Guides, Policies & Standards
Throughout your career there will be many opportunities to assess performance and RACS is committed to providing education, resources and services that support you in delivering the highest standards of surgical care to all communities in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Find out more about CPD guides, policies & standards here.
On this page
CPD Guide
1 Jan – 31 Dec 2025:
This RACS CPD guide (PDF 2.06MB) provides detailed guidance on the current CPD requirements and how to achieve CPD compliance for 2025. It provides additional guidance related to the introduced CAPE requirements and several appendices for further information on CPD-related policies and standards. CPD for 2025 is due no later than 28th February 2026.
1 Jan – 31 Dec 2024:
This RACS CPD Guide (PDF 231.42KB) provides detailed guidance on CPD requirements and how to achieve CPD compliance for 2024. CPD for 2024 is due no later than 31st March 2025.
Surgical Audit Guide
Surgical audit is a fundamental part of modern surgical practice, an education process that is aimed at measuring performance, reducing risk and improving patient outcomes. The revised edition of the RACS Surgical Audit Guide focuses on providing surgeons with the information and tools needed to undertake quality surgical audit.
Surgical Competence and Performance Guide
The third edition of the RACS Surgical Competence and Performance Guide provides a framework to aid the assessment and development of surgeons across all areas of surgical practice. These competencies underpin all aspects of Fellowship training and provides a framework for the assessment of practising surgeons.
Approved Surgical Audits
The College is committed to excellence in clinical care and all surgeons are expected to be involved in regular surgical audit, peer review and quality assurance activities.
All surgeons who conduct operative procedures in hospitals, day surgery, units or private rooms are required to participate in a surgical audit each year, and to submit the audit for peer review. Combined list of approved audits:
Contact your local state office
AANZGOSA audit
Contact: [email protected]
ANZSCTS national database
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
ANZ thyroid cancer clinical quality register
Contact: [email protected]
AOA national joint replacement registry
Contact: [email protected]
ASOHNS tonsil, grommet, septoplasty audit
Contact: [email protected]
Australian and New Zealand emergency laparotomy audit - quality improvement (ANZELA-QI)
Contact: [email protected]
Australian breast device registry (Monash)
Contact: [email protected]
Australian otolaryngology quality assurance network ASOHNS
Contact: [email protected]
Australian prostate cancer outcomes registry
Contact your local state office
Contact: [email protected] OR [email protected]
Bi-national colorectal cancer audit
Contact: [email protected]
BreastSurgANZ quality audit (BQA)
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Prostate cancer outcomes registry Victoria (PCOR-Vic)
Contact: [email protected]
RACS morbidity audit and logbook tool (MALT)
Contact: [email protected]
Victorian cardiac outcomes registry
Contact: [email protected]
Victorian state trauma registry (VSTR)
Contact: [email protected]
Australasian Pelvic Floor Procedure Registry (APFPR)
Contact: [email protected]
Australian Spine Registry (ASR)
Contact: [email protected]
Information for CPD Activity Providers
RACS has always demonstrated a strong commitment to ongoing education of the highest standards, evident through participation and high compliance with the RACS CPD program. The professional performance frameworks designed by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) ensures that all registered medical practitioners’ practice competently and ethically throughout their careers, including participation in continuous professional development (CPD) activities.
Fellows and other participants will seek to participate in these approved activities with the knowledge that they can contribute to their annual CPD requirements. Approved activities may include: conferences, courses and workshops - clinical and/or non-technical, meetings, eLearning and audit activities.
To be eligible for approval in the CPD Program, activities must fulfil a number of criteria that have been approved by the Professional Standards and Advocacy Committee. These criteria are based on principles of adult learning and research evidence on the effectiveness of continuing professional development.
Update on the CPD Approved Activities Program: We are currently reviewing the CPD Approved Activity Program and more information will be available in August. For more information contact the CPD team.
Policies
Regulation
Standards
- Addressing Health Inequity (PDF 154.35KB)
- Collegial Practice Visits (PDF 152.03KB)
- Cultural Safety (PDF 175.55KB)
- Education Activities (PDF 120.87KB)
- High Level Requirement ANZASM (PDF 196.7KB)
- Learning Plan (PDF 137.43KB)
- Performance Review (PDF 136.77KB)
- Professionalism and Ethical Practice (PDF 155.71KB)
- Structured Conversation (PDF 237.44KB)
- Surgical Audit and Peer Review (PDF 118.79KB)