Preparing your CV and how recency of practice impacts your registration application

If you are worried about meeting the recency of practice requirements, do not start with guesses about the outcome - start by organising your facts.

For doctors applying for registration with the Medical Board of Australia (the Board), a useful first step is ensuring you provide a CV that details your full practice-history and the minimum information required by the Board in support of your application; clear dates, details of all your roles, scope of practice, hours worked, any gaps in practice and all recent professional activity. 

Why this matters

When your application is assessed, Ahpra staff need to have a clear picture of your practice history, periods of absence, previous experience, activities related to medicine, and intended scope of practice in order to determine if you meet the recency of practice registration standard. 

The recency of practice registration standard outlines what you must do, and perhaps the most over-looked section of this document, the requirements for medical practitioners with non-practising registration or medical practitioners who are not registered and wish to return to practice (i.e. international medical graduates who are seeking registration in Australia). 

Medical practitioners who have less than two years clinical experience as a registered medical practitioner prior to a gap in practice of 12 months or more, are required to commence work under supervision in a training position approved by the Board.

The information in your CV is used to assess whether you meet the minimum eligibility and suitability requirements established by the Board. 

What to include in your CV

Keep the format simple. A table or dated list is usually enough, provided it is complete, accurate and consistent.

For each role, identify where you worked, when you worked, what sort of medicine you practised, and how much you worked. Then deal separately with any gaps and what you did during them.

• Role chronology: start and end dates, country, employer, facility and registration type if known.
• Scope of practice: specialty or generalist work, clinical versus non-clinical duties, setting, and level of supervision.
• Work pattern: full-time or part-time, approximate weekly hours, and any extended leave.
• Gaps: exact dates, brief factual reason, and any observerships, education, research, teaching or health-related work completed during that period.
• Professional activity: CPD, courses, audits, reading, peer contact or other evidence of continued engagement with medicine.
• Intended Australian role: the position, setting and scope of practice you are now seeking.

Where PassGP can help

PassGP does not make regulatory decisions and cannot guarantee an outcome. However, the PassGP Bespoke AHPRA Strategic Support Package is designed to help doctors understand possible application outcomes, how to meet mandatory registration standards such as recency of practice, and ensure they are providing documentation that is organised and clear. In this context, it may include reviewing chronology, clarifying gaps, improving consistency across documents, and framing reflective or explanatory material professionally. 

The PassGP Bespoke AHPRA Strategic Support Package provides you with:

• Strategic consultation around your circumstances and documentation.
• Support with recency framing, practice-history positioning and reflective material.
• Help structuring responses to information requests and registration correspondence.
• Early identification of possible red-flags and/or failure to meet mandatory registration standards.

Conclusion

If recency of practice (or any other registration standard) is worrying you, the best first move is usually not a rushed explanation. It is a careful summary that is accurate, consistent and easy to review. That gives you a stronger foundation for tailored guidance and cleaner communication with Ahpra and the Board.