It is important for vets to complete their continuing professional development (CPD) alongside their day job, so we outline the CPD requirements for vets, as well as some of the ways you can complete them.
What is CPD?
According to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, continuing professional development, or CPD, is the process of continually maintaining, improving and broadening your skills and knowledge, as well as developing personal qualities, which help to ensure you remain professionally competent.
Essentially, CPD is the work that you do outside of the day-to-day responsibilities of your job to ensure you are staying up to date with the latest developments in the veterinary world and constantly learning new skills and techniques, which will make you more successful in your career.
Do I need to complete CPD?
All vets must complete CPD – it is a mandatory professional responsibility and requirement for all veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses on the RCVS Register.
It allows you to improve the level of service you provide to clients and ensures you stay capable and competent as you accumulate more years in the role.
What are the CPD requirements for vets?
Veterinary surgeons are required to complete 35 hours of continuing professional development per year, while veterinary nurses are required to complete 15 hours of CPD per year.
It is asked that you keep a record of your CPD – this is done by using a digital recording platform called 1CPD, available both as an app and on the website. This system replaced the online Professional Development Record (PDR) in January 2022 so all vets are now required to use 1CPD to record their continuing professional development.
What counts as CPD?
It’s important for vets to have an understanding of what counts as CPD so that they can ensure they are correctly completing and logging it.
The RCVS states that anything that is relevant to you, as a veterinary professional, can be counted as CPD so it does not have to be clinically related or formal learning. It’s also important to note that CPD doesn’t have to be expensive as there are many different ways it can be achieved.
Some key examples of CPD may include the following:
- Work-based learning such as case or practice discussions
- Relevant courses
- Congresses such as the BSAVA Congress
- Critical reading in areas that interest you or are relevant to your role
- Research into new developments in your field
- Reflection on your additional learning
It is important to note that CPD is very much personalised to the individual, which is why the RCVS doesn’t specify exact requirements for what you need to do to complete it.
They have, however, switched to a more “outcomes-focused” approach to CPD, which means that reflecting on your learning within the 1CPD app is important. This involves reviewing what you have learnt, thinking about how you can apply it to your daily role, and the wider impacts of how it may affect your practice overall and specific patient health outcomes.
It may all sound a little vague if you are fairly new to the profession, but essentially CPD is all about learning and improving your skills in ways that go beyond the daily requirements of your job. Many different things can count towards your CPD – just make sure you remember to log and reflect!
If you have any questions about CPD and how it relates to your career as a vet, you are welcome to speak to our team.