Supervision guidelines

Resources

The Supervised practice framework, Supervision guidelines, FAQs, Fact sheet: Supervised practice – transition arrangements and Key steps – a summary when using the Supervised practice framework do not apply to:

medical practitioners who are: international medical graduates with limited or provisional registration; practitioners completing their intern year; or vocational trainees
paramedics with a Board-specific condition employed by and undertaking supervised practice with a body authorised by the National Board
the Pharmacy Board of Australia
the Psychology Board of Australia, or
podiatrists seeking their endorsement for scheduled medicines.

The Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia has separate Supervision guidelines in place.

1 February 2022

Background

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) works in partnership with 15 national health practitioner boards (the National Boards) to implement the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) and administer the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory (the National Law).

The National Boards regulate registered health practitioners in Australia. They:

set the standards that practitioners must meet through the development of registration standards, codes and guidelines
register health practitioners and students
manage notifications about the health, conduct or performance of practitioners.¹

The core role of the National Boards and Ahpra is to protect the public.

The National Law states that the National Boards can develop and approve codes and guidelines to provide guidance to the health practitioners it registers. ²

Download the Supervision guidelines

The supervised practice framework

The National Boards³ have reviewed and consulted widely on the requirements for supervised practice under the National Law. The National Boards approved in June 2021 the Supervised practice framework (the framework).

The framework accommodates the different regulatory purposes of supervised practice and allows for a responsive and risk-based approach across the National Scheme. The framework supports consistency in processes and decision making, and helps supervisees, supervisors and employers understand and comply with supervised practice requirements.

Purpose of the supervision guidelines

The purpose of these supervision guidelines (the guidelines) is to adopt the framework published by National Boards and Ahpra and to replace any previously approved supervision guideline or framework for the following National Boards^4,5:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice	Medical (excluding international medical graduates (IMGs) with limited or provisional registration who will use the Guidelines - Supervised practice for international medical graduates)	Osteopathy
Chinese Medicine	Nursing and Midwifery	Paramedicine
Chiropractic	Occupational Therapy	Physiotherapy
Dental	Optometry	Podiatry

The guidelines enable the current reference to supervision guidelines in registration standards to apply to the framework. Changes to relevant registration standards to explicitly refer to the framework rather than supervision guidelines will be made at a later date.

The framework is published on the relevant National Board website and may be reviewed from time to time.

Review

Date of issue: 1 February 2022

Date of review: These guidelines will be reviewed as required.

¹In NSW notifications about health, performance and conduct are managed by the Health Care Complaints Commission and the Health Professional Councils Authority. In Qld they are managed jointly by the Office of the Health Ombudsman and the National Boards and Ahpra.

² Sections 39 and 40 of the National Law.

³ Excluding the Pharmacy and Psychology Boards of Australia who did not take place in the review.

⁴ The Pharmacy and Psychology Boards of Australia do not intend to use these guidelines.

⁵ The Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia took place in the review but will not adopt these Supervision guidelines.