Accreditation

OTAC Scholarship

OTAC Scholarships Closed for 2026 - All Scholarships Have Been Awarded

What is the OTAC Scholarship?

The OTAC Scholarship supports general practitioners and nurse practitioners in NSW to gain accreditation for prescribing opioid pharmacotherapy in the treatment of opioid dependence. It also recognises and encourages ongoing professional development in opioid dependence treatment and aims to improve access to opioid dependence treatment services.

The Scholarship strives in a small way, to provide additional resourcing for medical professionals working in regional, remote and metropolitan areas of NSW; while all metropolitan applicants are welcome to apply, their applications will be individually assessed, preference is given to regional and rural applicants.
This initiative is funded by the NSW Ministry of Health and administered by the University of Sydney.

What is the value of the OTAC Scholarship?

Applications for the 2026 OTAC Scholarship will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Up to 5 scholarships will be offered in 2026. Successful applicants can receive up to $2,000, paid in two instalments:

  1. An initial payment of $750 after completing the OTAC educational program and clinical placement.
  2. A second payment of $1,250 following accreditation and after prescribing opioid pharmacotherapy to their first patient, within 12 months of accreditation.

Who Can Apply?

General practitioners or nurse practitioners who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply.

  • Applicants must be a general practitioner or nurse practitioner, currently working in general practice or private settings in New South Wales, including Aboriginal Medical Services or other non-government community-based clinics.
  • Applicants must NOT be working substantively in the public setting, such as Local Health Districts or Specialty Networks. If across multiple clinics or services, applicants must allocate most of their hours in a private practice or general practice setting.
  • Applicants must be a member of a relevant professional college or organisation. For instance:
    • General practitioners may be a member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), and/or The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).
    • Nurse practitioners may be a member of Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia (DANA) and/or a member of Australian College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP). In addition, a nurse practitioner must be within scope to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies for the treatment of opioid dependence within their work role.
  • Applicants must be an unaccredited prescriber. This means either an applicant does not currently hold accreditation to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies from the NSW Ministry of Health, Opioid Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee, or have not previously held accreditation in NSW.
  • Applicants must have a relevant AHPRA Registration that has not been cancelled, disqualified, or prohibited (either currently or previously), or contain any conditions, undertakings, or reprimands (either currently or previously) that would prevent completion of accreditation.
  • Applicants must be interested in the NSW Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) and want to support the safe prescribing of opioid pharmacotherapies in their own practice/clinical setting.

Scholarships will be allocated to general practitioners and/or nurse practitioners who currently work in regional, rural and metropolitan areas in NSW. General practitioners and nurse practitioners who work in metropolitan areas of NSW can apply, however the priority is to award regional, rural and outer metro applicants.
The definition of regional and rural NSW and metropolitan NSW areas is described in section Rural, Regional and Metropolitan Classifications.

When and how to apply?

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Up to 5 scholarships will be offered in 2026.

All applicants will receive an email notification regarding the outcome of their application, approximately one week after the judging process.

To apply for an OTAC Scholarship, please complete the online form and upload your APHRA registration and 2-page curriculum vitae (CV). The application form will ask the following questions:

  1. Tell us about your recent experience in providing alcohol and other drug services and treatment to assist people who use drugs? (100 words or less)
  2. Have you prescribed opioid pharmacotherapies (i.e., methadone or buprenorphine) for the treatment of opioid dependence in the last six months?
  3. How many opioid dependent clients do you currently provide treatment for?
  4. Describe the potential need for prescribing opioid pharmacotherapies for treating opioid dependence at your workplace(s). (100 words or less)
  5. How many opioid dependant clients do you expect to treat in the future? (i.e., What is the potential need for future opioid pharmacotherapies in your workplace?)
  6. If you were to obtain accreditation as a prescriber of opioid pharmacotherapies within the next year, do you intend to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies in your current workplace?
  7. Why are you interested in completing the Opioid Treatment Accreditation Course (OTAC) and becoming an accredited opioid prescriber in NSW? (100 words or less)

This information supports the OTAC Scholarship Selection Committee to consider the best candidates based on current and future caseloads (needs basis) should more than three suitable candidate applications be received. It also helps us understand your commitment to prescribing OAT and your future role in improving access to OAT treatment in NSW.

OTAC Scholarships Closed for 2026

How are applications assessed?

The OTAC Scholarships Selection Committee reviews and judges all applications. The Committee may gather additional information if its members feel it is necessary to reach a final decision.

When will scholarship payments be made?

The Scholarship will be paid in instalments as the successful applicant completes their course, a clinical placement for accreditation, and commences prescribing opioid pharmacotherapies to patients in their practice.

  • An initial payment of $750.00 paid after completion of the OTAC educational program and completion of a clinical placement.
  • A second payment of $1,250.00 paid following accreditation and once the applicant prescribes opioid pharmacotherapy to their first patient, within 12 months of receiving accreditation.

Rural, Regional and Metropolitan Classifications

The NSW Local Health District area classifications will be used to determine rural or regional and metropolitan applications. Rural and regional applicants must work in any regional, rural, or outer metropolitan area in NSW.

  • NSW Regional and Rural Areas: Central Coast, Far West, Hunter New England, Illawarra Shoalhaven, Mid North Coast, Murrumbidgee, Northern NSW, Southern NSW, Western NSW. In addition, a regional or rural area will also encompass the NSW portion of the Albury-Wodonga Health Service.
  • NSW Metropolitan Areas: Nepean Blue Mountains, Northern Sydney, Sydney, South Eastern Sydney, South Western Sydney, and Western Sydney.

