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Student Registration with Professional Boards

Important information for students in Medical Radiation Science, Midwifery, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy and Podiatry undertaking the following:

Students studying in the above programs have, or will have from mid 2012, student registration requirements under national and state legislation governing professional registration.

Which disciplines currently require student Registration and how is registration achieved?


Which discipline, currently not requiring student registration, will move to this requirement in 2012 and how will student registration be achieved?


What does Student Registration mean?

Students studying in programs leading to entry to the health professions indicated above are required by legislation to be registered on the Student Register of the relevant Registration Board throughout their program. No student may remain active in the program (even if not enrolled in courses) without holding student registration.

Where annual student registration applies and students must individually apply for registration (only for State based student registration in Occupational therapy), students should note that their registration must be maintained even if they are on leave from the program.

The University is required by legislation to ensure that students studying in programs where student registration applies are on the Student Register of the relevant Board. For this reason, students without current student registration will lose their place in the program.


Is there a fee for student registration?

No. Legislation does not allow fees to be charged for Student Registration.


Does the University have the legal right to provide my information to a Board to initiate Student Registration?

Yes. The University is required by the legislation to submit student details to Boards when requested and is not therefore in breach of the Privacy Act in doing so.


Is Student Registration the same as Limited Registration?

No. Student registration is for students who are in a program leading to initial entry to a profession. Limited registration is for a person (including a postgraduate student) who is already a registered health professional in another country but is required to hold registration as a health professional in Australia while they complete a postgraduate program involving placement. Limited registration is also for a person who has completed a degree leading to entry to a profession but needs to complete an internship before full registration (such as in Pharmacy). The University has no involvement in the process of limited registration other than to ensure a student holds the registration where it is required for placement or for entry to a program. Limited registration does incur a fee.


Does student registration require meeting the English language standard of the Board?

No. The Board's English language standard does not apply for student registration. The English language requirement of the University program must be met by international students.

However, it is important for students to note the English language requirements for registration in the profession on completion of your program. These can be checked by going to the Board Website/Registration Standards/ English Language Standard. Occupational Therapy students should go to their State Board website. The English language standard for entry to the profession is generally higher than the University's English requirements for entry to the program. Students are encouraged to therefore take seriously the need to develop their English language skills at every opportunity throughout the degree.


Who is responsible for notifying the details of what is required to register as a student?

The Registration Boards are responsible to provide this information. Please monitor your Board's website regularly for information. Note that the two new national Boards being established in 2012 (Occupational Therapy and Medical Radiation Practice) will not have national websites at this time.

Latest National Registration Board information on Student Registration.


How do I know I'm registered, and for what duration am I registered?

Occupational Therapy: students currently receive notification of their student registration direct from the State Board and must notify their student registration ID number and expiry date to their School Office. Registration is renewed annually and a renewal notice is sent by the Board.

Once Occupational Therapy moves to national registration in July 2012, the following information will apply.

For disciplines where national student registration applies: the University notifies students once it receives notification from the Boards that the students on the submitted lists are registered. Student registration is for the duration of the program, that is, until the Board is notified the student has withdrawn or has successfully completed all the requirements of the program.


I registered with a State Board and received a student registration card with an expiry date. Registration for my discipline is now national. Do I have to apply to re-register when the expiry date on my card becomes due?

All students with previous State based student registration, in disciplines where registration is now national, have been transitioned to national registration (the exception being Occupational Therapy where that transition will occur in 2012). National student registration is for the duration of the program. There is therefore no requirement to seek re-registration once your State registration card's expiry date becomes due.

*Students in Occupational Therapy (where registration is still State based) must actively monitor their student registration expiry date and ensure their registration remains current.


I have been asked for my national Student Registration Card and ID by an external placement provider. I have not received such a card/ID.

Only Occupational Therapy students will have a current student registration card with a student registration ID number, issued by their State Board. National Boards are not currently issuing student registration cards/ID's and if you are asked for confirmation of your student registration by a placement provider please contact the Division Director: Services, Bronwen Webb.


Assistance with student registration

If you have any general queries about student registration, please contact the relevant national Registration Board, or the Occupational Therapy Board of SA not the University. If you have any concerns about whether your name has been submitted to a National Registration Board for registration or about notification that you are registered, please contact your School Office.


Board Websites:

State Board:
Occupational Therapy Board of SA

National Boards:
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

Pharmacy Board of Australia

Physiotherapy Board of Australia

Podiatry Board of Australia


What are the options should the Registration Board refuse to register a student or suspends a student's registration?

