Free CPD for Nurses in Australia: 10 Trusted Resources
Registered nurses and enrolled nurses in Australia need at least 20 hours of CPD each registration year, while nurses with dual registration need 40 hours, divided between the two registration types. The strongest free CPD option depends on your practice area, so use the directory below to match clinical need with a resource that provides verifiable hours, certificates and relevant learning evidence.
You finish an online module after a busy shift, download a certificate and move on. Months later, while updating your portfolio or preparing for an audit, you're left wondering whether the activity was relevant to your scope of practice, whether the stated hours can be claimed, and whether the certificate proves enough.
That uncertainty is the main problem with free CPD for nurses in Australia. Free access removes the price barrier, but it doesn't remove the nurse's responsibility to check relevance, completion evidence and record keeping. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia CPD guidance permits relevant free and informal learning, including clinical reading, professional podcasts, case discussions and workplace training. The activity still needs to relate to your practice and be documented.
The directory below focuses on Australian resources with clear clinical use cases, identifiable evidence and realistic limitations. Before claiming hours, check the provider's current information, the CPD hours attached to the activity, its relevance to your role and what evidence you can retain.
1. BloodSafe eLearning Australia
After a shift involving blood products, you need to show more than course access. BloodSafe eLearning Australia suits nurses whose roles include transfusion decisions, patient blood management or related clinical care. The platform provides free online education supported nationally through the National Blood Authority and Australian jurisdictions, with pathways covering clinical transfusion practice, patient blood management and related topics.
Its clinical fit is strongest in acute, perioperative, emergency, maternity and community settings where transfusion practice affects patient care. Nurses with little exposure to blood products may still find individual modules useful, but the subject focus makes BloodSafe a poor substitute for broader learning in medication safety, infection prevention or mental health.
What the evidence looks like
Individual courses identify CPD hours or points, and completion certificates can be downloaded. Before enrolling, check the selected course rather than assuming every activity carries the same value or evidence. After completion, retain the certificate with the course title, completion date, stated hours and a short reflection linking the learning to your scope of practice.
The case-based format supports a specific practice reflection. You might document how the learning affects patient identification, consent, monitoring, escalation or blood conservation. This creates stronger evidence than a general statement that you “improved knowledge”.
Practical rule: Claim only the learning you completed. Record the individual course, stated hours and certificate that match what you finished.
BloodSafe's limitation is its narrow clinical focus. If you are reviewing dosage principles separately, keep that activity in its own record and use the drug calculations resource for nurses as a distinct learning source.
Start with the BloodSafe eLearning Australia courses, then check the current CPD information displayed within the chosen course. Save the certificate and course details together so the record remains easy to verify during portfolio review or audit.
2. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Learn
Lifeblood Learn works well when you need a practical refresher rather than a long course pathway. The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood platform offers micro learnings, webinars and other transfusion education, with the iTransfuse app providing point of care guidance for relevant clinical situations.
Its strength is immediacy. A nurse can use a short learning activity or webinar to revisit safe transfusion and patient blood management concepts, then connect the learning to a real workplace procedure. The resource is particularly relevant to transfusion nurse consultants, patient blood management coordinators and nurses who regularly support blood product administration.
Where it fits in a CPD record
Some activities offer CPD, but you'll need to check the individual event or learning page rather than assume every resource carries the same evidence. Record the activity name, provider, date, stated CPD value and certificate or attendance confirmation. If you use the app as a clinical support tool, separate routine use from a deliberate learning activity unless the provider identifies it as CPD eligible.
The platform's short format suits nurses who need a focused learning task between shifts. It's less suitable as a standalone source for a complete annual plan because the content is concentrated on transfusion and patient blood management.
A useful reflection might address how the learning changes your checking process, communication with patients, escalation of a suspected reaction or use of local transfusion policy. Avoid claiming hours for merely opening a checklist or consulting an app during routine care.
“A quick refresher can support CPD, but the evidence needs to show that learning occurred.”
Explore the current Lifeblood Learn education and events before selecting an activity.
