Vet CPD requirements: What counts as vet CPD in the UK?
It’s the start of a new year, which means your CPD record has reset and there are plenty of hours to fill before the year is out. But rather than feeling daunted, overwhelmed, or burdened by this, why not see it as an opportunity to start afresh and make a CPD plan that helps you shape your career and reach your goals? Sounds great, right? Let’s look at the vet CPD requirements you need to know to help you get compliant.
What are the vet CPD requirements in the UK?
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons requires vets to record and reflect on 35 hours of CPD every year. The rules recently changed, and now hours cannot be carried forward from previous years, which means 35 hours is the absolute minimum required each year. However, although this sounds like a lot, so many different activities count as CPD that it’s probably not as difficult to achieve as you think. Especially when you consider that many of the tasks you’d be doing anyway, whether individually or with your team – like picking up a journal to flick through during your break, or attending a lunch and learn. Perhaps where the challenge really lies, is in remembering to record and reflect on these activities.
CPD requirements for RCVS Advanced Practitioners
Of course, 35 hours is the minimum CPD hours for general practitioner vets in the UK – those holding RCVS Advanced Practitioner status need to take 250 hours over 5 years, of which half (125 hours) should be in their designation. RCVS Advanced Practitioners still need to ensure they do the 35 hours each year. For those holding more than one designation, a further 125 hours per designation are required. More information about the CPD requirements for Advanced Practitioners can be found here.
Vet GDP and CPD
If you’re a new graduate vet in the UK, you’ll find yourself undertaking your Vet Graduate Development Phase, or VetGDP. Don’t worry, this counts towards your CPD hours for 18 months (eg, it’s worth 52.5 hours of CPD). You’ll still need to log the hours spent on it though!
How are vet CPD hours recorded?
Vets are required to record and reflect on their CPD activities on the RCVS 1CPD app or website. It might sound tedious, but reflecting on what you’ve learned and how you’re going to apply it in practice will help you process the knowledge and keep you accountable for achieving your goals. If you need some tips for recording and reflecting on your CPD, check out 11 Tips and Prompts to Make CPD Reflection Easy.
What counts as CPD for vets in the UK?
The RCVS doesn’t accredit CPD, allowing vets a wide range of options for taking their CPD. They expect that vets will plan and undertake the best CPD for their job role, and that this can be varied depending on the sort of practice they undertake. The following is a list of common CPD types, but it’s not exclusive:
In-person lectures
Of course, any in-person lectures you attend, whether at veterinary conferences, as standalone short courses, or as part of a further qualification will count as CPD. At Improve, we offer in-person lectures for many of our Postgraduate Programmes.
Practical workshops
If you learn better by doing, why not try a practical workshop? Wet labs and other practical-based training are a great way to stay engaged and make CPD feel less of a chore. Moreover, when you’re taking part in a practical workshop, you know you’ll be leaving with new skills to share with the rest of the team. You can browse our practical vet CPD courses here.
Online webinars
If you can’t face the travel stress and rush of attending an in-person event, an online, pre-recorded webinar might be the perfect solution – allowing you to learn and engage from the sofa, a local coffee shop, your office, or wherever you work best. Our Academy Series is perfect for dipping in and out when needed.
Online courses
If you’re looking for something more substantial than a pre-recorded webinar, and want to include some interactivity, consider longer-term online learning courses, like our range of online postgraduate certificate programmes or accelerated programmes.
In-house training
This is one of the main type of vet CPD that gets overlooked or forgotten., but in-house training counts towards your vet CPD requirements! Do you record every lunch and learn, or every time a representative comes into the practice to teach you how to use the new laboratory equipment? These activities might seem insignificant and add up slowly, but together they can make a real dent in your CPD hours.
Mentors and Mentees
Did you spend time mentoring a new graduate? Teaching the student vet nurse how to place cannulas? Maybe someone helped you through a new surgery? Or you had the vet student join you on your lunch break? Mentoring – whether you are the mentor or mentee – counts towards your vet CPD requirements, too!
Clinical clubs and journal clubs
Looking for a way to improve patient safety and add to your CPD hours? Why not organise regular meetings with your team? A monthly journal or clinical club will give you the opportunity to share knowledge and update your colleagues on any new drugs, tests, or procedures, and if you take turns to present and keep it informal, the preparation shouldn’t be too stressful.
Rounds and clinical audits
Don’t forget that in-practice activities like case rounds (including morbidity and mortality rounds) and clinical audits will also count towards your vet CPD requirements, while also improving your knowledge, experience, and performance as a team. To make it easier to log, take your phone with you and make sure whoever leads the session leaves 5 minutes at the end for logging your CPD!
Self-directed learning
Not all learning has to be formal or as part of a group. Listening to podcasts, reading blogs, and watching short videos may feel more engaging, and you can choose topics that you’re interested in. Even better, this sort of CPD is often free.
Our content hub has plenty of these free CPD resources, or if this type of CPD suits you, why not get a membership at Veterinary Practice? Don’t forget though, the RCVS wants you to plan your CPD around your needs – even when doing self-directed learning, you should try to choose CPD on subjects that will help your professional development.
Preparing a presentation or writing an article
Whether you’re re-writing protocols or writing a blog post, vet-related writing counts towards your veterinary CPD requirements. So does preparing a presentation for vet students, or colleagues at a conference! Tasks like these often require research and even referencing, so make sure you log them on your 1CPD account.
Summary
Planning and logging CPD might feel like a chore and unnecessary stress, especially when you work long hours and want to try to achieve a work-life balance. However, if you make a plan for the year and make sure you record all CPD-eligible activities, meeting the vet CPD requirements will feel a little easier. And don’t forget, our CPD Advisors are trained to help you identify areas you want to work on and recommend courses that might suit you. Why not schedule a callback so they can help you?
