Getting the profession ready for the challenge of mandatory CPD
In this article, the Society's post-registration team explains its latest steps towards mandatory continuing professional development
CPD Online Version 3.0 will be released on 17 September 2007 |
A new version of the Society’s online continuing professional
development recording system (www.uptodate.org.uk), and an appraisal
of the whole
CPD recording and review process, are the latest steps being taken by
the Society towards preparing the profession for mandatory CPD in the
autumn of 2008.
CPD Online Version 3.0 will be released on 17 September 2007and will
make it easier for registrants to record their CPD because it will provide
them with greater flexibility in the way they complete their records
online.
Paper records will also be updated with new formats for the standard
record sheets to be made available on request in early October, so that
users can start a CPD record from either the planning or evaluation stages
of the CPD cycle. This is in addition to the established entry points
of reflection or action.
The release of the new online version coincides with the launch of a
CPD review project, which requires 1,000 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
to take part in three pilots over the next six months. Each pilot will
look at different means of recording CPD, starting with CPD Online users,
then CPD Desktop users. Paper records will be reviewed in phase 3.
The project’s aim is threefold. First, it will test the process
of calling for and reviewing CPD records. This will also allow the recruiting
and training of the Society’s reviewers to be assessed. Secondly,
it will enable the Society to evaluate how well users are complying with
expectations for CPD recording. Finally, the project will enable the
Society to get views from members on the CPD feedback report, which is
given to members after their records are reviewed.
Peter Wilson, head of the Society’s post-registration division
and in charge of CPD, says: “With only a year to go until CPD is
mandatory we are introducing these pilots because it is important for
the profession to have complete confidence in the system that we use
to record and evaluate CPD. To do this requires rigorous testing of each
stage of the process, so the Society can assure registrants that their
CPD records are being managed in a robust way, using an open and transparent
system that is reliable and able to provide meaningful feedback.
“Our
aim is to establish a structure that will be responsive so that changes
in CPD recording practice will be reflected in [members’] subsequent
[feedback] reports and that self improvement and self development remain
the highest priority in the whole CPD process.”
The project will involve 1,000 volunteer pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
from all sectors who are willing to have their CPD records reviewed.
The Society will invite them by letter to take part in the pilot. Each
stage of the CPD cycle will be reviewed in up to 20 entries for each
volunteer.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who take part in the initial review
will not normally be asked to submit their records for a further five
years. They will also have the opportunity to gain early feedback on
their recording of CPD against the Society’s criteria. Those who
have their records reviewed can be confident that the feedback they get
will indicate whether or not they are on the right path in recording
their CPD, or if they need to make some changes in some aspects of their
recording activity.
The criteria that are used have been supplied with the “Plan and
record” folder, which was sent to all members, but are also available
on the uptodate website.
Each volunteer will receive a CPD feedback report. For CPD Online and
CPD Desktop users this will be a comprehensive report that will be accessible
electronically, and a guide for interpreting and understanding the report
will be included. The report will provide an analysis of how the CPD
record compares with the quality criteria. It will present a numerical
analysis, written commentary and comparisons with the CPD records submitted
by other members. Information will also be provided on how pharmacists
and pharmacy technicians can improve their recording.
So who will be reviewing the CPD records? The Society has undertaken
an extensive recruitment and training programme to recruit reviewers
for the purpose of this project. All reviewers have been provided with
training and assessed against common criteria. A programme of continuing
quality assurance ensures that the review process provides consistent
feedback to pharmacists.
“The reviewers are looking specifically
at the published quality criteria for a CPD record and how a pharmacist’s
record complies with these criteria. The Society holds the view that
with the many sectors of practice the Society’s 35,000 practising
members are involved in, it would not be possible or appropriate to provide
informed feedback on this aspect.
“We value the diversity of practice our members are involved with
and respect their individual professional judgement of their own developmental
needs. Consequently, the reviewers will not be looking to assess the
technical content of the records, they are interested in the way the
records are completed,” Dr Wilson says. More about CPD Online Version 3.0
Apart from allowing registrants to create CPD records from any point
in the learning cycle (reflection, planning, action, evaluation), CPD
Online Version 3.0 will also offer an optional tool (“wizard”)
to assist them in determining where in the CPD cycle to start their
record. The recording of competencies will become optional within individual
records.
Version 3.0 will also associate competencies more closely with individuals
by allowing them to select relevant competencies in their profile. A
new tutorial will be provided as part of the release, guiding users through
the use of the new wizard for determining start points. For registrants
in the NHS and Ministry of Defence, CPD Online Version 1.0 will continue
to be available. CPD Desktop will also continue to be available for those
who wish to maintain record on a personal computer.
Looking ahead, all CPD systems will be updated as part of an ongoing
process of improvement and the Society will develop the functionality
of both desktop and online versions on an ongoing basis to ensure they
remain relevant and useful tools for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
More
information about CPD is available on the uptodate
website. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal