Taking Leave
Taking Leave from Dietetic Practice in New Zealand
Taking maternity/paternity leave?
Travelling overseas?
Leaving to work overseas?
Changing your practising status?
The following is generic advice for taking leave from practice and becoming Non-Practising. If you have any queries or your individual circumstances fall outside this advice, practitioners should contact the Board.
As a Registered Dietitian you MUST NOT practise in New Zealand – including in a part time or voluntary capacity – unless you hold an Annual Practising Certificate. Additionally, you may not call yourself a Dietitian without Registration. See Understanding Registration and Annual Practising Certificates for further details about holding an APC and activity which constitutes ‘practice’. If you are uncertain whether or not you need to hold an APC please contact the Board to discuss.
Process for becoming Non-Practising
- During the practising year – You must contact the Board’s office to request your practising status be changed to Non-Practising. You will become Non-Practising from a defined date. As you have already paid your APC fee, there is no further fee for this.
- At renewals – Follow the steps online for making a Non-Practising declaration and pay the relevant fee.
Supervision (excluding prescribing – see next section)
Supervisee
If your practice is currently being supervised, please arrange for your supervisor to SIGN OFF on the MyCCP platform when you go on leave. On return to practice, you will need to make arrangements to be supervised again and complete your supervision period; don’t forget to ensure your supervisor completes their SIGN ON as the Board counts your supervision period from that date.
Supervisor
Only Registered Dietitians with a current APC can be supervisors. Therefore, if you are a supervisor you will need to ensure your supervisees are made aware that you are taking leave (changing your status to Non-Practising) and you will need to SIGN OFF as their supervisor on the MyCCP platform. They will need to arrange for a new supervisor.
Prescribing
- If you are a prescriber the Board strongly recommends that you continue to undertake the MOODLE annual prescribing update while you are on leave from practice to ensure a smooth return to prescribing and that you therefore retain the prescribing endorsement.
- You will also need to ensure you retain a prescribing supervisor over this time.
- While on leave from practice you may not act as a prescribing supervisor; if you currently supervise anyone, please ensure you make them aware you are taking leave so they can make alternative arrangements.
- Please be aware it is the supervisee’s responsibility to ensure they have their up-to-date prescribing supervisor selected on MyCCP.
Please read the Dietitian Prescriber Policy for more information.
Continuing Professional Development – MyCCP
- For the period you hold an APC you must complete your CCP requirements as per the declaration you make when applying for an APC.
- Once you change your status to Non-Practising, you will not need to complete MyCCP credits.
- If you go on leave partway through the practising year the Board will pro-rata the credits you require up to the date you returned your APC – make sure you advise the Board of your leave so this can be done accurately.
- When you return to practice, the Board will, if necessary, pro-rata the credits you require according to when during the practising year you are re-issued an APC.
Failing to ensure your required CCP credits are achieved up to the point you become Non-Practising will impact on your return to practice and delay your application for an APC / return to practice.
Returning to Practice
The process and criteria for returning to practice will vary according to how long you have been on leave for, whether you have been overseas during this time, and whether you have practised whilst overseas. Details for returning to practice can be found in the Return to Practice Policy. If you are expecting to be on leave for some time, we recommend you periodically check the policy, read Board Newsletters, and ensure you are aware of any changes.
Communication
Please remember that Registered health practitioners – whether practising or not – are legally required to notify the Board promptly of any changes to home, postal or work addresses. It is equally important to notify the Board of changes to email addresses in order to receive the newsletters and other information that is sent from the Board to the current profession. All these changes must be made via the Practitioner Portal. Practitioners are also required to notify the Board of any change of name by sending in a copy of a certificate that confirms the change within one month of that change.
Should practitioners have any queries or individual circumstances fall outside this advice, please contact the Board to discuss further.