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This article explains the CPD cycle — the four essential steps of planning, learning, documenting, and reflecting — that help healthcare professionals meet their CPD requirements.
The CPD cycle breaks down the task of completing a CPD activity into four sections:
A new CPD cycle starts at the beginning of every new registration period and ends when you renew your registration and make your annual declaration.
Your CPD portfolio needs to record each section of the CPD cycle: an overall learning plan for the registration period, as well as the learning, documentation, and reflection regarding each individual learning activity.
At Ausmed, we think of purposeful learning as the most effective kind of learning. With that in mind, it’s integral to plan CPD to take the time to identify specific knowledge, skill, or practice gaps you will address this registration period.
Then, you can be sure you’re undertaking learning activities that will actually have the desired result of improving your professional practice and having a positive impact on your patients’ outcomes.
Planning your learning also includes setting goals. Your goals should not only cover which knowledge gaps you intend to narrow or close: you should also spread your goals further into the future, relating to your professional growth.
Regarding learning, the world (of healthcare) is your oyster! As long as you can relate a learning activity to an identified and relevant learning need (as identified in your learning plan), and it is pertinent to your context of practice, you can log it as CPD in your portfolio.
Unsure what kinds of activities are eligible? Explore examples in 'What counts as CPD?'
Documenting your learning and subsequent reflection is an important skill. If you are audited, this documentation is used as evidence to show that you have genuinely adhered to the mandatory learning standards set out by your Regulatory Board.
Documentation requirements differ from Board to Board. For example, some Boards may require registered healthcare practitioners to record a certain amount of time spent on a particular activity, such as time spent on interactive learning activities, such as workshops or online discussions.
All Boards require evidence of the completion of each learning activity – certificates or notes – to be uploaded as part of a learning activity’s documentation.
Like the other three sections of the CPD cycle, reflecting on your learning is non-negotiable. This is a required part of the CPD process and must be logged in your CPD portfolio.
The key to a good reflection is first to consider how a piece of learning has closed or narrowed a knowledge/competency gap, and then consider how this learning will affect your colleagues and patients.
After all, CPD in healthcare is about creating the best possible outcomes for the people you care for. Ask yourself: how will this learning affect them? How will your practice improve as a result of engaging in this activity?
Once you’ve read this article, we recommend reading ‘What counts as CPD?’ next!
Stay organised and never miss a deadline again. With Ausmed, you can easily plan, track, and complete your CPD activities throughout the year.
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