Supervised practice

Supervised practice may be imposed as a requirement to meet the National Board’s eligibility or suitability requirements or because of a notification to Ahpra and the National Boards.

Supervised practice reassures the community, National Boards and Ahpra that a registered health practitioner whose practice is being supervised (the supervisee) is safe and competent to practise and is not putting the public at risk.

National Boards and Ahpra have developed the Supervised practice framework (the framework) to create a responsive and risk-based approach to supervised practice across the National Scheme.

The framework is now in place for the following 12 National Boards:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice
• Chinese Medicine
• Chiropractic
• Dental
• Medical (not for international medical graduates with limited or provisional registration, practitioners completing their intern year, or vocational trainees)
• Nursing and Midwifery
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Osteopathy
• Paramedicine (not for practitioners with a Board-specific condition employed by and undertaking supervised practice with a body authorised by the National Board)
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry (not for practitioners seeking their endorsement for scheduled medicines).

In other cases, the National Boards have profession specific requirements in place for supervised practice. You need to determine which supervised practice arrangement applies to your circumstances. Refer to the list of links to the
supervised practice processes in place for each National Board. 

National Board expectations of supervisees and supervisors

National Boards expect that supervisees and supervisors comply with the requirements of the applicable supervision arrangement. Contravention of a condition or undertaking may be considered unprofessional conduct or professional misconduct resulting in the National Board considering regulatory action.

The National Boards expect supervisees and supervisors to comply with all the relevant National Board standards, guidelines, code of conduct and other codes.

Expectations of supervisees

You must read and understand your obligations under the applicable supervised practice arrangement.

If your supervised practice falls under the Supervised practice framework, you must read and understand your obligations, including Appendix 2 Information for supervisees.

If the supervision arrangement does not fall under the Supervised practice framework, you must read and understand your obligations under the applicable supervised practice processes in place for each National Board.

You will need to declare your understanding of the requirements of the applicable supervision arrangement when you submit a form to nominate a supervisor.

Expectations of supervisors

Agreeing to act as a supervisor is an important commitment towards helping ensure safe and competent practice and minimising public risk.

You must read and understand your obligations under the applicable supervised practice arrangement.

If the practitioner’s supervised practice falls under the Supervised practice framework, you must read and understand your obligations, including Appendix 3 Information for supervisors.

If the practitioner’s supervision arrangement does not fall under the Supervised practice framework, you must read and understand your obligations under the applicable supervised practice processes in place for each National Board.

You will need to declare your understanding of the requirements of the applicable supervision arrangement when you sign the practitioner’s nomination of you as a potential supervisor.