For more information on these geographic boundaries, please visit the NSW Health website.

What are the terms and conditions of the OTAC Scholarship?

Download the 2026 OTAC Scholarship Terms & Conditions.

Have a question about the OTAC Scholarship?

Email: otep.info@sydney.edu.au
Phone: 02 9515 6419 during regular business hours on Monday – Thursday.

by Jessica Chow

Lapsed or Interstate Accredited Prescribers

Why apply for accreditation?

Accreditation allows medical and nurse practitioners to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies for up to 300 patients with opioid dependence. It also authorises you to prescribe both buprenorphine and methadone, including starting patients on methadone treatment.

Without accreditation, medical practitioners can still prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies but are limited to 30 patients—20 on buprenorphine and 10 low-risk methadone patients transferred to their care—and cannot initiate methadone treatment.

Who can apply?

If you are an interstate prescriber seeking accreditation in NSW it may be possible for your accreditation to be recognised in NSW.

Similarly, if your accreditation has lapsed in NSW (i.e., typically, if you have not prescribed opioid pharmacotherapies for a patient at least once in a two-year period), you can apply for your accreditation to be re-instated.

For information about your particular situation, contact us.

How to apply?

Complete the application form by clicking the button below. You will need to upload a current curriculum vitae (CV) and an optional written letter of support, as well as provide details about your role, workplace, and any prior accreditation.

Please note, this form is only for lapsed or interstate accredited prescribers.

Application for Lapsed or Interstate Accredited Prescriber

What happens next?

Once your application is submitted, your application will be reviewed at the next NSW Ministry of Health Opioid Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee (OPS) meeting. In most cases, no further action is required from you, though the OPS Secretariat may contact you if additional information is needed.

To ensure your application is considered at an upcoming OPS meeting, your application must be submitted at least 10 days before the scheduled OPS meeting date.

OPS Meeting and Application Dates

The Opioid Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee meets to review applications approximately every six weeks. Below are the upcoming OPS meeting dates and application deadlines.

Applications due byOPS Meeting date
COB 26 October 20263 November 2026

by Despot Design Studio

Prescribing Under Supervision

Why apply to prescribe under supervision in a public AOD clinical setting?

If you are a medical practitioner currently working under supervision in a public drug and alcohol treatment setting and will be prescribing opioid pharmacotherapies under supervision within your workplace, you should apply for approval to prescribe under supervision.

Please note, this approval only permits prescribing under supervision within your workplace and is not equivalent to accreditation to prescribe in other settings. You are encouraged to apply for accreditation after completing the Opioid Treatment Accreditation Course (OTAC), which provides statewide education on opioid treatment pharmacotherapies. Accreditation allows prescribing opioid pharmacotherapies without supervision, beyond the limited workplace setting covered by this approval.

Who can apply?

Medical practitioners in NSW who are starting or have recently started a drug and alcohol clinical role under supervision (e.g., as registrar, trainee or other medical officer) at a public drug and alcohol service are eligible to apply.

How to apply?

Complete the application form by clicking the button below. You will need to upload a current curriculum vitae (CV) and provide details about your role at a public drug and alcohol service in NSW, including clinic location, supervisor information, and the duration of your supervision.

Applications may take up to three business days to process. Both you and your nominated supervisor(s) will be notified by email of the application outcome.

Please note, this form is only for applying for approval to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies under supervision at a public drug and alcohol service.

Apply to prescribe Under Supervision

What happens next?

Once your application is approved by the Opioid Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee (OPS) secretariat, your details will be forwarded to the Pharmaceutical Services Unit (PSU) for addition to the SafeScript NSW system, allowing you to prescribe under supervision. This process may take up to 3 working days, and you will be notified by email once completed.

Upon approval, you are allowed to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies for up to 125 patients while under supervised training.

by Despot Design Studio

OTAC Accreditation

Why apply for accreditation?

Accreditation allows medical practitioners and nurse practitioners to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies for up to 300 patients with opioid dependence. It also authorises you to prescribe both buprenorphine and methadone, including starting patients on methadone treatment.

Without accreditation, medical practitioners can still prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies but are limited to 30 patients— 20 on buprenorphine and 10 low-risk methadone patients transferred to their care—and cannot initiate methadone treatment.

Who can apply for accreditation?

Medical Practitioners and Nurse Practitioners can apply for accreditation to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence in New South Wales after completing the OTAC and undertaking a clinical placement.

How to apply?

After completing the OTAC course and your clinical placement, submit your application for accreditation using the button below if you haven’t already done so. You will need to upload a current curriculum vitae (CV), OTAC Letter of Completion and provide details about yourself, your workplace, and your clinical placement supervisor.

Placement and Accreditation application

What happens next?

Once your clinical placement supervisor submits their assessment, your application will be reviewed at the next NSW Ministry of Health Opioid Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee (OPS) meeting. In most cases, no further action is required from you, though the OPS Secretariat may contact you if additional information is needed.

To ensure your application is considered at an upcoming OPS meeting, your placement assessment and application must be submitted at least 10 days before the scheduled OPS meeting date.

OPS Meeting and Application Dates

The Opioid Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee meets to review applications approximately every six weeks. Below are the upcoming OPS meeting dates and application deadlines.

Applications due byOPS Meeting date
COB 26 October 20263 November 2026

Accreditation steps

by Despot Design Studio

Accreditation

by Despot Design Studio