CPD for dental professionals in postgraduate training

This advice sheet is designed so that postgraduate students, together with their tutors and trainers, can ensure that they meet the CPD requirements.

As a student/trainee, do I need to comply with the CPD requirements?

All dental professionals must comply with the CPD requirements to remain on the Dentists Register. This includes dentists and DCPs undertaking postgraduate training.

But doesn't my training automatically count towards the CPD requirements?

No. No activity automatically counts towards the requirements.

So what will count towards the CPD requirements?

CPD is defined as study, training, courses, seminars, reading and other activities undertaken by a dentist or DCP, which could reasonably be expected to advance his or her professional development as a dental professional.

Dentists need to do and keep records of 250 hours of CPD over every five-year period and 75 of these hours must be verifiable CPD. DCPs need to do and keep records of 150 hours of CPD over every five-year period and 50 of these hours must be verifiable CPD.

To count as verifiable CPD, an activity must have:

1. Concise educational aims and objectives;
2. Clear anticipated outcomes;
3. Quality controls (i.e. you should be given the opportunity to give feedback); and
4. You must obtain and keep documentary proof (e.g. a certificate) of your attendance/participation from an appropriate third party (e.g. the activity provider/organiser).

If an activity does not meet the verifiable CPD criteria, you can record the time spent as general CPD.

How do I decide what activities will count?

You must use your professional judgement. Activities such as tutorials and training sessions are likely to count as CPD. In a training environment, deciding what to count as CPD, and whether or not to count activities as verifiable CPD, is likely to involve the participation of trainee and trainer in:

(i) making decisions over the planned programme - or a different unit such as the calendar year - as to what activities are going to count as verifiable CPD against the GDC criteria;
(ii) keeping a record of CPD and ensuring that documentary third party proof of participation is available for activity you wish to count towards your verifiable CPD. The proof could provide evidence activity-by-activity, or summarise a sequence of similar activity; e.g. a summary of 20 teaching sessions.

Do I need to keep CPD records?

Yes. All dentists and DCPs must keep CPD records. The records that you keep will be your evidence that you have complied with the requirements of Lifelong Learning. It is your responsibility to keep records of your CPD activity and keep them safe. The GDC may require you to submit your CPD records for audit, including evidence for activity you wish to count as verifiable CPD, at the end of the five-year CPD cycle.

What information should I include in my CPD records?

Whatever arrangements you make to record your CPD, you should ensure that you record:

• Your registered name and your GDC registration number
• Date of activity
• Title of activity
• Venue (where appropriate)
• The name of the organisation or individual running the activity
• Whether you are counting the activity as verifiable or general CPD
• The number of hours you spent doing the CPD activity (you should not include lunch breaks or travel time).

What happens if I am part way through my training when the GDC audits my CPD records?

The GDC may select you for audit of your records at the end of Year 5 of your CPD cycle. You will need to ensure that evidence of the activity you wish to count as verifiable CPD is available at the end of Year 5, and ensure that your CPD records are kept up-to-date throughout the cycle.

Do I need to fill in an annual statement of my CPD hours?

Yes, you do. The GDC will send you this at the end of every year.

To recap

• Discuss your course of studies with your tutor and plan how you will meet the CPD scheme requirements.
• Decide which activities you'll count towards the required 250 CPD hours
• Decide what proof of participation in verifiable CPD you'll need, and ensure that the proof confirms the number of hours of CPD activity
• Keep records of your CPD activity, ensuring that you record the number of CPD hours for each activity
• Remember that you will only need to meet the minimum scheme requirements for GDC audit purposes and that you should not send any records to the GDC unless you are requested to do so.