Revised registration standard for endorsement for scheduled medicines published today

30 Apr 2018

The Podiatry Board of Australia (the Board) has today published a revised for endorsement for scheduled medicines registration standard and associated guidelines which will come into effect on 1 August 2018.

The revised standard replaces the current registration standard and will apply to podiatrists and podiatric surgeons:

• applying to have their registration endorsed for scheduled medicines under section 94 of the National Law¹, or 
• whose registration is endorsed for scheduled medicines.

To help the podiatry profession prepare for the revised standard and guidelines coming into effect they are being published in advance, together with useful FAQ and information on transitional arrangements.

Documents

Podiatrists and podiatric surgeons are asked to review the revised standard and guidelines and supporting information. It is particularly important for those practitioners who are working towards an endorsement under Pathway 2 of the current registration standard but have not yet applied for endorsement when the new standard commences on 1 August 2018 to review the transitional arrangements that will apply to them.

The key changes to the registration standard are:

• It has clearer wording and structure, including a section with key definitions. 
• It includes explicit reference to the NPS Medicinewise Prescribing Competencies Framework which describes the competencies that health professionals need to prescribe medicines judiciously, appropriately, safely and effectively in the Australian healthcare system. 
• It has two pathways to endorsement – Pathway A and Pathway B: 
  
  
  • Pathway A is a new contemporary pathway which enables students who complete an accredited and approved program of study for endorsement for scheduled medicines to be qualified for endorsement on graduation, and
  • Pathway B is similar to the current Pathway 2 with some modifications, including a change to the evidence to be submitted with an application for endorsement (a portfolio of evidence instead of 40 log sheets).
    
    
• Two new administrative processes have been added under the new Pathway B: 
  
  
  • before a practitioner begins their period of supervised practice they must apply to the Board to commence supervised practice. This involves submitting evidence of their approved qualification in podiatric therapeutics, completion of approved online case studies and a signed mentor agreement, and
  • during the period of supervised practice, a practitioner has to submit three clinical studies to the Board for initial assessment. The practitioner can continue their period of supervised practice while these case studies are being assessed. The practitioner must have three clinical studies assessed as satisfactory by the Board by the time they complete their period of supervised practice.

There have also been changes to the National Podiatry Scheduled Medicines List, which is now attached to the registration standard. More information about the changes to the registration standard, National Podiatry Scheduled Medicines List and guidelines can be found in the FAQ.

The revised standard was approved by the Ministerial Council on 2 February 2018 following public consultation in late 2016. The submissions to the public consultation are published on the past consultations page.

Further information to support the implementation of the new standard will be published on the Board’s website on 1 August 2018, when the new standard takes effect.

Ministerial letter

For further information

• Lodge an online enquiry form. 
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 8708 9001 (overseas callers).