GDC announces CPD overhaul

New system introduces personal development plans and amends number of hours each dental professional needs to complete

04 August, 2017 / infocus
 

The GDC has announced a raft of changes to CPD requirements that will move towards a system based on quality rather than quantity.

Enhanced CPD, or ECPD, will come into force in 2018 and will also see the introduction of a personal development plan for each member of the dental team. The regulator says that this plan will be a “tool that can identify areas for further development and encourage lifelong learning”.

As part of the changes, there will also be a change to the number of hours that dental professionals must complete during a five-year cycle. Dentists will need to complete 100 hours of verifiable CPD; hygienists, therapists, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists will need to complete 75 hours; and dental nurses and dental technicians 50 hours.

Ian Brack, chief executive of the GDC, said: “The public has a right to expect that dental professionals will keep their knowledge and skills up to date.

“The introduction of a personal development plan helps to meet our aspirations of supporting lifelong learning and development.

“Having a better system for continuing professional development – with a much clearer emphasis on planning development, reflecting on learning and embedding that learning into current practice – ties in with the prevention of patient harm element which was one of the principles set out in Shifting the Balance.”

 

Tags: CPD / GDC

Categories: News

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