Most Wednesdays at my place of work there is a lunchtime lecture on a subject of professional interest which I then write up on this blog. I’ve been asked why I’ve not written up the most recent one….
The reason is I’ve been reflecting on it.
The reason why I write this blog is that I have to. In order for me to retain my professional registration with my profession’s governing body I have to be seen to be performing continuing professional development. And every two years one out of every twenty biomedical scientists are called upon to show what CPD we’ve done, and explain how it satisfies the regulations. The last time people were audited, one of my colleagues was called up, and last Wednesday he talked about his experiences. So I thought that following on from that talk, and bearing in mind I’ve been doing this blog for eight months, now might be a good time to pause and look back on how I might fare if my CPD efforts were audited.
(the full wording of the CPD criteria are listed by clicking on the link “The CPD Requirements” at the top of the page)
CPD Standard #1
There are a range of ways I can do this, but for me, an on-line blog seems to work well. This blog is a continuous, up to date and accurate record of what I’ve been up to.
CPD Standard #2
A mixture of learning activities – I think so. Looking at the labels I’ve assigned to the various blog entries I see that so far I have
- reflection (28)
- cpd talk (27)
- case study (21)
- Service Improvement (18)
- pre reg website (10)
- pre reg portfolio inspection (8)
- specialist website (6)
- mentoring (4)
- HPC Newsletter (3)
- I.T. (3)
- journal review (2)
- on-line morphology (2)
- specialist portfolio inspection (2)
- specialist portfolio tutorial (1)
CPD Standard #3
What have *I* got from my CPD? I think I’ve learned lots. I think that the twenty-eight reflections and twenty-one case studies will bear me out on this.
CPD Standard #4
This is the tricky standard to prove. What have my service users got from what I’ve done? I suppose it depends on what I define as “my service users”.
- I’ve organised a series of weekly lectures and produced an archive of presentations used at those lectures.
- I’ve produced (and maintained & improved) a website of advice for candidates (and their mentors) for the IBMS Pre-Registration Portfolio
- I’ve produced (and maintained & improved) a website of advice for candidates (and their mentors) for the IBMS Specialist Portfolio in Haematology
- Together with a colleague I’ve made a start on compiling an atlas of haematology
And on a broader scale I’d like to think that in reading this blog, the reader is somehow enriched. With over twenty hits a day, and regular readers across the world, this blog is far more popular than I ever imagined it would be.
CPD Standard #5
I haven’t done anything for this yet – the regulations say that standard 5 requires me to give a written explanation of who and what I am, and how the CPD that I have done is relevant to me. But I am only required to do so when specifically asked to do so.
I haven’t been asked (yet). Perhaps I might make a start on doing so anyway….
On Wednesday my colleague explained that he was horrified when he was selected for audit of his CPD activities. How would I react if I were called up for audit next September? At the risk of appearing smug, I’d have to say I would be quietly confident.
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