GP Jobs and Recruitment Assistance Australia

This is a FAQ BLOG and you can refer to our AHPRA blog here.

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Date Updated: 2025-09-08

Our team receives a large number of enquiries asking for clarification about the Recency of Practice standard and how Medical Practitioners are able to meet these requirements. So, we thought, what better way to keep you all informed than putting together a blog!

This is just a quick overview of AHPRA’s Recency of Practice requirements and tips for what you can do if you have a larger gap in practice. If you have specific questions or you need help, pop us through an email!

Let’s get started.

What is Recency of Practice?

Recency of Practice is one of the registration standards set by AHPRA for medical practitioners. AHPRA requires Doctors to meet Recency of Practice standard in order to be eligible for medical registration in Australia.

To comply with the requirements, you must work within your scope of practice for a minimum of:

4 weeks full-time clinical practice in one registration period (total of 152 hours)
12 weeks full-time clinical practice over three consecutive registration periods, (total of 456 hours)

AHPRA considers 38 hours per week as full-time. If you are working less than these hours per week, you will need to ensure you have worked for the minimum number of hours to meet Recency.

Additionally, 38 hours is the maximum number of hours that can be counted per week.

Something to keep in mind is that your recent practice must be within your intended scope. For example, if you’re applying for registration as a General Practitioner, you’ll need to have recent experience in the scope of General Practice.

Can I meet AHPRA’s Recency of Practice Standards without practicing?

Technically yes, however, there are specific provisions for this.

The definition of practice is broad and includes both clinical practice and non-clinical roles in medicine. You can meet the Recency of Practice standard by working in certain scopes of non-clinical practice.

Clinical practice is defined as working as a medical practitioner with patients. Whereas Non-Clinical Practice is defined as using the knowledge and skills attained in your medical training but not working directly with patients.

For this reason, to meet Recency of Practice, you do not need to have direct contact with patients, but to be working in a role related to medicine where you are using your medical knowledge. This includes working as a Medical Administrator, Teaching, Research or Medical Policy.

Additionally, tutoring Medical Students or IMGs will not count as Recency of Practice under Teaching, you will need to be employed at a university teaching medical students to meet Recency of Practice through teaching.

However, you will still need to ensure you complete the minimum number of hours in the role to meet Recency of Practice.

What if I have a Gap in Practice?

Here’s what you need to do depending on the amount of clinical experience you have as a registered medical practitioner returning to practice.

With more than 2 years clinical practice

If you had a non-practising registration, or have not been registered for:

12 months – there are no additional requirements that must be met before re-commencing practice

Between 12 months and 36 months – you need to complete the equivalent of one year’s (minimum of 50 hours within a 12-month period) continuing professional development (CPD) activities, relevant to your intended scope of practice before re-commencing practice. The CPD activities must be designed to maintain and update your knowledge and clinical judgement.

More than 36 months – you need to submit a Plan for Professional Development and Re-Entry to Practice to the Board.

With less than 2 years clinical practice

You are required to commence work under supervision in a training position approved by the Board if you:

Have less than 2 years clinical experience as a registered medical practitioner,
Are returning to practice,
Have not been registered for more than 12 months, or have not practised for more than 12 months

We also recommend only preparing a Re-Entry to Practice Plan if there are extenuating circumstances that do not allow you to return to a Country where you have Medical Registration.

The easiest way to meet Recency of Practice is to return home and practice for the minimum number of weeks in your intended scope of practice.

What if I DON’T do these things and apply anyway?

If you do not meet the Recency of Practice standard, AHPRA may impose conditions on your application or refuse your application. Please note that if you want to continue to practise and you don’t meet this standard, you will need to provide information to help the Board decide whether you are able to continue to practise.

What else do I need to know?

It isn’t enough to just meet the Recency of Practice registration standard. When AHPRA assesses your application, they want to see that you’ve been making an effort to stay up to date with your clinical skills. You can demonstrate this by completing 50 hours CPD annually, by undergoing observerships, by working in a support role to a clinical environment, and by taking the clinical exam.

We had a Doctor who had a large gap in their practice, but she had work experience and passed AMC Clinical. It took a while, but they were granted AHPRA registration and were able to find work. Everyone’s situation is different, so don’t lose hope!

Tips for Getting Back into Practice

Here are some quick tips for making sure you are prepared:

Complete CPD Activities for the field in which you will be working, so you are up to date with any advancements
You’ll be learning a whole new system and different processes, so take extra time with these responsibilities if you can, so you don’t feel stressed and rushed.
Speak to senior colleagues to get their tips and advice within your field of medicine.

If you need any help with your pathway, feel free to keep in touch with our team at help@peoplemedical.com.au or click any of the buttons below!

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We Can Help You

Here at People Medical Consulting, we have a passion for guiding medical practitioners through their career pathways to Australia. We have extensive experience in assisting medical facilities in recruiting doctors from local and overseas who will best suit their requirements.

We provide Document Assistance for those requiring support for their PESCI with IME, ACRRM or RACGP, registration and all other mandatory AHPRA requirements, fellowship program related forms and letters, application for Medicare provider and prescriber numbers, application for 19AB or 19AA exemptions and preparation of employment documents.

If you want to talk to someone about your pathway or practice management—book a consultation with us below, or if you need Recruitment or Document Assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au or click the buttons below. We’d be glad to help you!

Book a Consult

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Information from this blog has been taken directly from:

People Medical’s List of Handy Acronyms