Continuing Professional Development

Policy

All registered clinical staff members:

• hold a current practising certificate in accordance with the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003
• on permanent and long-term contracts are vocationally registered or working towards achieving this status.

Clinical staff are responsible for keeping their practising certificate up to date and may not work without evidence of current certification.

Q86

The practice manager and nurse manager or senior nurse are responsible for managing staff practising certificates and checking they are up to date. Training is documented and kept in staff members' HR files. We maintain a schedule of staff training.

See also Staff Training.

All clinical staff are expected to actively participate in continuing medical education (CME) or continuing professional development (CPD). A staff member's CME or CPD needs are determined and discussed at their annual review and throughout the year.

As part of our commitment to equity, we expect our staff to include equity activities within CPD, e.g. bias training or reflective journalling.

Clinical staff

We support clinical staff who are vocationally registered or fully qualified in their area of specialisation by:

• conducting performance reviews
• encouraging peer support, collegial review, and peer review
• encouraging clinicians to self-audit their performance on an ongoing basis
• allowing time to attend relevant courses or education sessions
• providing support to clinicians:
  • by surveying patients triennially using the BPPQ (Better Practice Patient Questionnaire)
• providing support to nurses working towards the Professional Development and Recognition Programme (PDRP) or undergoing the Recertification Audit
• providing support for any Cornerstone obligations or legislation (e.g. Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003).

Non-clinical staff

We support all non-clinical staff to develop their professional skills by:

• clearly identifying the expectations and responsibilities of the role in a position description
• conducting performance reviews
• allowing time to attend relevant courses or education seminars
• providing support for any Cornerstone obligations or legislation (e.g. te Tiriti o Waitangi).

Gaining additional credentials

We support clinical staff working towards additional credentials by:

• making arrangements for supervision and peer support and documenting supervision requirements

  Documenting supervision requirements may include:

  • frequency and duration of supervision
  • scope of practice and level of competency
  • any specific limitations that may apply to the employee
  • procedures and level of consultation the employee can perform
  • patients they can treat e.g. age, gender, complexity
  • when and how to contact their supervisor if they reach the limit of their scope of practice, or they are unsure about any clinical decision.

• allowing time to attend relevant courses or education sessions and considering their study needs
• encouraging self-audit and peer review as part of annual performance reviews

  The practice encourages each clinician to complete:

  • an annual GP clinical notes review (copy in HR file)
  • an annual Professional Development Plan (PDP) (copy in HR file).

  Completion of this review and plan counts towards Maintenance of Professional Standards (MOPS) credits.

• specifying clinical responsibilities in position descriptions and in organisational policies and procedures
• ensuring periodic review of performance and clinical data for quality improvement and auditing purposes
• encouraging clinical staff to participate in continuing medical education.

See also Credentialling and Staff Training.

Resources

• RNZCGP: Continuing Professional Development (members only page)
• Nursing Council of New Zealand – Approved Professional Development and Recognition Programmes