Launching the revised ASMIRT Advanced Practice pathway

Advanced practice isn’t a specific role, it is a level of specialised expert practice and leadership in a defined scope of practice that enhances service provision and/or patient experience.1 The Advanced Practitioner scope of practice continuum is considerably diverse.2 However, as a level of practice it is characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision-making informed by further training and education.3 Advanced Practitioners work at the forefront of our professions and champion change.
An Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (ASMIRT) certified Advanced Practitioner, is a practitioner who demonstrates fulfilment of all the characteristics of advanced prac- tice through a rigorous peer-reviewed process.3 These characteris- tics include the provision of specialist clinical practice, leadership, education and research.4 Ongoing demonstration of advance prac- tice capability is required through a formal re-credentialling process.3
ASMIRT has provided a route for formal advanced practice recogni- tion since 2014. Despite the availability of this pathway for nearly a decade, the number of credentialled Advanced Practitioners remains low and Australia is yet to build any significant capacity for a sustainable advanced practitioner workforce. In response to chal- lenges and barriers for advanced practice development and implementation,5 the Advanced Practice Reference Group recently completed a significant review and revision of the Advanced Prac- tice pathway and credentialling process. This presentation provides an overview of the revised ASMIRT Advanced Practice pathway to include an update on the revised characteristics, the application and assessment processes, and re-credentialling.