CPD under the National Registration Scheme
This is a summary of the key requirements that will apply under the new National Registration Standard and Guidelines for CPD as laid down by the Dental Board of Australia (DBA).
CPD Registration Standard
The DBA requires all dental practitioners to:
a) complete a minimum of 60 hours of CPD activities over three years.
b) ensure that 80% of the minimum 60 CPD hours must be clinically or scientifically based.
c) make a declaration of their compliance with CPD requirements at the time of annual renewal.
d) maintain their own records detailing their CPD activities for audit purposes.
e) produce evidence of their CPD activities when requested to do so by the Board.
*Source: DBA: Guidelines on Continuing Professional Development
Changes to requirements
While there are some similarities to the arrangements that applied under the Dental Practice Board of Victoria (DPBV) Code, there are some major differences:
- the cycle is set to span three years rather than two
- infection Control and CPR courses are not mandated
- there is no formal recognition of providers by the DBA. The onus will be on practitioners to use their professional judgment as to which providers are offering CPD courses that meet the nine standards required by the DBA.
CPD credits reset to zero
The first three-year national CPD cycle will commence on 1 July 2010. Members must note that credit accumulated under the DPBV Code is not transferrable into the new Dental Board of Australia (DBA) cycle, so from 1 July, all practitioners in Victoria will have zero CPD credits.
Retain evidence
The DBA has stated that you should retain evidence of CPD completed before July 2010, to show that you were meeting the requirements of the Dental Practice Board of Victoria previously. (They have said this will enable retrospective verification should this be necessary, for example if the national board is investigating a notification made about a matter that occurred when previous laws applied.)
Need to average 20 hours per year
Members will need to take care to ensure that they maintain an average of 20 hours of CPD credit each year to avoid the problem of getting close to the end of the cycle and finding there are insufficient programs available, or insufficient time to attend the programs offered.
What qualifies as CPD?
Types of activities that can be completed
- Completing courses, seminars, lectures and webinars
- Writing journal articles and book reviews
- Preparing and presenting lectures and courses
- Reading the Clinical Update article in the ADAVB Newsletter and completing the quiz
Content that qualifies as CPD
For any of the above activities to qualify as CPD, they must contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of an oral health practitioner’s knowledge and skills in providing oral health care.
- Clinical or scientific CPD must be scientifically independent, evidence based and not commercially biased.
- Non-scientific CPD must be supportive of dental care.
Course providers
Course providers must conform to nine standards.
Further information on the DBA CPD Standard and Guidelines
Further details of the Guidelines on CPD can be found at the DBA website - www.dentalboard.gov.au Check in each of these areas on the website for the latest information:
- Information for Registrants and FAQs
- Registration Standards and Related Matters
- Codes and Guidelines
Recognised CPD program providers
The ADA branches and ADA Inc, along with the Australian Dental Schools, are actively working towards developing a system to recognise quality providers of CPD, who meet (as a minimum), the nine standards required by the DBA. These recognised providers will ensure their courses meet the required standards for CPD credit.
This will take the guesswork out of the process for members of trying to determine whether courses from the wide variety of providers in the market place are acceptable to the DBA. Members will be able to select courses from the recognised providers with confidence.
As this proposed recognition system for CPD providers develops, information will be provided to members.
Download the PDF version of this document here.