CPD guide
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an instrumental tool in ensuring good medical practice. It is grounded in the recognition that professional learning and development is an ongoing process that extends beyond initial training or education.
What is CPD?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an ongoing process of education and skill enhancement designed to help pharmacists maintain and expand their professional competencies throughout their careers. It involves self-directed learning and systematic reflection on one's knowledge gaps, professional role, and scope of practice. The CPD framework encourages pharmacists to identify their learning needs, plan activities, and evaluate how those activities impact their practice.
Why is CPD important?
Maintaining Competence
CPD ensures pharmacists stay up-to-date with advancements in medicines, regulations & practices, enabling them to deliver safe and effective patient care.
Adapting to Change
With evolving healthcare standards and technologies, CPD prepares pharmacists to adapt to new roles, responsibilities, and innovations in pharmacy practice.
Regulatory Compliance
Completing CPD is a mandatory requirement for maintaining registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia. Failure to comply can lead to conditions on registration or refusal of renewal.
Improving Patient Outcomes
CPD equips pharmacists with the knowledge and skills to provide better advice and treatment, improving patient health and satisfaction.
Fostering Professional Growth
Reflective learning helps pharmacists identify career goals and achieve them through targeted education and skill-building.
Ethical Responsibility
The Code of Conduct for Pharmacists highlights maintaining professional performance as a key ethical obligation, underscoring the role of CPD in upholding professional standards
How much CPD is needed?
Pharmacists in Australia are required to complete 40 CPD credits annually (1 October to 30 September), with at least 20 credits from higher-level activities that involve assessment or practice improvement. CPD activities can include workshops, seminars, online modules, peer discussions, or self-directed research and reflection.
CPD accreditation
Who Accredits CPD?
In Australia, the Australian Pharmacy Council authorizes organizations to accredit CPD activities. These accredited programs are trusted by pharmacists to meet regulatory and professional needs.
Do activities have to be accredited?
Currently, there’s no mandatory requirement for a proportion of CPD activities to be accredited. Pharmacists can combine accredited and non-accredited activities, provided they address their learning needs and scope of practice.
The following organisations are able to accredit CPD activities
Types of CPD activities
Group 1
Activities involving information access without assessment or significant interaction are awarded 1 credit per hour.
Group 2
Activities where knowledge or skills acquisition is assessed through structured evaluation or feedback are awarded 2 credits per hour.
Group 3
Activities that involve practice or quality improvement with measurable outcomes and reflective learning, are awarded 3 credits per hour
Introducing ohlus AI
lrnrx, powered by its innovative ohlus AI algorithm, makes Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seamless for pharmacists by personalizing the entire process. From identifying learning needs through competency mapping and tailored activity recommendations, to creating automated CPD plans and tracking progress in real-time, lrnrx ensures you stay on top of your professional development. With integrated learning modules, automated reflection prompts, and smart recordkeeping, completing and documenting your CPD has never been easier.
CPD with ohlus AI
- Ohlus AI analyzes your scope of practice and past learning behaviors to suggest CPD topics tailored to your needs.
- The algorithm aligns learning activities with the National Competency Standards Framework, ensuring you focus on areas that matter most to your practice.
- If your role or scope of practice changes, Ohlus AI adjusts its recommendations to keep you on track.
