Skip to content
Continuing Professional Development

For more information please visit the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) website www.mcnz.org.nz or refer to their publication 'Contiuing Professional Development and recertification'.

What is CPD?

CPD is a medical practitioners ongoing involvement in continuing medical education activities to esnure practitioners remain competent to practise medicine. CPD aims to foster lifelong learning and peer support.

CPD includes the following activities:
  • Clinical Audit
  • Peer review
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Research
  • Supervision and mentoring
  • Membership of college / tertiary committees
  • Teaching others
  • Presentations at conferences and meetings

Recertification & CPD
Recertification is the process whereby all doctors demonstrate their competence in order to hold an Annual Practicing Certifcate (APC). In order to have an APC issued by MCNZ, you must be able to demonstrate that your are participating in CPD.

It is each doctors individual responsibilty to participate and achieve the minimum CPD requirements to achieve recertification.

Doctors Registered in General Scope (Not on a Training Scheme)
  • You should establish a collegial relationship
  • Complete the requirements for CPD as outlined by MCNZ
  • This applies to house officers and 'non-trainee' registrars

Doctors in a Formal Vocational Training Scheme
  • Remain in your voctaional training programme
  • your programme automatically satisfies CPD requirements

Record Keeping
  • You should keep a record of ALL your CPD activities.
  • These include meetings with your colleague with whom you are in a collegial relationship and all of your CPD activities as outlined above
  • 10% of doctors will be audited each year to ensure CPD requirements are being met.

Forms
If you are registered in General Scope you will need to keep records on the following MCNZ forms:
  • Collegial Relationship Agreement; CPD1 (Fill this out and post to council when you establish your collegial relationship)
  • Meeting Record; CPD2 (Fill this out everytime you have a meeting with your supervisor - minimum of 6 in first year, then 4 in each year after that)
  • Record of Continuing Professional Development Activities; CPD3 - Practice Clinical Audit (1 per year)
  • Educational Activities; CPD4 (minimum of 20 hours per year)
  • Peer Review; CPD5 (minimum of 10 hours per year)
  • Optional; CPD6 (Any 'other' activities undertaken - e.g. research, teaching, supervision etc)

Tips & Tricks
  • Get your collegial relationship organised early in the year
  • Meet with your supervisor at least 6 times in a year and take the forms with you when you meet to be signed
  • Record your CPD activities at the time you complete them - so have some forms / a record ready with you
  • Ask someone if you are unsure of what you need to do

Summary
  • You must do CPD in order to get your APC
  • If you are on a training scheme - your CPD is essentially sorted - it is still good to keep a record of activities.
  • If you are not on a training scheme, you are responsible for your own CPD and must keep a record of it.
  • You may be audited prior to your next application for an APC