What activities count as continuing professional development?

This list should give you an idea of the kinds of activities that might make up your CPD. (This list has been adapted from work done by the Allied Health Professions’ project ‘Demonstrating competence through CPD’ (2003).)

Your CPD must include a mixture of different types of learning. This means that you need to carry out at least two different types of learning activity. In practice, most registrants will carry out many different types of learning while registered with us.

If you were audited and had only carried out one type of learning – for example, if you had only read professional journals but had not carried out any other kind of learning – you would not meet our standard.

Work-based learning

• Learning by doing
• Case studies
• Reflective practice
• Audit of service users
• Coaching from others
• Discussions with colleagues
• Peer review
• Gaining and learning from experience
• Involvement in the wider, profession-related work of your employer (for example, being a representative on a committee)
• Work shadowing
• Secondments
• Job rotation
• Journal club
• In-service training
• Supervising staff or students
• Expanding your role
• Significant analysis of events
• Filling in self-assessment questionnaires
• Project work

Professional activities

• Involvement in a professional body, specialist-interest group or other groups
• Lecturing or teaching
• Mentoring
• Being an examiner
• Being a tutor
• Organising journal clubs or other specialist groups
• Maintaining or developing specialist skills (for example, musical skills)
• Being an expert witness
• Giving presentations at conferences
• Organising accredited courses
• Supervising research or students
• Being a national assessor

Formal and educational

• Courses
• Further education
• Research
• Attending conferences
• Writing articles or papers
• Going to seminars
• Distance or online learning
• Going on courses accredited by a professional body
• Planning or running a course

Self-directed learning

• Reading journals or articles
• Reviewing books or articles
• Updating your knowledge through the internet or TV
• Keeping a file of your progress

Other

• Relevant public service or voluntary work

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