Annual Practising Certificates
If you wish to work in New Zealand as a medical radiation technologist you must hold a current annual practising certificate (APC) or an interim practising certificate (IPC).
You must have been granted registration with the Medical Radiation Technologists Board before you can apply for an annual practising certificate (APC). All APC applications are managed through an online process. Click on the Apply for an APC button on the Home Page of this website.
You can apply for an APC in either one or multiple scopes of practice, providing that you are registered in each of those scopes and meet the Board's criteria for clinical work experience.
If you apply for an APC in one scope of practice you must have completed, within the 3 years prior to your application, a minimum of 880 clinical hours with at least 360 of those involving patient contact.
Should you wish to apply for an APC in more than one scope of practice you must have completed, within the 3 years prior to your application, at least 360 hours of patient contact for each scope of practice and an additional 440 clinical hours in any of the scopes of practice that you hold an APC for. This balance of 440 hours may include any combination of - patient contact; direct supervision of staff in clinical practice; delivery of educational activities; quality assurance directly related to the delivery of medical radiation technology/radiation therapy; research activities which inform practise.
If you do not meet these required clinical hours, whether you are practising in a single or multiple scopes, it is likely that you will not be issued with an APC. Instead, you could be issued with an interim practising certificate (IPC) which will require you to work under supervision until you can satisfy the Board that you have met the required number of clinical hours.
An APC is valid for a maximum of twelve-months between 1st April of one year and 31st March of the next year. An APC may be issued for a part of the relevant twelve-month period.
When you apply for an APC you are required to make a number of declarations including that you have:
- Received a satisfactory performance evaluation
- Met the requirements for clinical work experience
- Enrolled in a Board-approved recertification programme
- No criminal convictions recorded against your name and there are no criminal charges pending punishable by imprisonment for a term of 3 months or longer
and that you are competent and fit to practise and have no mental or physical or conditions that may compromise your competence.
You will also be required to pay a fee of $275.00 before an APC or IPC is issued. This $275 fee is applicable whether you are issued with an APC in a single scope of practice or multiple scopes of practice.
Issue of an APC is also dependent on you having practised medical radiation technology within the last three years either inside or outside of New Zealand. If you have not practised within the last three to five years you will be required to work under an IPC. This requires you to work under supervision until such time as the Board has received evidence that you are competent to practise in the relevant scope of practice.
If you are a current holder of an APC you will be notified by the Board in January/February of each year of the need to renew your APC for the following year (1 April to 31 March), unless you have otherwise informed the Board that you will not be practising in that period.
Once approved, your APC and receipt is emailed to you in a PDF format and a copy can also be kept in your "My Profile" section of the website. The APC will state your scope of practice including any conditions to that scope - e.g. Medical Radiation Technologist - Diagnostic Imaging General (Mammography only).
An IPC is issued as a printed paper certificate that is dated from the day of receipt of the application and states it is valid for a period of a specified number of months (not exceeding twelve months) or until sign-off by a supervisor that you are competent to practise in the stated scope of practice.
Working Without an APC:
As a registered medical radiation technologist (any scope of practice) you are responsible for ensuring you apply for an annual practising certificate and that an application renewal is submitted to the Board for each year you intend to work in the New Zealand medical imaging industry.
The Board does not condone the actions of registered medical radiation technologists who may be working in the medical radiation technology profession without a current annual practising certificate.
Should the Board have it confirmed that you have been working without a current APC, it will take appropriate action against you.
The Board expects employers to ensure that all staff practising the profession of medical radiation technology and who are registered with the Board will hold a current annual practising certificate irrespective of their tenure and employment conditions.
