CPD for vocational dental practitioners

This advice sheet explains the CPD requirements to vocational dental practitioners (VDP).

Can my vocational training (VT) count towards the CPD requirements?

Your Vocational Training can count towards the statutory CPD requirements. As a VDP you are likely to be completing and recording more CPD activity, both verifiable and general, than is required. Remember the scheme requirements are minimal and the GDC will only ask that you complete and record 250 hours of CPD (including 75 hours of verifiable CPD) over the five-year CPD cycle.

CPD is a requirement of registration, and the GDC advises that CPD will be best managed by aiming to complete at least 50 hours of CPD per year, including 15 hours of verifiable CPD.

How do I decide what will count as verifiable CPD?

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

You must use your professional judgement to decide which activities would be most beneficial to the care of your patients and to advance your professional development. The GDC is also recommending that all dentists carry out verifiable CPD in three core recommened subjects, more information is available by selecting this link.

This checklist should enable you to decide whether an activity meets the verifiable CPD criteria. For example, study day activities will only be verifiable if all three educational criteria shown (left) are met and proof of your participation is provided. If any one of these components is missing, then the activity is not verifiable CPD, although you can still include it in your records as general CPD.

General CPD is any activity which contributes to your professional development, but which does not fulfil all four of the required components for verifiable CPD. For example, in most cases, journal reading will not be verifiable CPD, since it is unlikely to meet all the educational criteria and you're unlikely to get a certificate for it. Similarly, if you go on a course which has concise educational aims, clear anticipated outcomes and a certificate is awarded, but there is no opportunity for you to give feedback, the activity is not verifiable, but it could still be recorded as general CPD.

Verifiable CPD checklist

Does the activity:

1. Have concise educational aims
2. Have clear anticipated outcomes
3. Give me the opportunity to provide feedback
4. Will a certificate (or other documentary proof) showing the number of CPD hours be awarded?

If the answer is "yes" to all four questions, then it's verifiable CPD.

Keeping records

The records that you keep will be your evidence that you have complied with the scheme requirements. 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, and if so, you will also be required to provide proof of your verifiable CPD (at the end of the five-year CPD cycle).

• The Committee on Vocational Training for England and Wales has prepared a new CPD log (see appendix 3 of your Professional Development Portfolio) that you can complete and which will be acceptable as documentary proof of verifiable CPD.
• The Scottish Dental Vocational Training Council has prepared a new Record of Progress and Achievement (RPA) that you can complete.

Whichever recording method you use, you must ensure that you record the hours for specific CPD activity and ensure that your VT Adviser (or VT Secretary in their absence) has confirmed your participation with their signature.

It may be helpful to keep separate records of verifiable CPD and general CPD. This will enable you to identify how close you are to meeting the scheme requirement of 75 hours of verifiable CPD, and the overall requirement of 250 hours of CPD.

When making arrangements to record your future CPD you can use the GDC's CPD recording form.

Whether or not you choose to use this, you should keep details of:

• Your full name and your GDC registration number
• Date of activity
• Title of activity
• Venue
• Provider
• Whether or not you are counting the activity as verifiable or general CPD
• Number of CPD hours spent on the activity

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

Yes. The GDC will send you this at the end of each year.