Continuing Professional Development / Continuing Education (CPD/CE)

CPD/CE

All physiotherapists and physical therapists should make an effort to continually update their skills and commit to ‘evidence-based’ practice. By doing this they will maintain and develop skills throughout their career to ensure that they retain their capacity to practice safely, effectively and legally within their evolving scope of practice.  In many countries this is termed CPD (Continuous Professional Development) and in others it is termed Continuou Education they must attain a required amount of CEU’s (Continuing Educational Units). 

Your CPD/CE should consist of a range of learning activities that are relevant to your current or future practice. The most common type of learning activity completed is the attendance on a course, however, in relation to Physiopedia the learning activitiy might be the reading of about a particular topic, contributing to pages or initiating a discussion in relation to existing pages. As long as you reflect upon these experiences and implement any new learning into your practice you can consider them to be a part of your CPD/CE.

CPD/CE Portfolio

These CPD/CE experiences should be evidenced and recorded in your professional portfolio.  Using a portfolio to record your learning experiences will encourage your reflection and learning as well as building evidence to support your professional development and continuing education. It can then be used to share with others or be drawn upon to produce other documents such as a CV, profile or statement

If you do not have a portfolio you can use this free online portfolio system.

Resources

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CPDspot is a free on-line resource that aims to support physiotherapists and other health professionals with their professional development. At CPDspot you will find on-line guides and multimedia presentations, research databases, e-portfolio, on-line courses, and other useful resources.

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This continuing professional development presentation aims to briefly explain CPD and describe the CPD process. It will provide you with more confidence to plan, implement, record and evidence your CPD.