What is CPD?
CPD is an abbreviation for Continuing Professional Development. It refers to the postgraduate educational activities physicians are expected to undertake in order to ensure that they remain up-to-date in their field and continue to develop and enhance the knowledge and skills required to be successful in their working lives.
The GMC publishes Guidance on CPD, which sets out the principles on which continuous professional development should be based, and the roles of the relevant organisations involved in its delivery. For more information, please use the following link to the relevant pages of the GMC website:
CPD and the Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians established a CPD Diary Scheme. The purpose of this scheme is to help ensure that members and fellows of the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and all other registered users of the scheme undertake appropriate CPD activities on a yearly basis. This scheme is designed and available for use by all post-training physicians.
The CPD Scheme has two parts: the CPD Diary and CPD Event Approval.
CPD Diary
This scheme provides registered physicians access to a personal CPD diary. Physicians who are registered for the CPD diary scheme are expected to meet annual minimum CPD credit requirements prescribed by the CPD policy committee of the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians.
If you are a physician, for more information on the CPD Diary or to log in to your Online CPD Diary, please click on the following link:
CPD Event Approval
The Royal College of Physicians has an approvals process for educational events that are aimed at post-training physicians. Event providers can apply to the CPD office to have their events assessed against approval criteria. This ensures that RCP approved events meet high quality standards. Approved events are awarded CPD credits based on the number of educational hours per event. Event providers are required to issue certificates of attendance to participants stating how many CPD credits have been awarded. All RCP approved events will appear in the searchable database of events available on the CPD diary.
If you are the organizer of an event aimed at post-training physicians, for more information on CPD Event Approvals or to log in to the Online Approvals System, please click on the following link:
Why CPD is important?
The current appraisal system and the forthcoming introduction of revalidation procedures have placed the spotlight on the role of CPD. As a result, CPD is becoming an increasingly important means for physicians to demonstrate their commitment to keeping themselves up to date in their areas of clinical practice. The Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians continually aims to improve the CPD scheme to ensure that it remains relevant, user-friendly, and fulfils its purpose. The CPD scheme is designed to help members and fellows of the Federation of the Royal College of Physicians and other registered users meet the demands of appraisal and in the future, the demands of revalidation.
The CPD Cycle
The CPD Cycle consists of an annual and a five year rolling cycle. Annually, the CPD year runs from 1 April until 31 March, and the deadline for updating CPD submissions is always 30 June. The five year cycle is a rolling cycle and reflects a five year snapshot of CPD diary use.
CPD Minimum Credit Requirements
The minimum credit requirement is 50 CPD credits per year. Within this minimum requirement 25 credits must be external, and up to 10 credits can be personal credits.