Summary information:
This month, we take a look at the latest registration data from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
When comparing April-June quarterly figures over the past five years, from 2018 to 2023, most professions continue to show steady growth in registration numbers. The only registration category that recorded a decrease since 2018 was Dual Nurse and Midwife Registrations, however, this was offset by the increase in standalone Nurse and Midwife Registrations.
When comparing the latest year-on-year period (June-22 vs June-23), to the historical average of the past 5 years (June 2018- June 2023), Medical Practitioner and Nurse and Midwife registrations experienced above-average growth, while Dental and Allied Health registrations experienced below-average growth.
While it is good news that AHPRA registration numbers are continuing to rise, this does not take into account Australian population increases or part-time working arrangements.
Total AHPRA registration numbers for June 2023, by occupational category:
* The ‘All Professions’ category includes AHPRA registration numbers for occupations that are not listed in our analysis, such as Paramedics
**The ‘Nurse and Midwife’ category includes standalone registration numbers and dual registration numbers combined
***The ‘Allied Health’ category includes combined registration numbers from 9 of the AHPRA national health boards: Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Optometry, Pharmacy, Osteopathy, Podiatry, Chiropractic, and Medical Radiation Practice. (Please note: our analysis of Allied Health registrations does not cover all AHPRA health boards, such as the Board of Paramedicine, and does not include self-regulating Allied Health Professions, eg. those which are not AHPRA regulated, such as Dietitians, or Audiologists).
**The ‘Nurse and Midwife’ category includes standalone registration numbers and dual registration numbers combined
***The ‘Allied Health’ category includes combined registration numbers from 9 of the AHPRA national health boards: Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Optometry, Pharmacy, Osteopathy, Podiatry, Chiropractic, and Medical Radiation Practice. (Please note: our analysis of Allied Health registrations does not cover all AHPRA health boards, such as the Board of Paramedicine, and does not include self-regulating Allied Health Professions, eg. those which are not AHPRA regulated, such as Dietitians, or Audiologists).
Charts are generated by MedicalJobsAustralia.com using AHPRA registration data (see detailed data sources below).
Data Sources:
- Data for ‘All Professions’, ‘Medical Practitioners’, and ‘Nurses and Midwives’ can be found here
- Data for ‘Dental’ can be found here. Please go to Registrant Data> Registration Data Table for June 2018, June 2019, June 2020, June 2021, June 2022, and June 2023 (Table 1.1 Registration type and subtype by principal place of practice - Total value)
- Data for ‘Allied Health’ can be found by downloading the Registration Data Tables (Table 1.1 Registration type and subtype by principal place of practice - Total value) for June 2018, June 2019, June 2020, June 2021, June 2022, and June 2023 from: The Physiotherapy Board, The Occupational Therapy Board, The Psychology Board, The Optometry Board, The Pharmacy Board, The Osteopathy Board, The Podiatry Board, The Chiropractic Board, and The Board of Medical Radiation. Values are combined to create the total value for the ‘Allied Health’ category.
Data notes: limitations to our study include - the effects of COVID-19 on Practitioner Registration numbers, seasonal adjustments, and discrepancies between Allied Health Professions (which have been grouped together).
