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Frequently Asked Questions - Cpd

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1) What is CPD?

Continuing professional development is the means by which health and social care professionals maintain and improve their knowledge, skills and competence, and develop the professional qualities required throughout their professional life.  CPD is an integral component in the continuing provision of safe and effective services for the benefit of service users. CPD requires engagement by the health and social care professional in a range of learning activities on an on-going basis.

2) How many CPD credits do I need to accrue?

Registrants should refer to the CPD Standard and Requirements issued by their Registration Board.

3) Why is CPD important?

Active engagement in CPD is critical to ensuring that registrants continue to have the up to date knowledge and skills necessary to deliver a safe and effective service to service users.

4) How many CPD credits are required for those who work part-time or are on extended leave from work?

The same requirements apply to all those on the register regardless of their work situation.  Registrants should refer to the CPD Standard and Requirements issued by their Registration Board for more information.

5) How are CPD credits awarded?

CPD credits are awarded on the basis that one hour of learning is equal to one CPD point. For the purpose of this CPD system, learning refers to new or enhanced learning only.

6) Can I carry surplus CPD activities forward to the next cycle?

No. Registrants may complete more than the necessary credits in a given period if they wish. However, credits cannot be transferred or carried forward to the next time period. They are only relevant to the period during which they were completed.

7) Can CPD credits only be accrued on an hourly basis?

1 CPD credit is equal to1 hour of learning, but you can attribute any fraction of 1 hour to a learning activity.

8) If I attended the same course twice, could I record CPD points for both attendances?

CPD credits must reflect new learning. Repeating an activity will not accrue additional CPD points. However the same type of learning activity such as a journal club, may contribute to CPD point accrual throughout the cycle as new content is likely to be generated at each meeting of the journal club.

9) Can I only accrue a certain amount of CPD credits for each learning activity type?

The only learning activity with a CPD credit limit is the maintenance of a CPD portfolio. Registrants may claim a maximum of 4 CPD credits per 12 month period in relation to this activity. There are no limits or caps placed on any other activity type.

10) Will CORU accredit CPD activities?

No, CORU will not accredit CPD activities. Each registrant will be responsible for identifying suitable CPD activities to target their own learning, and will be allocating CPD points based on the new or enhanced learning associated with each activity.

11) What CPD activities will be considered suitable for registrants to complete?

A list of example CPD activities is available in the CPD Standard and Requirements. This list is varied. Registrants should identify learning activities that are related to their own learning needs and are relevant to practice. There are no specific mandatory CPD activities.

12) Do I need to consult with a manager or supervisor to meet the CPD Standard and Requirements?

No. This is not a requirement of the CPD Standard and Requirements. Registrants are entitled to conduct this process on their own as some practitioners may work in isolation.
However, as professional development planning may be a feature of some workplaces and may inform the CPD process, it may be useful for registrants to combine both processes to increase efficiency and minimise the impact on their professional practice.

13) Would it be sufficient to submit only one activity type in my portfolio?

Only completing one  single learning activity such as supervision, would not be sufficient to meet the CPD requirements set out. Registrants are required to complete a range of learning activities within the CPD credit requirement.

14) I don’t have access to a supervisor. Will I be able to meet the CPD requirements?

Yes. Supervision is just one acceptable CPD activity and many other learning activities are suitable to contribute to your CPD credits.

15) Are courses and workshops the only type of acceptable CPD?

Attendance at a course or workshop is only one way of completing a CPD activity.  A variety of learning activities will be suitable and a list of example activities is available for registrants in the CPD Standard and Requirements.

16) When should I complete CPD?

Registrants should engage with learning activities on an on-going basis throughout the CPD cycle. This does not mean that registrants are obliged to engage with CPD continually, but should add to their portfolio at regular intervals.

17) My workload is too heavy, and I don’t have the time. How will I find the time to do CPD?

This is a flexible model which should suit those in a variety of work situations and with different personal circumstances. Registrants should be able to embed CPD within their current work situations and incorporate learning activities into their practice

18) What do I need to include in my overview of professional role?

This is a written description by the registrant of their current professional role and practice setting. It should include your main responsibilities, any specialist areas of work and description of the practice setting and service users.

19) What information needs to be included in the CPD portfolio?

The CPD portfolio contains 5 distinct sections:

  • Declaration and overview of professional role and practice setting
  • Personal Learning Plan
  • Record of CPD activities
  • Reflections on different learning activities
  • Evidence of CPD learning activities
20) Can unexpected learning be used to accrue credits?

Yes. Excellent learning opportunities may arise spontaneously without planning or intention. These can be added to the Record of CPD Activities as unplanned learning activities. A record should be made in a similar fashion to planned activities.

21) I work in more than one professional role. Do I need to include all of my workplaces and settings?

Yes, this overview of your professional role and practice setting should be all encompassing and reflective of all your responsibilities as a registered professional.

22) What is a Personal Learning Plan?

The Personal Learning Plan is the outcome of the self-review of skills, knowledge and professional carried out as part of Stage 1 of the process. This sets out the professional learning and development needs of the registrant and details how the registrant plans to address those needs by undertaking a number of appropriate CPD activities. The Personal Learning Plan should include

  • Learning needs
  • Learning outcomes
  • Suitable learning activities
  • Timeframes
  • Prioritisation
23) Am I required to use the Reflective Report Template provided by CORU?

Yes. This template is designed to assist and support registrants in completing reflective reports in keeping with the requirements of the CPD portfolio.

24) Will I still need to include supporting documentation for unplanned activities?

Yes. It may be as simple as identifying the learning gained from the activity and writing a short piece on the impact it had on your professional role. Even though an activity is unplanned, it is still important to provide evidence for it.

25) Can a reflective report be used as supporting documentation?

Yes. In some instances a reflective report may be suitable for use as supporting documentation.

26) Why do I need to include supporting documentation?

The purpose of supporting documentation is to verify the learning activity to which it relates.

27) What supporting documentation do I need to include?

The supporting documentation required varies depending on the type of learning activity to which it relates. The table of CPD activity examples provided in the CPD Standard and Requirements includes examples of corresponding suitable supporting documentation.

28) Do I need to number the supporting documents?

Yes. The supporting documents need to be numbered to easily link them to the activity to which they correspond.

29) Do I send the originals of my documents?

No. Copies of documents such as certificates of attendance should be submitted as part of your portfolio. It will not be possible to return original documents to registrants, so they should not be included.

30) Should I be concerned about confidentiality when including supporting documentation?

Yes. It is important that all information identifying a patient or service user must be removed from any documentation submitted. This is particularly important when including items such as case studies. Do not, under any circumstance, provide information that would enable the identification of a service user.

31) Is it recommended to use the CORU template?

We would recommend using the CORU portfolio template to ensure you are compliant with CPD requirements.

32) Does keeping a CPD portfolio qualify as a learning activity?

Yes. Maintaining a CPD portfolio is included in the guidance as a suitable learning activity. Registrants can claim a maximum of 4 CPD credits per 12 month period for the maintenance of their CPD portfolio.

33) How long should I keep my portfolio?

Records should be kept by the registrant in perpetuity.

34) How do I claim CPD credits for maintaining a portfolio?

Maintaining a CPD portfolio will need to be included as a learning activity in the Record of CPD Activities. This can be appropriately evidenced through your Personal Learning Plan, Records of Activities, Reflections and Supporting Documentation which are already presented as compulsory components of your portfolio.

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