Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a combination of approaches, ideas and techniques that will help you manage your own learning and growth. The focus of CPD is firmly on results – the benefits that professional development can bring you in the real world. Perhaps the most important message is that one size doesn’t fit all. Wherever you are in your career now and whatever you want to achieve, your CPD should be exactly that: yours.
How many CPD points do I need as a Nurse or Nursing support staff?
It is crucial that in today’s fast paced medical environment that nurses and nursing support staff stay up to date with the demands that need to be met. Nurses and nursing support staff are required to complete 45 hours of Continued Professional Development a year, as well as 35 hours of relevant learning over a period of 3 years which is relevant to ones area of practice. Of those 35 hours, 20 of those must include participated learning.
If you are currently looking for somewhere to log and record your ongoing Continuing Professional Development training in one simple place, please go to the free myCPD Portal record tool.
What are the key benefits of CPD for Nurses and Nursing support staff?
Some of the key benefits of CPD for nurses and nursing support staff is the way further learning can significantly improve ones knowledge and skillset in such a critically important industry such as the healthcare industry. Because Continuing Professional Development is so extremely useful at staying up to date with the latest developments and discoveries in healthcare, it is seen as a nurse’s fundamental duty of care to complete in order to take care of the thousands of patients encountered on a daily basis.
CPD allows nurses to carry out their objectives effectively, helping also to ensure their safety and wellbeing in the workplace. Continuing Professional Development is a transparent and reliable way for regulators such as professional bodies and medical associations to identify that the highest standards of duty of care are being fulfilled wherever possible.
What types of CPD activities and examples can Nurses and Nursing support staff do?
Nurses and nursing support staff must undergo non-participatory learning as well as participatory learning, which are different types of CPD. Participatory learning is undertaken with one or more professionals, with activities and events that are relevant to a nurse’s field of practice. The types of participatory learning include attending conferences and taking part in clinical workshops. Furthermore, the group of participants does not always have to be in the same physical environment, they may converse in a virtual environment such as an online learning discussion group or forum.
Non-participatory learning is undertaken by nurses and nursing support staff which involves learning in isolation and does not involve any interaction with other members. For example, this could simply involve e-learning or reading and reviewing publications.
A few simple examples of nursing CPD activities could include attending meetings that involve updates for clinical aspects relevant to a nurse’s role, such as blood transfusions, manual handling and safeguarding. Secondly, nurses could undertake independent learning such as reading nursing training articles that are to do with caring for people who are terminally ill and the priorities required at the end of life. This type of CPD learning may be seen as crucial to a healthcare professional, as handling death is a huge part of many professional practising nurses.
Lastly, activities that include independent learning, such as attending CPD courses that deal with IV therapy, which may teach a training nurse the theory and practice behind IV therapy.
Professional bodies that undertake CPD
There are a large number of professional bodies and associations in the medical and healthcare industry that require their nurses and nursing support staff to undertake CPD as part of their membership obligations. For example, professional bodies like the General Medical Council, Royal College of Nursing and the British Medical Association all expect their members to undertake CPD every year. These long established and respected professional bodies all believe that Continuing Professional Development to be vital to maintain competence and stay regularly updated with medical breakthroughs, best practice and industry advances.
Therefore, it is crucial that all healthcare professionals which include both nurses and nursing support staff should partake in regular CPD in order to work at their best abilities and to keep a record of these activities. The myCPD Portal is a free CPD record tool that can help professionals to log their Continuing Professional Development training. Manage any ongoing CPD requirements effectively, set annual CPD targets, store CPD certificates of attendance, and track learning progress throughout the year.
This article was aimed to help provide a simple guide to the Continuing Professional Development requirements for nursing and nursing support staff as well as a quick overview of the main CPD requirements from across the industry. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service is the leading independent CPD accreditation organisation working across all industry sectors.
If you are a nurse with Continuing Professional Development training requirements please feel free to browse our CPD certified courses and providers from across the medical & healthcare industry. For more information about Continuing Professional Development please visit our CPD Explained page.
