Continuing professional development (CPD) is the process in which health professionals maintain relevant skills and competencies throughout their professional careers. It can be formal learning such as a postgraduate course, or an opportunistic unscheduled event from your experience that includes reflection on your practice.
CPD was made mandatory for all nurses and midwives in Australia on 1 July 2010. The CPD Standard, a publication of the NMBA, provides a clear outline of the legislative requirements for CPD.
The Standards explain that:
• Nurses and midwives are expected to participate in at least 20 hours of CPD per year.
• One hour of active learning will equal one hour of CPD. It is the nurse or midwife's responsibility to calculate how many hours of active learning have taken place.
• The CPD must be relevant to the nurse or midwife's context of practice.
• Nurses and midwives must keep written documentation of CPD that demonstrates evidence of completion of a minimum of 20 hours of CPD per year.
• Participation in mandatory skills acquisition may be counted as CPD.
Some examples of active continuing professional development include:
The National Board recommends that you keep evidence of CPD, including self-directed learning, for a period of five years. It is best to maintain a portfolio of your activities that is current and up-to-date. This way you can be prepared in the event that there is a random CPD audits which could take place.
If you are interested in reviewing a list of courses that maybe suitable to help you maintain your CPD portfolio please visit the list of courses from our education partners here.
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