Our Resumption of Accredited Practice (RoAP) pathway is for qualified dietitians who haven't practised for more than 3 years. It gives you a pathway to join or rejoin the Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) Program.

Your RoAP plan will guide you through the learning, mentoring and work you need to do before you can become a Full APD.

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About the APD Program

The APD Program is our national credentialing program for dietitians. It gives dietitians recognition and guidance for their:

  • professional qualifications
  • ongoing training
  • practice standards

The APD Program supports high-quality dietetic services in Australia.

Learn more about the APD Program.

Resumption of Accredited Practice pathway

Our RoAP pathway makes sure accredited practising dietitians (APDs) have current knowledge and skills. Even if it's been a while since they worked as a dietitian.

Eligibility for RoAP

To join the RoAP pathway, you must be eligible to join the APD Program.

The RoAP pathway might suit you if:

  • it's been more than 3 years since you practised as a dietitian 
  • it's been more than 3 years since you graduated, and you don't have enough practice hours to apply via another pathway 
  • you've had your APD status removed in the past 12 months because you didn't have enough recent dietetic practice hours 
Extra DSR requirement

Some dietitians must take our Dietetic Skills Recognition (DSR) exam to be eligible for RoAP. This applies to you if: 

  • it's been 5 or more years since you practiced as a dietitian
  • you lost your APD status more than 12 months ago because you couldn’t meet recency of practice requirements 

Once you pass DSR, you can continue with your RoAP application to enter the APD Program. 

Learn more about DSR.

Applying for ROAP

Step 1
Complete your alternate pathway application

Before you apply for RoAP, you must complete an alternate pathway application.

This will be used to assess which pathway is best for you.

Your initial application must include:

Please complete these forms and prepare your CV.

When you're ready, email your application to apd@dietitiansaustralia.org.au

 

Step 2
Develop your RoAP plan

After we approve your application, you'll need to develop a RoAP plan.  

You have up to 3 months to develop your plan and submit it to us for approval. 

We'll charge you a fee of A$200 to assess and approve your RoAP plan. 

Step 3
Start using your APD credential

After we approve your RoAP plan, you'll become a Provisional APD and can start using your APD credential right away. 

As a Provisional APD, you have up to 2 years to complete your RoAP plan. 

Once you become a Provisional APD, you can't take a break or defer from the program. 

Your RoAP plan 

Your RoAP plan is your roadmap to becoming a Full APD. It lists the learning goals you must achieve before you can move from a Provisional to Full APD. 

For an idea of what a plan might look like, see our sample RoAP plan.

Continuing professional development

Your RoAP plan may include extra continuing professional development (CPD) hours. 

When you apply for RoAP, we'll let you know how many extra CPD hours you need to include in your RoAP plan. 

You'll have up to 2 years to finish your CPD as part of your RoAP pathway. 

You can log your CPD in our member portal.

You won't need extra CPD hours in your plan if you:

  • have completed the DSR exam before entering the RoAP pathway
  • have joined the RoAP pathway within 12 months of having your APD status removed because you didn't have enough recent dietetic practice hours

Mentoring

As part of your RoAP plan, you'll need to complete a 12-month mentoring partnership with a Full APD. This is your chance to learn from an APD with recent experience and ask them about their practice.

Practice hours

You need to work at least 150 dietetic practice hours for each year of your RoAP pathway. 

Your dietetic practice hours can include paid and unpaid work. The work must meet the definition of dietetic practice found in our APD Policy.

To make sure you meet your ongoing practice hours, we recommend you work more than 150 hours during each year of your RoAP pathway. 

Meeting ongoing practice hours

When you become a Full APD, you'll need to meet annual dietetic practice requirements.

All APDs must complete at least 1000 dietetic practice hours in the previous 5 years. You must meet this requirement each time you renew your APD status. 

If you don't meet your ongoing practice requirements, you'll lose your APD status.

Moving to Full APD status

Once you finish your RoAP pathway, you can move to Full APD status.  

To finish your program, you must: 

  • complete and log your required CPD   
  • register and complete your mentoring partnership 
  • hold a minimum of 12 monthly mentoring meetings and list them on your mentor log 
  • show evidence you've met your dietetic practice hours  

If you would like your mentor hours counted towards your CPD, you must log them in your CPD log and mentor log. 

You need to complete the RoAP provisional program ideally within 12 months and no longer than 2 years (to include the CPD and practice requirements). 

Get in touch

If you have questions about becoming an APD via our RoAP pathway, contact us at apd@dietitiansaustralia.org.au or call 02 6189 1200.

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