Tips for planning your CPD

When you plan your CPD activities you are more likely to achieve your goals. To meet the CPD registration standard you must keep a portfolio that records your learning goals and the CPD activities that you plan to do to meet those goals. By planning the CPD that you plan to do you are more likely to meet your learning goals and improve your competence and patient outcomes

You should reflect on and identify your strengths and any gaps in your practice at the beginning of each CPD cycle (when you renew your registration) as well as throughout the year. A good way to do this is to undertake a self-assessment to identify possible areas for improvement. You can then plan your CPD activities to meet those gaps and to build on your strengths, knowledge and skills in the coming registration period.

Although you need to plan your CPD in advance, the plan is intended to be flexible, recognising that you may identify a learning goal or become aware of relevant activities during the year e.g. when a patient presents with an unusual condition that you haven’t dealt with for some time or a relevant journal article is published.

You can update your CPD plan at any time during the year in response to changing learning goals and CPD opportunities. You should record the reasons for any changes to your learning plan in your portfolio.

The CPD registration standard provides flexible ways for practitioners to meet the requirements. The Board expects practitioners to choose CPD that draws on the best available evidence that is supported by research where possible and is aimed at improving patient outcomes. When you are looking for CPD activities you should consider a range of options to help you find CPD that best meets your learning goals.

There is a range of flexible types of CPD activities that you can do to meet the requirements set out in the CPD standard. You can still choose to do formal CPD like seminars, conferences and online learning. However, the CPD guidelines provide more detailed information under the heading ‘CPD activities’ about the types of activities that you may choose.

The following questions may help you to choose CPD activities to respond to your learning goal:

1. What is the learning goal that I want to address?
2. How well does the CPD activity address my learning goals?
3. Is the activity relevant to my current area of practice or an area that I am interested in developing?
4. Will the activity improve patient outcomes/experiences?
5. Does the activity draw on best available evidence, well-established and accepted knowledge or research?
6. What are the qualifications/credentials of the CPD provider?

Some ways of sourcing CPD might include:

• Professional Association/s
• Online learning resources
• Your workplace
• Industry newsletters and other communications
• Your professional colleagues
• Peer reviewed journals, the Cochrane report and other online research data bases

You should record your learning goals and the CPD activities that you plan to do to meet those goals in your portfolio. You should record your completed CPD activities and your reflections on how your CPD has impacted on your practice and improved patient outcomes.

As noted earlier you may need to change your plan throughout the year and record the reasons for the changes in your portfolio.

The Board has developed a template CPD portfolio that includes examples of the types of information that you may choose to include about the reasons for and outcomes expected from the CPD activities that you have planned.

There is also an example completed CPD portfolio.