Students seeking registration urged to apply online now

14 Oct 2016

Final-year students who will soon complete an approved program of study can go online now to apply for registration before they graduate.

Graduates need to be registered as an optometrist with the Optometry Board of Australia (the Board) before they start practising and must meet the Board’s registration requirements.

Registration standards that relate to the new graduate are:

• criminal history 
• English language skills, and 
• professional indemnity insurance.

The online graduate application service on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) website helps to smooth the path from study to work by enabling students to apply for registration four to six weeks before completing their course.

Graduates can also apply for endorsement for scheduled medicines in the one online application.

All applicants must send some supporting documents to AHPRA by mail to complete their application. AHPRA sends applicants a Next steps checklist email to help with this step after an online application is received. If supporting documents are not supplied within 30 days of when a graduate applies online their application may be withdrawn.

A short, animated video for graduates is published. It outlines the standards that must be met to become registered and also the professional standards expected of the profession in order to stay registered.

Graduates are encouraged to find out how to use the online graduate application service by accessing the information on the AHPRA website under Graduate applications.

How to apply for registration

There are three simple steps to registration for graduates:

1. Students fill out an online application for registration four to six weeks before completing their course. 
2. Students send supporting documents to AHPRA by mail within 30 days to complete their application. 
3. Students wait to be contacted by AHPRA.

What happens next?

A student’s application for registration is assessed while AHPRA waits for the education provider to advise that the student is eligible to graduate. AHPRA contacts the student if more information is needed and/or to confirm that registration has been granted.

New graduates registered with the Board are eligible to start work as soon as their name is published on the national register of practitioners.

For more information

• Go to Graduate applications on the AHPRA website to apply online and for links to FAQ 
• For registration enquiries or difficulties in accessing the online application form: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200