3. eviQ Education
For nurses working in oncology, eviQ Education offers a more substantial learning environment than a general purpose CPD directory. Developed through the Cancer Institute NSW, its free education covers chemotherapy, radiation oncology, supportive care and safety, with role and pathway based options for cancer clinicians.
The clinical fit is the deciding factor. Adult cancer nursing and radiation oncology pathways can support nurses who administer antineoplastic medicines, educate patients, manage treatment effects or coordinate care across oncology services. Outside cancer care, the material may be interesting but harder to justify as a priority learning activity.
A structured option for oncology teams
eviQ provides CPD accredited eLearning with certificates and documented evidence. That makes it easier to create a defensible record, particularly when a module links directly to a clinical guideline, administration process or safety decision. Save the certificate and add a reflection that identifies the clinical risk addressed.
The practical tools are another advantage. Learning linked to drug administration and safety can lead to a more specific reflection than broad professional development content. For example, your record might explain how you'll verify treatment information, reinforce patient education or respond to a safety concern under local policy.
The trade off is time. A full pathway can require a meaningful commitment, and nurses shouldn't enrol because a pathway appears thorough. Choose the smallest relevant activity that addresses the learning need, unless your plan specifically requires deeper oncology development.
Before claiming hours, check the current course description and certificate details on eviQ Education. Keep the evidence for the completed module, not just a screenshot of an unfinished pathway.
4. Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care eLearning
After a busy shift, a nurse may need a short activity that addresses a documented safety gap and leaves usable evidence. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care offers free learning on infection prevention and control, hand hygiene, Quality Use of Medicines, medication safety and National Standard Medication Charts. Its education also relates to the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.
The clinical fit is broad. Infection prevention, hand hygiene and medication safety may apply in acute, primary, community and aged care settings. A nurse should still connect the topic to their current patients, responsibilities and scope of practice rather than assume that a national resource automatically satisfies a learning need.
Check the hours activity by activity
CPD information varies between activities. Some modules state suggested hours and provide certificates, while high risk medicines content may require organisational access or other conditions. Check the activity page before starting, then retain the stated CPD information, completion record and certificate where supplied.
Use the ACSQHC eLearning library to choose a relevant topic. For a closer examination of the NMBA framework, see our guide on continuing professional development for nurses.
Your record should show what changed in your practice. If a medication safety module clarifies a checking process, document that process and identify any local policy requiring review. A statement such as “relevant to nursing” provides little audit value. Record the clinical issue, the learning completed and the action you will take.
The NMBA continuing professional development guidance supports relevant self-directed learning. The nurse remains responsible for deciding whether the activity fits their practice and for keeping defensible evidence. Confirm the current certificate and CPD details before recording hours, because the value and conditions may differ by activity.
5. Australian Digital Health Agency training
Digital health learning can be easy to overlook in a nursing CPD plan, particularly when clinical priorities feel more immediate. The Australian Digital Health Agency provides free training and CPD accredited webinars on My Health Record, electronic prescribing, secure messaging and related digital health skills.
The clinical fit is strongest for nurses working across primary care, community health, aged care and hospitals where records and communication move between services. A nurse in a workplace that doesn't use a particular digital system may need to explain the relevance more carefully, especially if the training is tied to a workflow unavailable in that setting.
Record the session, not just the topic
Nursing specific My Health Record modules can provide certificates, while live and on demand webinars may carry different CPD values. Check the individual session, including whether attendance, completion or a post learning assessment is required. Store the certificate or attendance evidence with the date and activity title.
Your reflection could focus on continuity of care, secure information handling, patient access to records or the limits of electronic prescribing. That creates a clearer connection to nursing practice than a general statement about becoming “more confident with technology”.
Workplace sessions may also be available on request. If you attend one, retain the invitation, attendance confirmation or provider issued evidence, and add your own reflection separately. A calendar entry alone is weak evidence.
Review the current Australian Digital Health Agency training and support information before selecting a webinar or module. The available topics and CPD details can change, so don't rely on an old screenshot or a colleague's previous record.
6. ASHM
ASHM provides government funded, CPD approved education in sexual health and blood borne viruses. Its nurse and midwife focused learning includes sexual health fundamentals, contraception, testing, management and gender affirming care, with live and on demand formats.
