In Australia, continuing professional development (CPD) is crucial for nurses because it enables them to retain and advance their knowledge and abilities, enabling them to offer patients high-quality care. Patient outcomes can be improved by keeping nurses current with their industry’s most recent research, methods, and technologies. For nurses to keep their registration and certification with the appropriate professional bodies, CPD is frequently a necessity.
What is CPD?
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. It refers to the process of continuing to learn and update the skills and knowledge required to perform effectively in one’s profession. It is a requirement for many professional bodies and organisations to maintain professional status and certifications. CPD activities can include attending conferences and workshops, completing online courses or self-directed learning. The key is that the activity must be relevant to an individual’s role and benefit their professional development.
CPD is important for several reasons:
- It helps professionals to keep up-to-date with the latest developments and best practices in their field.
- It enables professionals to develop new skills and knowledge that can be applied in their roles.
- It can help professionals to identify areas where they need to improve and set goals for their professional development.
- It can enhance the reputation of the individual and their organisation and can also be used to demonstrate commitment to professional development to potential employers.
What is the importance of CPD for nurses in Australia?
The importance of CPD for nurses in Australia cannot be overstated. The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, and nurses must keep up with the latest knowledge, skills and best practices to provide the highest quality care to their patients.
Here are some specific reasons why CPD is important for nurses:
- Patient safety: CPD activities help nurses to stay current with the latest research and evidence-based practices, which in turn can help to improve patient outcomes and reduce the risk of errors, thus improving patient safety.
- Career advancement: CPD can help nurses to advance their careers by developing new skills and knowledge and by staying up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in their field. It can also provide networking opportunities with other nurses and healthcare professionals.
- Legal and regulatory compliance: Many nursing regulatory bodies require nurses to complete a certain number of CPD hours each year to maintain their registration and licensure. In Australia, the NMBA (The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia) requires Enrolled Nurses (ENs), Registered Nurses (RNs) and Midwives to complete 20 hours of CPD per year. Nurses who are both RNs and midwives must complete 40 hours of CPD per year.
- Staying engaged and motivated: CPD activities can help nurses to stay engaged and motivated in their work by providing opportunities to learn new things and to challenge themselves professionally. This can also help improve and enhance self-confidence and job satisfaction.
- Professional development: CPD activities can help nurses develop new skills and knowledge, continually improve their performance in their role, and achieve their personal and professional goals.
What Counts as Nursing CPD?
No matter what CPD activity you perform, it is required that you keep a record of these. Any RN, EN or midwife may be audited at any time by the NMBA at their discretion, and having a logbook of the CPD activities you have performed can help. The CPD activities you perform must be related to the field you are working in, but in general, here are some ideas for completing your CPD requirements:
- Attending conferences, workshops and seminars,
- Participating in online courses and webinars,
- Taking part in mentoring and coaching programs,
- Completing self-directed learning activities, such as reading relevant literature or watching educational videos,
- Participating in quality improvement projects or research studies,
- Serving as a preceptor, mentor or tutor for new nurses or nursing students,
- Participating in professional reading and discussion groups,
- Writing or evaluating books, journal articles, instructional materials, or nursing articles,
- Developing protocols, policies or guidelines.
Here are some sources to access online CPD courses for nurses in Australia:
- Ausmed
- Practice Nurse Central
- Nurse CPD Online
- Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS)
- My Midwifery and Nursing CPD (MNCPD)
- Healthed for Nurses
- Australian College of Nursing
- NSW Nurses & Midwives Association.
Any organisation looking to follow the National Safety and Quality Health Services (NSQHS) Standards and get accredited against them must encourage their healthcare professionals to participate in various activities that may contribute to their CPD. Not only will it ensure the organisation has more competent and confident professionals on board, but will also subsequently improve patient outcomes.
