ANTS News and Discussion Forum

Ensuring recency of practice for postgraduate clinical training

Ensuring recency of practice for postgraduate clinical training

by Edwina Jachimowicz -
Number of replies: 0
Good afternoon all, 


I was wondering how to ensure that participants in postgraduate courses have recent clinical practice. Nurses and Midwives in non-clinical roles can maintain registration if their role pertains to nursing & midwifery respectively, but they may not have practiced clinically (direct patient care) for many years. 

Some post grad skill-based courses involve advanced skills and intimate, sensitive examination.  In these cases it may be inappropriate for such candidates to be accepted into the course without first doing a refresher. 

Apart from asking participants on course enrollment how many clinical hours in the past 12 months they have done, is there a way to ensure current clinical practice?  There does not seem a way to distinguish current clinicians from those requiring a refresher when checking the AHPRA register and a phone call to AHPRA says that this information is not available without legal recourse.

Has this issue has arisen for anyone and if so, how have you addressed it?  

I look forward to your thought on this.  Cheers, Edwina