Why the need for CPD?

Healthcare practitioners have a responsibility to continually update their professional knowledge and skills for the end benefit of the patient or client. To this end the HPCSA has implemented a Continuing Professional Development programme. Every practitioner is required to accumulate 30 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) per twelve-month period and five of the units must be on ethics, human rights and medical law (Registered BAA practitioners need to meet half this requirement). Each CEU will be valid for 12 months from the date on which the activity took place (or ended, in the event of post-graduate studies) after which it would lapse. This means that practitioners should aim to accumulate a balance of 30 CEUs by the end of their first year of practice, and thereafter top-up the balance through additional CPD as each 12 –month validity period expires.

Source HPCSA: http://www.hpcsa.co.za/cpd

Revised CPD guidelines and practice

Health practitioners should note the following amendments made to the process of managing evidence of CPD compliance. Changes relates to:

1. Discontinuation of the sampling of health practitioners to verify compliance. This means that, all registered health practitioners must ensure ongoing compliance with CPD requirements. The professional boards have decided to enforce the legislative requirement for CPD compliance, and will, in instances of non-compliance, suspend registered persons from practicing their profession;

2. The online self-service platform is available for all registered health practitioners to submit enquiries and/or upload the required evidence of CPD compliance. Evidence that is approved by recognized the CPD Service Providers will NOT be accepted as such information will directly be integrated with the HPCSA;

3. The HPCSA approved that authorised facilitators and Service Providers of CPD programmes can submit attendance registers or relevant evidence of CPD compliance directly to the HPCSA in order to update the health practitioner’s profile;

4. CPD Service Provider will always copy the Accreditor and attach the accreditation letter when providing such evidence of CPD engagement;

5. Issuance of CPD certificates is no longer a mandatory requirement;

6. Previously, acquired CEU points were valid for 24 months. With the revision of the CPD Rules and guidelines, practitioners are allowed to acquire a reduced number of CEU points, but valid over a period of 12 months as outlined below.