Resumption of Practice

From 1 January 2011, dietitians who have not worked as a dietitian (and have not maintained their APD status) for more than three years, and who wish to return to the APD Program, will need to meet the requirements of the resumption of practice program. In bringing in this requirement, the DAA Board considered a number of factors, including;

  • Programs in place by dietetic organisations in other countries;
  • Programs required by other health professions in Australia; and the
  • APD program.

These resumption of practice requirements aim to protect the quality and value of the APD credential by making sure that only those dietitians with current knowledge and skills possess the credential. The resumption of practice requirements will vary according to the time out of the dietetic workforce, and the individual needs of the dietitian.

How the process works

Dietitians who have not used their dietetic skills and knowledge for more than three (but less than five years):

In this category, these applicants may enter the provisional APD program after presenting a satisfactory resumption of practice plan to the Professional Services Manager (PSM). Should the resumption of practice plan be considered satisfactory, the following process will apply;

  • The PSM will advise the applicant on the number of hours of continuing professional development (CPD) required in the plan calculated on 30 hours per year out of practice;
  • The CPD should be completed in less than 24 months within a minimum of 30 hours in any given year;
  • The CPD plan must have specific learning goals related to the domain of dietetic practice in which the applicant plans to resume work;
  • The applicant will then need to enter into a mentoring relationship with an experienced APD, who has been in the APD program for at least five years. The applicant and mentor should meet regularly, similar to that of the provisional APD program.

The applicant may choose to undertake the competency assessment (as outlined below for dietitians wishing to return to practice after an absence of more than five years) as an alternative to undertaking the 30 hours CPD per year away from practice and then enter the provisional program.

Dietitians wishing to return to practice after an absence of more than five years:

These dietitians will be required to sit a professional examination in dietetics. This is the same exam used in assessing overseas-educated dietitians under the DAA Dietetic Skills Recognition Program. A fee to sit the exam will be set on a cost-recovery basis. If the candidate passes the exam, that fee will be deducted from the following year’s membership fee.

If successful, the dietitian may then enter the provisional APD program for 12 months, including registration with a mentor who has been in the APD program for at least five years. Engaging a mentor prior to the examination is encouraged but not mandatory.

For more information:

Please direct enquiries to DAA’s Professional Services Manager or telephone 02 6163 5200.

What about a break of less than three years?

Dietitians wishing to take a break of less than three years may defer and return to the APD Program without needing to meet the resumption of practise requirements outlined above. Dietitians must have their CPD log up-to-date to defer. Deferring and resuming back into the APD Program can be done online or by using hard copy forms.