Five Tips to Get You Started
Plan your Professional Competence activities for the year
Although it’s not compulsory to complete a Personal Development Plan, we recommend that you do so. Creating a Personal Development Plan encourages you to define your practice, identify CPD and Audit/Quality Improvement activities appropriate for you, and set out goals for your personal development. It can also be used to reflect on and monitor your progress. If you complete the Personal Development Plan form we have provided for you in your ePortfolio for professional competence by 30 September, you may claim 5 credits in the Internal CPD category.
Visit: Why create a Personal Development Plan
Conduct an Audit or Quality Improvement Project every year
Professional Competence requires that you conduct at least one Audit or Quality Improvement project every year. It is important to remember that this is not the same as CPD - it is a separate Professional Competence requirement.
To meet this requirement, you must complete one Audit or Quality Improvement project about an aspect of your own practice every Professional Competence year. This Medical Council requirement is not limited to doctors working in a hospital setting. It is recommended that you spend at least 12 hours per year on your project.
Visit: What you need to know about audit
Record your CPD (Continuing Professional Development) activities
There are four CPD categories, Personal Learning, External (Maintenance of Knowledge and Skills), Internal (Practice Evaluation and Development) and Research or Teaching.
For 2022-2023 you must record a minimum of 25 CPD credits.
Visit: CPD explained
Map your activities to the 8 Domains of Good Professional Practice
The Medical Council's Eight Domains of Good Practice set out the principles on which good practice is founded.
Visit: The 8 Domains of Good Professional Practice
Keep your ePortfolio up to date
The Professional Competence year runs between 1 May and 30 April every year. To facilitate doctors who attend activities in the last few days before 30 April, we always allow a short "grace period" after 30 April to give time for last-minute activities to be recorded before ePortfolio is closed to generate Annual Statements of Participation.
However, we strongly recommend that you log in regularly to update your activities, Doing this will prevent last-minute errors, and gives us time to support you if you come across anything you need help with.