Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a structured approach to lifelong learning. It requires surgeons to maintain and improve their performance throughout their career. The GMC has set broad perimeters for this and the College and Specialty Associations have provided further definition for this.
Surgeons should agree a personal development plan of CPD with their appraiser to ensure it fits with their learning needs.
All surgeons are required to complete 250 credits over a five-year period (50 credits per year, where one credit equates to roughly one hour’s activity).
CPD types
CPD for surgeons falls into three main categories:
- clinical
- professional
- academic (including managerial)
Your CPD should be balanced across all of these. The College runs a wide range of clinical and non-clinical CPD opportunities including courses, library resources, journals and museum resources.