Provisionally Certified Practicing Nutritionist (CPN) is a free transitional accreditation scheme that AARPN is offering to eligible degree qualified clinically trained Nutritionists who already have membership (external to AARPN) as a Nutritionist with one or more associations that facilitate TGA Schedule 1 exemption certificates and who want to experience the CPN program. This experience includes access to the AARPN Continuing Professional Development portal, AARPN webinars, and use of the term ‘Provisional CPN’. Entry to the provisional scheme is available until June 30th 2024 and requires you to keep your existing association membership/s. Online participation form below.

Purpose of the scheme

The purpose of the scheme is to allow eligible practitioners the ability to provisionally map themselves to the CPN certification program [while organising/considering membership as either a full AARPN member or a non-AARPN member CPN accredited practitioner (wherein association membership outside AARPN is maintained, under AARPN’s freedom of association policy)]. Eligible practitioners are:

• (1) degree qualified either via a primary Clinical Nutrition / Nutritional Medicine bachelor degree, or Advanced Diploma Nutritional Medicine to Bachelor of Nutrition / Clinical Nutrition / Complementary Medicine upgrade, which has
• (2) been undertaken with at least 25% of the theory component completed on-campus with physically present, face-to-face teaching/supervision, with
• (3) on-campus clinical practicum training with physically present, face-to-face supervision, and 
• (4) current full membership with a TGA Schedule 1 exemption facilitating association (and thereby already being vetted for adherence to insurance, first aid, working with children check, testamur validity, clinic standards, continuing professional development monitoring, and similar requirements).
  

What to expect

The scheme gives a practitioner a minimum of three months of free provisional CPN accreditation, via a simple online process [see participation form below] – wherein the following is required: (1) entry of a few simple pieces of information, (2) photo of a graduating testamur, and (3) evidence of current Nutrition membership with a TGA Schedule 1 exemption facilitating association.

The scheme provides approved participants time-limited provisional CPN accreditation (for a minimum of three months*), at which point paid membership as a full AARPN member – or full payment for CPN accreditation – is required for continued accreditation as a CPN.

Approved applicants of the scheme will receive an email notification that (1) confirms they are included on the ‘register of provisional CPN participants’ and (2) provides them with a provisional CPN number. Once email notification of approval has been received, status on the register should be considered as active until AARPN notifies otherwise.

• *Participation in the provisional scheme is set for three months, and may exceed that time, depending on the registrar’s schedule. Participants will be notified within two weeks of AARPN’s intention to expire them from the provisional CPN register – at which point they will be provided with an application pack. Participants can opt out of the scheme at any point via email notification to AARPN admin (admin@aarpn.com).