The legislation allows for an appeal process should registration be refused or suspended.
If a student receives notification from a Board that their registration has been refused, modified to include restrictions, or suspended, they should immediately contact their Program Director (name available on the program website) or:

Ms Bronwen Webb
Division Director: Services, Division of Health Sciences
Email: bronwen.webb@unisa.edu.au Tel: (618) 8302 2288

If student registration is refused or suspended, the University may offer the student a place in a program where student registration is not required, if a place in such a program is available and the student meets that program's entry requirements.


What do I do if I want to regain a place in the program after student registration has been refused or suspended?

A student in this position should consider the likelihood of a second application for student registration being successful, before applying for the same program again. Application for admission is made through SATAC and the relevant Board's Student Registration processes would still apply.


In a situation where the Board requires student registration applications from each student (in Occupational Therapy), what are the options if a student loses their place in a program due to non compliance with this requirement?

The University is required by legislation to cancel the place of any student not on a Board Student Register in a program where student registration is a legislated requirement. The student may appeal the University's decision to cancel the student's place in the program, provided the registration process has subsequently been commenced and the Board has confirmed that the application is being considered and registration is likely to be successful.

The appeal must be made in writing to:

The Division Director: Services, Division of Health Sciences
University of South Australia
GPO Box 2471, Adelaide 5001.
(The appeal letter may be hand delivered to the Division Services office, room P6-61, Level 6 Playford Building.)

The appeal should fully outline the circumstances that prevented the student from previously complying with the student registration requirement.

The student's enrolment would be re-instated only after notification was received from the Board that student registration had been achieved. If student registration was refused, the University may offer the student a place in a program where registration is not required, if a place in such a program is available and the student meets that program's entry requirements.


Does withdrawal from the program require notification to the Board?

Yes. The legislation makes this a responsibility of the University for disciplines where National Registration applies. For Occupational Therapy, both the student and the University have a responsibility to notify the Board.

If you decide not to continue your studies and to withdraw from the program, then you must complete a "Withdraw from Program" form available at Campus Central.

If a student does not formally withdraw from a program, but takes no part in it for a period of time, they can be "deemed" to have withdrawn in conditions outlined in the University's Enrolment policy A48.5 and their place in the program will be cancelled.


Legislated notification requirements in relation to fitness to practice

Under the legislation, students who enrol in programs leading to registration in one of the professions outlined above must notify the Board of any medical fitness issue or impairment they have that may put the public at substantial risk of harm. This should be done at initial student registration and/or at any time during enrolment in the program where such an issue may exist. Registration Boards have strict privacy protocols to cover all notifications.

Under the legislation, the University and individual health professionals (which includes University staff who are health professionals) are required to notify the Board if they consider a student to have a medical fitness issue or impairment that may put the public at substantial risk of harm . The University has processes to fairly handle a situation where a notification about a student is made to a Board. These are outlined in the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual (APPM), under "Practicum, Field and Clinical Placements". (The APPM is annually reviewed.)

The final decision about fitness to practice is taken by the Registration Board, not the University. Without limiting the outcomes of any appeal process following a Board decision, the decision of the Registration Board is final. In situations where a medical fitness issue or impairment has caused the Board to refuse or suspend student registration the University will discuss the available options with the student. Options may include internal transfer to a program with no student registration requirements, provided a place in the program is available and the student meets the program's entry requirements.


Important information regarding other student responsibilities under legislation

Students have defined rights and responsibilities under the legislation. It is important that students are aware of the content of the legislation and their rights and responsibilities under it.

Students whose discipline is covered by the national legislation have a mandatory responsibility to notify their Board of particular 'relevant events' related to offences, convictions and removal of registration in another country. Students must notify the Board if they:

Students must keep the University informed of any change in relation to their registration status. This includes refusal of initial registration, suspension of registration or imposition of limitations on registration. Notification of any of these events should be made to your Program Director or the Division Director: Services.


Professional registration with the Registration Board (State or National) at the completion of your program

It is important for students to continue to monitor their Board's website as they get close to completion of their program. National Boards invite completing students to 'pre-register'. This requires each student to initiate the professional registration process with the relevant Board. The Board then finalises the registration process on receipt of a list of eligible students from the University.

The University's role in the professional registration process is limited to notification to the Board that a student has successfully completed all the requirements of the program, is eligible to apply for registration in the profession and can be removed from the Student Register. Notification of a student's details to the Board does not guarantee professional registration, which is dependent on the Board's consideration of the applicant meeting all registration requirements, for example, police clearance, English language level compliance and submission of all required documentation. It is the graduating student's responsibility to initiate the professional registration process and to provide all the information and documentation required by the Board. Professional registration does incur a fee.

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