Reaccreditation

Reaccreditation Guidelines V4 >

Reaccreditation ensures that the AHT maintains clinical competence after initial accreditation. It is the personal responsibility of each AHT to maintain, enhance and extend their knowledge, expertise and competence.

Reaccreditation provides assurance to the public that the AHT continues to meet the high standards set by the AHTA Credentialing Council.

Applicants must be a current AHT and apply for reaccreditation before their expiry date (five years from the last approval).

We urge you to commence your application five months in advance of your membership expiry datefor the following reasons:

1. Applications must be approved before your expiry date
2. It takes time to collect and upload evidence documents, 
3. You must carefully check that your application is correct, and the evidence is approved according to the Accreditation Guidelines
4. You must apply well in advance of your expiry date. Scheduled meeting dates are on the website page https://www.ahta.com.au/review-process
5. If the original application is not approved, early submission will allow time for a resubmission for a subsequent Council meeting.

You must reaccredit every five years from the date that you were awarded the credential, Accredited Hand Therapist (AHT).
You are required to provide documentary evidence that demonstrates you meet requirements in three key areas:

• Hand Therapy Practice (2000 hours over the five-year period)
• Ongoing Education (20 hours per annum)
• Contributions to the Profession (25 hours over the five-year period).

Applicants MUST read the Reaccreditation Guidelines, linked above, to ensure that the evidence provided is approved and avoid resubmission.

You must provide evidence of the completion of the required hours within three categories. This evidence must be entered into your CPD Diary using the provided forms, before applying.

Forms can be located on the 'Forms and References page of the website.

If you require conditional approval or a request for an extension, policies providing details on how to apply are available on the Forms and references page of the website.

The reaccreditation fee is $250 (inc GST).

Incomplete applications will be 'rejected' and the applicant must resubmit their application.

The re-submission fee is $150 (inc GST).

The Reaccreditation fee is not refundable.

The applicant must apply and pay the reaccreditation fee via the AHTA website.

The applicant's CPD Log will be checked, and evidence verified by staff on behalf of the Credentialing Council. 

If the applicant has met all advertised requirements and evidence has been verified, applications will proceed to the Credentialing Council and the Board.

Applicants will be awarded reaccreditation for five years from the date of application submission or fee paid, whichever date is the latest.

A sample of applications will be submitted to the Credentialing Council for auditing.

There are two alternatives to reaccreditation:

Associate membership
Associate membership is available for AHTs who do not meet reaccreditation requirements and do not want to lose their membership status permanently. Associate membership must be renewed annually.

Retired AHT
The AHTA Credentialing Council has established the designation, AHT Retired, to provide a mechanism for the continued recognition of retired AHTs after they have withdrawn from professional practice. The AHT Retired designation is intended to recognize the AHT’s years of service and commitment to excellence in upper limb patient care.

If an applicant is unable to complete the requirements for reaccreditation by the date that their AHT credential expires, the applicant’s membership will be recategorised to Associate Member status.

The Board may resolve to deny the applicant reaccreditation as an AHT, if in the opinion of the Board, the AHT has:

• failed to comply with the requirements of reaccreditation
• been found to act dishonestly in the application for reaccreditation
• failed to comply with any code of behaviour or code of conduct of the AHTA
• acted in a manner that renders it undesirable that the Member continues to be a member where such action could include that the Member has acted in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the AHTA.

For information on grievences, refer to the By-Laws, Policies and Guidelines.