The resource is particularly useful for primary care, community nursing and women's health. It can also support nurses who work with priority populations or need to strengthen communication around testing, contraception and inclusive care. The clinical value is less obvious for a nurse whose current role has no meaningful connection with these areas, so record the practice link rather than selecting a course solely because it's free.
Choose the format you can finish
Live courses allow questions and discussion, which can produce useful reflective evidence. On demand modules offer more control around shift work. Either way, check the stated CPD hours, completion conditions and certificate process before claiming learning.
ASHM's content has a practical clinical focus, but popular courses can fill quickly. State based funding arrangements and schedules can also vary over time. Keep a record of registration and completion rather than assuming an enrolment confirmation proves attendance.
A concise reflection could identify how the activity will change your assessment questions, testing conversations, contraception counselling or approach to gender affirming care. Don't disclose identifying patient details in your portfolio. Describe the practice issue in general terms.
Visit ASHM core curriculum training to check current nurse and midwife offerings, availability and evidence requirements. The strongest selection is the activity that matches a real clinical gap and gives you evidence you can retrieve later.
7. Black Dog Institute health professional education
Mental health education can be relevant to almost any nursing role, but relevance still needs to be demonstrated. The Black Dog Institute offers free CPD accredited webinars and online modules for Australian health professionals, covering depression, anxiety, suicide prevention, digital mental health tools and rural mental health.
The Australian context is useful for nurses working in general practice, emergency care, community services, rural settings and hospital wards. Short sessions can fit around shifts better than a long course, especially when you're trying to address a specific learning need rather than accumulate unrelated certificates.
Use reflection to show clinical application
Certificates support the record, but they don't explain what changed in your practice. After a webinar, note the assessment, communication or escalation issue you'll apply differently. For example, you might record how the learning affects your approach to asking about distress, identifying risk or discussing digital mental health support within your scope.
The Health Professional Resource and Education Hub can provide on demand access, while live webinar availability cycles over time. Some sessions may require planning to secure a place. Check whether the activity is live, recorded or CPD eligible before setting aside time.
Don't treat attendance at a mental health webinar as permission to extend your scope. The learning should strengthen practice within your role, local policies and supervision arrangements.
The Black Dog Institute health professional education collection is best used as a targeted resource. Select a topic that responds to a current patient group, workplace risk or learning plan objective, then retain the certificate and your own reflection together.
8. Dementia Training Australia
Dementia Training Australia provides free online dementia education and resources for health and aged care workers, including nurse focused learning such as Dementia Matters for GP Nurses. Many courses provide CPD points and certificates, making the platform useful when dementia care is part of your patient population.
The material suits nurses in general practice, community care, emergency departments and aged care. Scenario based learning can help you reflect on communication, behaviour support, assessment, family engagement and culturally safe care. The content is specialised, so it won't be the right choice for every annual learning plan.
Match the course to the patient group
Read the intended audience before enrolling. Some modules target aged care workers or particular clinical roles, and a course designed for one context may need a clear explanation before you claim it for another. Relevance doesn't require identical job titles, but your record should explain how the learning applies to your scope.
Certificates and CPD documentation make completion easier to verify. Save them with the course name and date, then write a reflection based on a practice change you can implement. Avoid including patient names, dates of birth or other identifying details.
A useful reflection might address how you'll adapt communication for a person with dementia, involve carers, recognise distress or support a safer care environment. For wider practical ideas, the activities for individuals with dementia resource can sit alongside, but not replace, formal course evidence.
Check the current Dementia Training Australia online courses for the activity's CPD status and certificate conditions. The provider's documentation should form the evidence base, while your portfolio explains the learning's relevance.
9. Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre MOOCs
The Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre at the University of Tasmania offers free university developed MOOCs, including Understanding Dementia and Preventing Dementia. These courses suit nurses who want flexible, research informed learning with a more academic structure than a short webinar.
The platform shows estimated study time, which helps with planning and documenting self directed CPD. Certificates are available on completion, giving you provider issued evidence to retain alongside your own record.
