CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development and can include courses, conferences, journal subscriptions and other things which help a professional expand their knowledge and maintain skills. Many industries in Australia require CPD of their professionals including for example accountants, architects and engineers. Continued professional development is expected to be an ongoing process throughout the course of a professional’s career. Under Australian National Law, all registered health practitioners must undertake CPD.
CPD requirements, including the number of hours or credit a practitioner must spend each year on learning activities, varies according across each health profession. The requirements are typically determined by a professional board and then set out in the registration standard of each profession. For example, requirements for psychologists are determined by the Psychology Board of Australia and psychologists must undertake a set number of hours as a requirement of ongoing registration.
Many health profession boards provide CPD guidelines in their codes and guidelines and some specialist organisations, such as the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) provide support to assist professionals achieve their CPD goals. Most professions include a set number of hours of peer interaction but the practitioner typically has flexibility with regards to where, when and how CPD is undertaken. All CPD should be relevant to the area of professional practice.
In most instances, professionals who work part-time are required to undertake the same amount of CPD as those who work full-time. Health professionals may also be required to undertaken training in addition to the set CPD hours. For example, podiatrists are required to provide evidence of completing first aid training but the hours spent undertaking CPR and advanced life support does not count towards CPD hours.
In order to maintain registration, CPD must be completed in relation to practice even when taking extended leave such as maternity leave or a career break. However Continuing Professional Development is not required to be undertaken by health professionals who are registered as non-practicing. For example, nurses and midwives can request to register as non-practicing if they intend to take a long period of absence from their profession.
When renewing a registration, most health professionals are required to declare that they have met the CPD requirements of the board which oversees the profession. Health profession boards conduct random audits of CPD compliance and health professionals are encouraged to keep a log of any CPD undertaken, including any certificates or statements of attainment, which may be requested by their professional board for audit purposes.