The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7157 p87-88
July 21, 2001

  Self-checking
  Consent
  PGDs
  CPD

CPD

Give us a mission statement

From Mr P. Melnick, MRPharmS

A true professional does not need to be told to undertake continuous professional development. CPD is as much about reinforcing what one knows as it is about learning a new fact or skill. Although the need for CPD is paramount, the need for an arbitrary 30 hours of CPD is not. What an unnecessary bureaucratic, futile and unworkable idea. It is quite feasible that someone could attend lectures sleep through the lot and yet claim to have fulfilled the criterion.

Already, correspondents have expressed concerns about its application to both the permanently and temporarily retired yet no one from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has written to reassure them. Why not?

What sanctions are going to apply? If a competent performer chooses not to comply with the requirement, what can be done about it? Quite simply, nothing. After all, one could not seriously consider depriving them of their livelihood. But if one does nothing in these instances, then how does one remove the incompetent? Their human rights lawyer would have a field day.

So why does the Society need to box itself in around a meaningless figure? Surely what is required is a mission statement — something along the lines that it is the responsibility of all practitioners to ensure that they keep up to date, that it is to be expected that the need for CPD will vary from practitioner to practitioner and that to continue practising requires that they remain knowledgeable, confident and skilful.

Perry Melnick
Ilford, Essex

Back to Top

Previous Topic (PGDs)
Send your letter to The Editor