Don't underestimate the commitment
A MOOC may be free to access but still costly in time. Weekly activities, assessments and discussion requirements can make full completion a multi week commitment. That's useful when you want depth, but inefficient when you need a short refresher before an immediate workplace task.
The learning can be relevant to nurses in aged care, community health, general practice and services supporting people with cognitive impairment. Nurses outside those settings should identify the connection to their practice before recording the hours.
Use the provider's estimated study time as a planning reference, but keep evidence of what you completed. Don't automatically claim the entire course because you enrolled. Record the completed components, certificate and any provider guidance about CPD treatment.
The Wicking Centre dementia MOOCs are a good fit for deliberate study rather than last minute certificate collection. Write a reflection that connects the research content to assessment, communication, care planning or support for families.
10. Safer Baby Bundle eLearning
The Safer Baby Bundle is designed for maternity clinicians and focuses on evidence based care intended to reduce stillbirth. Its learning includes smoking cessation support, fetal growth, decreased fetal movements, safe sleep and shared decision making, with role related modules and supporting resources.
The clinical fit is direct for nurses in antenatal clinics, maternity wards and primary care. It's also relevant to clinicians who provide pregnancy education or contribute to perinatal assessment. Outside maternity and perinatal work, the learning is unlikely to be a priority, even though the subject is important.
Keep role relevance visible
The program offers CPD accredited eLearning and certificates on completion. Before you claim the hours, check which module you completed, whether it's intended for your role and what evidence the platform issues. Retain the certificate and write a reflection that identifies how the learning affects assessment, education, escalation or shared decision making.
The role specific structure is valuable because it discourages broad claims from content that doesn't match your responsibilities. A nurse in antenatal care might record how the learning changes conversations about decreased fetal movements. Another nurse might focus on referral, documentation or patient education within their setting.
Use the Safer Baby Bundle eLearning platform to confirm current modules and certification details. Don't assume an old certificate or a colleague's completed activity reflects the current course requirements.
Free CPD for Australian Nurses, Top 10 Resources Compared
| Service | Core features ✨ | CPD quality & UX ★ | Price & value 💰 | Target audience 👥 | Standout 🏆 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BloodSafe eLearning Australia | National PBM & transfusion pathways, downloadable certificates | ★★★★, case‑based, regularly updated | 💰 Free national access | 👥 Nurses in acute/periop/ED/maternity/community using blood products | 🏆 NSQHS‑aligned, clear CPD evidence |
| Australian Red Cross Lifeblood – Learn | Micro‑learnings, webinars, iTransfuse app for point‑of‑care | ★★★★, bite‑sized, practical refreshers | 💰 Free (some CPD) | 👥 Transfusion nurses, PBM coordinators, bedside staff | 🏆 iTransfuse app + bedside tools |
| eviQ Education (Cancer Institute NSW) | Oncology curricula, chemo/radiation safety tools, role pathways | ★★★★★, in‑depth, evidence‑based, certified | 💰 Free CPD‑accredited modules | 👥 Oncology nurses & cancer clinicians | 🏆 Deep, guideline‑linked oncology education |
| ACSQHC – eLearning | IPC, hand hygiene, QUM, NSQHS assessor orientation | ★★★★, foundational, nationally aligned | 💰 Mostly free; some modules may need org access | 👥 All nurses, quality/safety leads | 🏆 Direct alignment to national safety standards |
| ADHA – Digital Health Training | My Health Record, e‑prescribing, secure messaging, webinars | ★★★★, practical digital skills, on‑demand | 💰 Free webinars/modules; paid tailored sessions possible | 👥 Nurses in primary, community, aged care, hospitals | 🏆 Focus on My Health Record & clinical digital integration |
| ASHM | Sexual health, BBVs, contraception, gender‑affirming care | ★★★★, gov‑funded, clinically focused | 💰 Often free/government‑funded (eligibility varies) | 👥 Nurses & midwives in sexual health, primary care | 🏆 Specialist BBV & sexual health curriculum |
| Black Dog Institute – Health Professional Education | Mental health webinars, suicide prevention, digital MH tools | ★★★★, short, evidence‑based, flexible | 💰 Free CPD webinars & certificates | 👥 Health professionals integrating mental health care | 🏆 Strong evidence base; digital MH focus |
| Dementia Training Australia (DTA) | Dementia care modules, cultural safety, scenario‑based learning | ★★★★, accredited, practical | 💰 Free government‑funded training | 👥 Nurses in aged care, GP, community, ED | 🏆 National dementia CPD with clear certificates |
| Wicking Dementia Centre (MOOCs) | University MOOCs on dementia, time estimates, certificates | ★★★★, high academic quality; multi‑week | 💰 Free MOOCs; certificates on completion | 👥 Clinicians seeking research‑led CPD | 🏆 University‑led, research‑informed courses |
| Safer Baby Bundle eLearning | Perinatal modules (smoking, fetal growth, decreased movements) | ★★★★, evidence‑based, role‑tailored | 💰 Free, CPD‑accredited | 👥 Maternity clinicians, antenatal & primary care nurses | 🏆 Direct linkage to improved perinatal outcomes |
Turn a Free Course Into Defensible CPD Evidence
A free course becomes defensible CPD when you can show four things clearly. You selected it for a genuine practice need, completed the activity, retained evidence supplied by the provider and recorded why the learning matters to your scope of practice.
The NMBA requires practising registered nurses and enrolled nurses to complete at least 20 hours of CPD each registration year, and the same threshold applies to midwives. Nurses with dual registration need 40 hours, divided into 20 hours for each registration type. The NMBA also applies pro rata requirements for shorter registration periods, ranging from 5 hours for 0 to 3 months through to 20 hours for 9 to 12 months of registration. NMBA's CPD FAQ explains the current framework, including how relevant free and informal learning can count.
The framework isn't limited to certificates. Reading clinical articles, listening to professional podcasts, joining case discussions and attending workplace training may count when they're relevant and documented. That gives nurses flexibility, but it also means a portfolio needs more than a list of links.
Use this workflow after every activity
Identify the practice need: Write the clinical issue before choosing the course. Medication safety, infection control, dementia care, transfusion practice and mental health may all be relevant, but relevance depends on your role and current patients.
Check the provider page: Confirm that the activity is currently available, free for your circumstances, relevant to nurses and associated with the stated CPD hours or points.
Complete the activity thoroughly: Don't claim a full pathway if you completed one module. Don't convert casual browsing into learning hours without evidence of a deliberate learning activity.
Save provider evidence: Retain the certificate, attendance confirmation, completion email or downloadable summary. Provider issued evidence and your own portfolio entry serve different purposes, so keep both where possible.
Write a specific reflection: Record what you learned, why it matters to your practice and what you'll do differently. Avoid vague wording such as “knowledge improved”. Identify a decision, assessment, communication process or safety check.
Store the record consistently: Include the date, provider, activity title, hours or points, scope relevance, reflection and evidence location. The Ahpra CPD information reinforces the importance of relevant CPD and documentation for audit readiness.
A compact audit check
Before you count a free activity, ask:
- Clinical fit: Does this relate to my current scope of practice or a documented learning need?
- Current status: Did I check the provider's current page rather than rely on an old listing?
- Completion: Can I show that I completed the stated activity?
- Hours: Are the claimed hours or points clearly identified by the provider?
- Reflection: Have I recorded a specific practice application?
- Retrieval: Can I locate the certificate and portfolio entry without searching through old emails?
Keep supporting notes where appropriate, particularly for self directed learning. A short note identifying the article, podcast or discussion, date, topic and practice relevance is more useful than a bare statement that informal learning occurred.
The best directory entry isn't necessarily the one with the most modules. It's the one that matches your clinical need, gives you evidence you can retrieve and leaves you with a reflection that would make sense to an auditor or supervisor.
PracticeReady can help Australian psychologists organise compliance records, but it isn't the source of the nursing education listed in this directory.
PracticeReady provides structured compliance records for Australian psychologists, including CPD tracking, supervision records, education entries and audit ready summaries. If you're a psychologist who wants the same evidence first approach applied to your own professional records, visit PracticeReady to see how it works.
