TAL CPD your field of practice: C D


• Clinical and technical areas of study • Radiography • Cross infection control • Medical emergencies and CPR • Emerging technologies and treatments • CPD on quality assurance for MHRA • CPD specific for your daily role(s).


Maintenance of skills, behaviours and attitudes which maintain patient confidence in you and the


dental profession and put patients’ interests first: • Ethical and legal issues and developments • Professional behaviours • Equality and diversity training.


CHOOSING YOUR CPD Whilst the GDC does not quality-assure CPD, it does place some requirements on CPD providers in order for courses to count as verifiable. One requirement is that evidence given to participants (i.e. the CPD certificate) must state that it has been subject to quality assurance and include the name of the person or body providing that quality assurance. In addition, the certificate should also feature the activity’s aims, objectives, learning content and the intended development outcomes covered. We have not been prescriptive in exactly the form this should take but these criteria should act as a guide in helping to decide if a course will meet the development needs professionals are looking for. It will also provide evidence that the CPD meets the GDC’s verifiable requirements. While there is no approved list of training providers or


courses, the ability of the CPD provider to demonstrate they are meeting the verifiable criteria can provide a good starting guide. Before booking a course though, professionals will need to have a good look at the course and use their professional judgement to decide if it will fulfil their development needs and will be counted as verifiable.


NEXT STEPS ECPD represents significant progress on our journey towards creating a system that supports professional development in the best possible way, but it is


not the final destination. As we look towards the future, we are seeking approaches to CPD that offer the professions more opportunity to take responsibility for development, and to achieve this in a way that complements what they are already doing. This might, for example, mean a greater focus on peer-


Maintenance and development of knowledge and skill within


to-peer development like mentoring, coaching and peer review activities. These new approaches will, however, only work if the opportunities on offer are seized. I encourage the whole profession to embrace these first steps and work with us in deciding how best to take these concepts forward. I also encourage the whole team to work together to get


the most from their CPD. In the meantime, there’s lots of information, hints and tips on the GDC’s website.


Jessica Rothnie is a policy manager at the General Dental Council and developed the enhanced CPD guidance documents for dental professionals


ECPD – KEY CHANGES • Requirement for all dental professionals to have a personal development plan (PDP)


• Increase in the number of verifiable hours for most professional titles and the requirement to spread the hours more evenly across the five-year cycle


• Dental professionals no longer have to declare non-verifiable CPD to the GDC


• Requirement to make an annual statement of CPD hours completed, even if zero hours have been completed for that year


• Requirement to align CPD activity with specific development outcomes


• Professionals must plan CPD activity according to their individual “field(s) of practice”


TOP TIPS • Your personal development plan is meant to help you plan your CPD – don’t leave it until the last minute. Develop your PDP now and it will help you book the best CPD to match your personal development needs.


• Before selecting (and paying for) CPD, make sure it meets the requirements laid out by the GDC.


• The GDC has provided recommended topics to cover as part of its guidance but your main focus should be your field of practice – think about your daily work and use your professional judgement to decide whether the CPD fulfils your development needs.


MDDUS INSIGHT / 15


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