RCVS publishes new resources for the profession on CPD policy changes

Ahead of our new policies on continuing professional development (CPD) coming into force at the beginning of 2020, we have developed a range of new resources to support the profession in understanding and adapting to the changes.

From January 2020 we are changing the way in which we assess CPD compliance – moving to a simpler and easier-to-understand annual CPD requirement of 35 hours a year for veterinary surgeons and 15 hours a year for veterinary nurses (rather than the previous rolling average over three years). The changes will also enable the College to measure CPD compliance and address any non-compliance in a more meaningful way.

Allied to these changes, on 27 January 2020, we will also be introducing 1CPD, its new digital CPD recording platform, which will replace the current Professional Development Record (PDR) for both vets and vet nurses. The 1CPD platform supports the ‘plan, do, record, reflect’ cycle of CPD, with a particular emphasis on aiding and enhancing the reflection element of the cycle, and will also be available in app format for iOS and Android.

Reflection is a key element of the new outcomes-based CPD model, which will be introduced by the RCVS from January 2020 and become mandatory from 2022 to encourage veterinary professionals to reflect on the quality, relevance and impact of the CPD they undertake.

To help the profession prepare for all these changes we have updated our ‘CPD 2020’ webpage with new resources, including:

• Short video interviews with key policy makers at the RCVS answering some of the key questions about the changes and their implications;
• Case studies of vets and vet nurses who took part in the recent pilot of an outcomes-based CPD model;
• Blogs from veterinary professionals covering topics such as how best to integrate learning into everyday practice and doing CPD on a budget;
• Scenarios covering some of the key questions and issues arising from the policy changes; and
• Frequently asked questions about the changes.

Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, our Director of Education (pictured right), said: “We hope these resources will help members understand some of the fundamental and practical issues around the changes and the impact they will have, as well as covering some of the big questions such as what counts as CPD, how to engage in meaningful reflection and how to balance CPD with personal and professional responsibilities.

“As well as the main CPD 2020 webpage we have also developed four off-shoot pages which look in more detail at the ‘plan, do, record, reflect’ model of CPD and provide further advice and guidance about each stage.

“We hope that the profession will find these resources useful and we will continue to update these pages with blogs, case studies, videos and other resources as the policy changes bed in.”

All of the CPD resources can be accessed on the dedicated webpage. 

Any members of the profession who have queries about the policy changes and their implications can also contact our Education Department on [email protected]