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The RACGP is prepared for coming CPD changes
The college’s CPD program has been designed to ensure a seamless transition to the new requirements in 2023.
Dr Karen Price said the Medical Board of Australia has acknowledged the RACGP is ‘ahead of the curve’ in its development of a user-friendly, efficient, and self-directed CPD platform.
Approved changes to the Medical Board of Australia’s (MBA) continuing professional development (CPD) registration standard, announced on Friday, are set to come into effect for the 2023–25 triennium.
As of January 2023, GPs will be required to increase their CPD hours to 50 per year, with three core changes:
- GPs will be required to do different types of CPD
- Professional development plans (PDPs) will be introduced
- CPD homes will be launched
MBA Chair Dr Anne Tonkin said the changes, which will bring CPD reporting in line with other medical specialties, will ensure doctors are engaging in learning that is relevant, effective and evidence-based.
‘The goal is to make sure that the time doctors spend on CPD is useful and helps keep them practising at their best throughout their working lives,’ she said.
RACGP President Dr Karen Price told
newsGP the news comes as no surprise to the college, which has been in preparation for the changes since 2016, engaging members through an extensive consultation process.
This led to the launch of
a new easy-to-use myCPD platform in June 2020, which already includes aspects of the MBA’s Professional Performance Framework, allowing for CPD to be recorded as both hours and points, as well as categorising CPD into clinical skills and knowledge, measuring outcomes and reviewing performance.
‘What we’re hoping is that GPs won’t notice too much difference in their ongoing CPD requirements,’ Dr Price said. ‘It was well known this was happening and the [RACGP] CPD department has been working very hard to make the collection of points much easier.
‘There’s a dedicated team of GPs who are reviewing that and members who are actually feeding back to the CPD department and the IT department to make sure it’s seamless.
‘We’ve also got medical experts in education who are informing the CPD and I’m having a regular update with the medical board to feedback and to continue to advocate for general practice.’
The 50 hours of CPD per year will consist of:
- 25 hours of active CPD – reviewing outcomes and measuring performance (GPs can decide the best mix for these activities to suit their practice, with five hours minimum of each type)
- 12.5 hours traditional learning or educational activities – eg reading, lectures, conferences
- 12.5 hours – GPs can choose across the three types of CPD.
Dr Price said that while this is an increase in contact hours, it is likely most GPs are already meeting these targets.
‘There’s lots of doctors I know, including myself, who hit our points total and then stop recording,’ she said. ‘So GPs are probably learning a lot more than what is even reflected in the CPD record.’
To help ensure it is quick and easy for GPs to record CPD undertaken in everyday practice, the RACGP has already
introduced a quick log feature on its myCPD platform.
However, Dr Price said there will be acknowledgement of individual circumstances, such as maternity leave or serious illness, that may make it challenging for GPs to meet the 50 hour requirement.
‘We’ve made sure that there are exemptions in there and we’re in ongoing discussions to make sure that that doesn’t disadvantage anyone,’ she said.
As part of the new requirements, GPs will also need to develop a PDP each year that targets their professional development to their learning goals and strengthens their practice.
‘Developing a plan will help doctors think about their strengths and weaknesses, and map out learning that will help them keep their professional edge,’ Dr Tonkin said.
The RACGP has already launched a pilot for an automated and time saving PDP and is consulting with GPs to get feedback.
While most colleges will be changing to an annual CPD cycle with the implementation of the new changes, the RACGP’s will remain a triennium, which has been endorsed by the MBA. This follows college advocacy in line with input from members.
Dr Price added that the decision to maintain a triennium is further recognition from the RACGP that CPD is a lifetime of learning, as well as an acknowledgment that GPs lead busy professional and personal lives.
‘We don’t want to make it an annual task that you’ve got to sit down and have a look at that; this is a lifestyle of learning … so having it spread over three years accounts for the fact that it’s an ongoing process,’ she said.
To further assure GPs that they have met regulatory requirements, the RACGP has developed a feature on its myCPD platform where doctors can download an annual report to substantiate their CPD activities. It will be accepted by the MBA for annual compliance, as well as by AHPRA should a GP be audited for medical registration.
Dr Price said this move represents peace of mind for GPs.
While the RACGP has a long history of being the gold standard in CPD and general practice education, she emphasised that the college is far more than a CPD home.
‘There’s going to be a lot of support for members,’ Dr Price said. ‘We have a whole department devoted to medical education – this isn’t going to be a tick-and-flick process.
‘The college provides an enormous offering in terms of policy and advocacy to our members … and we’ve got plenty of expert committees that are committed GPs providing up-to-date evidence synthesis.
‘We’ve got a highly responsible job within the community [and] medical information is changing so quickly. We really need to be able to provide a high-quality education resource for our members and we’re dedicated to doing that … and that we have feedback from our members.’
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