Continuing Professional
Development
"Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) is a continuing learning process that compliments formal
undergraduate and postgraduate education and training. CPD will
play an important role in the delivery of the new Revalidation
system. CPD requires doctors to maintain and improve their
standards across all areas of their practice. CPD should encourage
and support specific changes in practice and career development,
and have a role to play in helping doctors to keep up to date when
they are not practising."
Guidance on Continuing Professional
Development 
, General Medical Council, April 2004.
Keeping up to date through Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) is a professional responsibility for all doctors. CPD assists
doctors to maintain and improve their standards across all areas of
their practice, and encourages and supports specific changes in
practice and career development. It promotes good medical practice
and protects patients from substandard practice. Good Medical
Practice for General Practitioners 
, states that:
"You must keep your knowledge and skills up to date throughout
your working life. You should be familiar with relevant guidelines
and developments that affect your work. You should regularly take
part in educational activities that maintain and further develop
your competence and performance."
As the key academic body for GPs in the UK, the RCGP has
developed a UK-wide CPD strategy for GPs. The main principles of
the RCGP CPD strategy are described in Professor Nigel Sparrow's
paper Good CPD for
GPs 
.
A selection of key documents, from the College and other
organisations that will assist in the understanding of Continuing
Professional Development.
Review of the GMC's role in CPD
Take part in the new survey concerning the role of the General
Medical Council (GMC) with regards to Continuing Professional
Development (CPD)
In preparation for Revalidation, and in line with the 10 Principles of Good
Practice in CPD developed by the Academy of Medical Royal
Colleges, the RCGP has developed a CPD Credits Scheme for all GPs. This scheme
is fully described in the RCGP
Guide to the Credit-Based System for CPD .
Other CPD Intiatives
A range of initiatives are being developed by the Professional
Development Board to support CPD for GPs. These include:
- eLearning:
The College has developed a customised Online Learning Environment
and is developing a range of eLearning programmes.
- Essential Knowledge Update (EKU) Programme: A
series of six-monthly online learning modules and online
self-assessment knowledge tests (EKC)
focusing on new and changing knowledge relevant to general
practice.
- Revalidation ePortfolio: The College is
developing an ePortfolio to enable established GPs to record their
CPD in support of Revalidation.
- Leadership Programme: A programme that gives GPs
the opportunity to develop as leaders in the context of the rapidly
changing world of primary care.
- Carers: The College
is piloting an education programme to improve knowledge and
understanding of carer issues among primary care teams.
- Health &
Work: Initiatives in support of the Health & Work
agenda.
- Higher Professional Development (HPD): An
accreditation scheme for higher education courses.
- Postgraduate
Certificate in Medical Education : in collaboration with the University of
Dundee