Continuing Professional Development Requirements

(as stated in the RCPCH guidance, January 2005)

The Need for CPD

All paediatricians are required to be able to demonstrate that CPD is being actively maintained for clinical governance purposes. Trainees are already annually appraised and their training opportunities discussed and documented. For all other paediatricians proof of continuing professional development needs to be provided.

If specialists and other senior doctors responsible for providing clinical services allow themselves to fall behind in their education and maintenance of professional skills, the quality of their clinical practice will decline, as will standards of teaching and postgraduate training.

CPD forms a part of the appraisal process and will be a central pillar of revalidation.

Recommendations for CPD

A system has been established based on units of CDP/CME time. The basic unit of educational time is one hour for which one CDP unit will be given.

Activities for CPD

External CPD – work involving interaction with colleagues outside your own department and requires protected study leave time. Includes organised meetings and courses and personal visits to acquire new skills.
Internal study leave – does not require study leave and includes hospital and community clinical meetings, multidisciplinary participation, grand rounds and clinical audit meetings.
Clinical – the learning and development of clinical skills including regular clinical meetings (internal and external), courses, lectures or seminars, special attachments at another department or hospital or sitting in on a colleagues clinic.
Academic – includes clinical audit, research activities, preparation of post-graduate lectures, examining, publishing, presenting audit and research findings, and teaching-the-teacher courses
Professional – enhance the ability to practise, relate to employers, colleagues and patients. Includes management courses, IT training, communication skills training.

Number of CPD sessions

The target is 50 credits per year
One day will be allocated six credits, half a day is three.
At least 25 credits should come from external CPD
Aim for approximately 80% as clinical
Paediatricians are expected to keep details of all CPD activities in their portfolio

National CPD scheme

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has implemented a national scheme for registration of CPD/ CME for which all non-trainee grade paediatricians can register.

There is an annual fee for using this scheme if you are not a member of the college.

You are expected to submit to the college on a quarterly basis records of CPD obtained via either postcard or electronically.

The college then provides each participant with an annual summary statement.

If CPD requirements are fulfilled then the doctor is added to the register of doctors “in good standing”; the A-list. Submissions are audited on a rotational basis so documentation confirming attendance at all meetings must be kept.

This register is published on the college web site and is open to viewing by the general public.

Other professional colleges run similar schemes which may be more appropriate to some paediatricians.

We would strongly advise all members of BACCH who are not still in training grades, to register on a CPD scheme. Follow the following link to the college website to register or for further information.

www.rcpch.ac.uk/education/cpd/cpd_guidelines.html