Continuing Professional Development plays a vital role in helping healthcare professionals acquire new and updated levels of knowledge, skills and ethical attitudes that will not only add measureable benefits to the professional practice of medicine, but also enhance and promote professional integrity, that will not only benefit the practitioner but will also assure the public that the healthcare practitioner attending to them is duly qualified and up to date with new technology.
It is therefore crucial for all healthcare professionals registered in South Africa to ensure compliance with the set standard of CPD activities each year, of which a certain number must be obtained in ethics, human rights and medical law.
There are three levels of CPD activities:
Level 1 – activities that do not have a clearly measurable outcome and presented on a once–off, non-continuous basis. CPD activities specifically addressing ethics, human rights and medical law will earn two CEU’s for every hour.
Level 2 – Activities that have a measurable outcome, but do not have a full year of earned CEU’s. Level 2 activities include education, training, research and publications. Level 2 CEUs will be awarded according to a table contained in the HPCSA CPD guidelines.
Level 3 – Involves structured learning programmes, such as formal programmes that are planned and offered by an accredited training. institution and which are evaluated by an accredited assessor with a measurable outcome.
Every healthcare professional is required to maintain an official HPCSA Individual CPD Activity Record, which will constitute the individual’s CPD Portfolio, supported by documentary evidence, such as certificates of attendance of CPD activities during the previous 24 months.
Random audits are carried out to determine the CEUs for the 24 months. Healthcare professionals are compelled in terms of the Health Professions Act (Act No.56 of 1974) as amended, to attend CPD activities, making these activities mandatory for continued registration with the council. Professionals who do not comply with CPD requirements may be suspended from the register and the same restoration requirements as for non-payment of the annual fees are then applicable. For further information regarding your CEU’s contact info@hpcsa.co.za
Last Updated on 5 March 2015 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs