3 (quality or practice improvement).

You declare whether you met the standard when you renew your registration, and the Board can audit you. These requirements are not affected by the end of APC accreditation or by PSA's new standards.

What "Accredited" vs "Non-Accredited" CPD Actually Means

It is easy to assume that only "accredited" CPD counts. This is incorrect. The Board has set no mandatory proportion of accredited CPD. Whichever you choose, the standard asks for a range of activity types, with significant intellectual or practical content directly related to pharmacy practice, from qualified people or reputable sources, that is relevant to your scope of practice and addresses your professional development needs.

Accreditation tells you a third party has reviewed the activity for its educational quality and its relevance to your practice. Non-accredited CPD, such as reviewing journals or self-directed learning, can also count, but then it is up to you to assess its quality, suitability and relevance. The Board warns that activities open to commercial bias, such as sponsor-driven product detailing, are unlikely to be good enough.

Practical Changes for Pharmacists

In practice, little changes day to day:

If you use accredited CPD: Check who accredited the activity. Activities PSA has accredited carry the PSA Accredited CPD logo and an accreditation code. If you enrolled in an activity accredited against the APC standards, it stays accredited until its expiry date.
If you use non-accredited CPD: Nothing changes for you. Keep assessing and recording your activities as usual.
If you use a mix: Continue as you are. The accreditor may change, but the CPD requirement has not.

Impact on Intern Pharmacists

The Board's CPD FAQ (16 December 2015, with one note amended in April 2026) applies the annual requirement to interns too. The end of APC accreditation does not change that.

What Interns Need to Know

Your intern training program is accredited separately by the APC, which still accredits these programs
Meet the annual requirement during your internship period, which may not line up with the 1 October to 30 September CPD period. CPD from your previous 12 months as an intern can count towards the requirement for general registration
Develop a CPD plan for your internship with activities separate from, or in addition to, your intern training program and on-the-job training. Core program lectures, workshops and assessments don't count towards your CPD credits, but activities you choose after self-reflection or a performance appraisal can
Give your CPD plan and records to your intern training program provider, usually towards the end of your internship. They form part of how it assesses your completion of the program

CPD Activities Relevant to Interns

Useful CPD for intern pharmacists includes:

Clinical case studies and therapeutic decision-making exercises
Medication safety modules
Communication skills training
Cultural competency and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
Legal and ethical practice scenarios
Pharmaceutical calculations practice

Impact on CPD Providers

If you are an organisation that provides CPD for pharmacists, the change may require action.

Transition Steps for Providers

Note the deadline: accreditation against the APC standards stopped after 31 December 2025
Update your materials: APC logos can stay on promotional material only until 31 December 2026
Decide whether you want accreditation: the Board does not require it
If you want PSA accreditation: read PSA's standards and provider handbook, then apply to PSA. PSA says assessment can take up to 20 business days, with a faster 10-day option at an extra fee
Contact PSA: Email CPDaccreditation@psa.org.au

Existing APC Accreditation

If your activity holds accreditation against the APC standards:

The APC says an activity stays accredited until its accreditation expiry date for participants who have enrolled in it
You may use the APC logos on promotional material until 31 December 2026
Accreditation against the APC standards has ended, so decide what you want to do before your expiry date

What Pharmacists Should Do Now

1. Check Your Current CPD Status

The last CPD period ended on 30 September 2026, and when you renew your general registration you declare whether you met the standard for that period. For the 2026 renewal, the last day without the $50 late fee is 30 November 2026, and registration lapses if it isn't renewed by 31 December 2026. A new CPD period began on 1 October 2026.

2. Understand Your Requirements

Read the Pharmacy Board's CPD registration standard, guidelines and CPD FAQ to understand what is mandatory. Remember: CPD does not need to be accredited to count.

3. Document Everything

Whether your CPD is accredited or not, document it properly. If you are audited, the Board's guidelines expect your records to show:

The area you identified for development, with the relevant competencies
Start and finish dates
Source or provider
Type of activity and topics covered
Whether it was accredited
CPD group and credits
How the activity affected your practice

You may also need to show your CPD plan and evidence that you took part. The Board's FAQ page has a template for your plan and record.

4. Look for the PSA Accredited CPD Logo

If you prefer PSA-accredited CPD, look for the PSA Accredited CPD logo and code. PSA's handbook says the logo shows the activity is accredited, and does not indicate endorsement of the provider or its products.

5. Continue Your CPD as Normal

The most important message: do not pause your CPD because of this change. Your obligation to complete CPD is unchanged. The change affects who accredits activities, not whether you need to do CPD. If the proposed new standard goes ahead, the consultation paper says practitioners will get substantial notice first.

Where GdayPharmacist Fits

GdayPharmacist is exam preparation, not accredited CPD. Our courses are built for the OPRA and the intern exams. If you are a registered pharmacist and use them for your own learning, it is up to you to decide under the Board's rules whether that counts as non-accredited CPD, and to record it properly.

If you are preparing for those exams, explore our courses.

Official Contacts and References

PSA Accredited CPD: accreditation page | CPDaccreditation@psa.org.au
Pharmacy Board of Australia: registration standards, CPD FAQ and past consultations, which include the draft revised CPD standard
Australian Pharmacy Council: June 2025 notice on retiring its CPD standards
AHPRA: ahpra.gov.au — registration and compliance

Frequently Asked Questions

Are pharmacists still required to complete CPD in 2026?

Yes. The Pharmacy Board of Australia's standard still requires registered pharmacists to complete at least 40 CPD credits in each 12-month CPD period ending 30 September. The end of APC accreditation and PSA's new standards only affect who accredits CPD activities, not whether pharmacists must complete CPD. A draft revised standard has been consulted on, but we found no decision as of 7 November 2026.

Does my CPD need to be accredited to count toward registration?

No. The Pharmacy Board has set no mandatory proportion of accredited CPD. Both accredited and non-accredited activities can count if they meet its standard, and for non-accredited activities it is up to you to assess their quality, suitability and relevance.

What happens to my existing APC-accredited CPD?

The APC says an activity you enrolled in while it was accredited stays accredited until its accreditation expiry date, so ask the provider for that date. Accredited programs may use APC logos on their promotional material until 31 December 2026.

Who accredits CPD activities now that the APC has stopped?

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) launched its own CPD standards on 12 December 2025 and accredits activities against them, with application forms and a provider handbook available from 5 January 2026. It isn't the only option: Advanced Pharmacy Australia says it will keep endorsing CPD activities against its own standards, and the Board does not require accreditation at all. Contact CPDaccreditation@psa.org.au about PSA accreditation.

How much CPD do pharmacists need to complete?

Registered pharmacists must complete at least 40 CPD credits in each 12-month CPD period (1 October to 30 September), with at least 20 from Group 2 and/or Group 3 activities. An hour earns one, two or three credits depending on the group, so credits are not the same as hours. This is set by the Pharmacy Board of Australia and is not affected by the end of APC accreditation. A draft revised standard proposes 20 hours a year instead, but as of 7 November 2026 that is only a proposal.

Do intern pharmacists need to worry about these CPD changes?

The changes to accreditation have little direct impact on interns, and the APC still accredits intern training programs. Interns must still plan their CPD, meet the annual requirement during the internship, and give their CPD plan and records to their intern training program provider.

Preparing for the OPRA or the intern exams? See our courses and free resources. They are exam preparation, not accredited CPD.