Further information for the revised general registration standard published

24 Mar 2016

The Psychology Board of Australia has today published further information about the revised registration standard for general registration.

The standard was approved by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council on 6 November 2015 comes into effect on 2 May 2016.

A copy of the revised standard was published on 15 February 2016 ahead of its commencement date. This gives individuals intending to apply for general registration from 2 May 2016 plenty of time to review the revised standard before it comes into effect.

The additional information is published in the table below and includes FAQ, fact sheets on transition arrangements for 4+2 and 5+1 internships, and an updated policy for higher degree students applying for general registration and supporting statement of assessment form (PDEC-76).

The FAQ include a comparison of the content of the current general registration standard (1 July 2010 version) and the revised version that commences on 2 May 2016, and explains why changes have been made.

The Board has published two new fact sheets outlining transition provisions for provisional psychologists undertaking the 4+2 or 5+1 internship program. When the revised general standard commences on 2 May 2016 there will be a period where some of the requirements in the general registration standard will be different to the requirements in the current provisional registration standard and Guidelines for the 4+2 internship program and Guidelines for the 5+1 internship program. The fact sheets summarise the differences, and advises the transition arrangements to manage the disparity to ensure the transition to the new registration standard is smooth and fair.

The policy for higher degree students applying for general registration outlines the option for early general registration for students undertaking a postgraduate degree that exceeds the minimum standard (fifth and sixth year level – e.g. two-year Masters), such as a Doctor of Psychology or combined Masters/PhD. The updated version of the policy which commences on 2 May 2016 does not make any changes to the requirements or the process of applying for early general registration. The updates are to ensure continued alignment with the revised General registration standard when it comes into effect. This is because the current version of the policy references specific sections of the current standard, whereas the revised standard uses a new format and some of the sections have changed.

Revised registration standard and supporting information