CPD 553 Vermeulen Street Arcadia, Pretoria PO Box 205 Pretoria, 0001 Tel: +27 (12) 338 9000 Fax: +27 (12) 328 5120 Email: webmaster@hpcsa.co.za Website: http://www.hpcsa.co.za/   CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES FOR THE HEALTH CARE Embargo: For immediate release Date:  January 2011   TABLE OF CONTENT GLOSSARY PREAMBLE 1 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES . 1.1 HEALTH PROFESSIONALS 1.1.1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) ..... 1.1.2 Certificate of Attendance 1.1.3 CPD Activity Record .. 7 1.2 ACCREDITORS 1.3 SERVICE PROVIDERS 1.3.1 Accredited Service Providers . 1.3.2 Service Providers 1.3.3 Responsibilities of Accredited Service Providers/Service Providers .. 1.4 PROFESSIONAL BOARDS . 1.5 NATIONAL ACCREDITORS FORUM . 1.6 HPCSA CPD COMMITTEE .. 1.7 HPCSA CPD SECTION 2 HIERARCHY OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES . 3 ACTIVITIES THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR CEUs . 4 NON-COMPLIANCE 5 DEFERMENT 6 HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ABROAD . 7 RETIREMENT, ILLNESS AND NON-CLINICAL PRACTICE 8 COMMUNITY SERVICE AND INTERNSHIP . 9 VOLUNTARY REMOVAL FROM REGISTER: DE-REGISTRATION 10 RESTORATION AFTER ERASURE.. GLOSSARY Accreditor is a group or institution that is appointed by a Professional Board, once it has met the criteria set out by the HPCSA CPD Committee. The role of the Accreditor is to review and approve applications for the provision of CPD activities (within its profession?s ambit) by organizations and individuals without accredited service provider status; to monitor these activities; and to revise continuing education units (CEUs) allocated where the provider failed to comply with the rules and regulations of the CPD guidelines. Professional Boards may delegate their responsibility for accrediting service providers to Accreditors with the mutual agreement of the Accreditor. The criteria and processes to be followed as well as the procedures for record keeping are contained in the Criteria and Guidelines for Accreditors document. Accredited Service Providers are the profession specific higher education institutions and departments, professional associations or formally constituted professional interest groups who meet the specified criteria and have been accredited by the Board/ or its designated Accreditor to present learning activities for Continuing Professional Development. Attendance register is the record of attendees at the learning activity reflecting the names, the HPCSA registration numbers of those present and their signatures on completion of the activity. This register must be held by the presenting organisation or institution for three years following the activity; the original register may be audited in a compliance check. Compliance checks on a randomly selected sample of health professionals from every register are undertaken by the CPD Section of the HPCSA every two months. The health professionals should submit the information requested to that Department within 21 days on receipt of notification of being selected. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) indicate the value attached to a learning activity for Continuing Professional Development. Continuing Professional Development In terms of Section 26 of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974) the HPCSA may from time to time make rules which prescribe – conditions relating to continuing education and training to be undergone by persons registered in terms of this Act in order to retain such registration; 2 the nature and extent of continuing education and training to be undergone by persons registered in terms of this Act; and the criteria for recognition by the HPCSA of continuing education and training courses and education institutions offering such courses. CPD Section of the CPD, Registrations and Records Department at the HPCSA administers and monitors the CPD process. Criteria and Guidelines for Service Providers details the criteria for and requirements of Service Providers; the nature of the learning activities and the CEUs at each level of the hierarchy; the process to be followed to publicise, present and record the activities. Deferment is formal permission sought by the health professional and granted by the HPCSA CPD Committee to suspend/postpone CPD requirements for a period of time. There are conditions for re-entry into practice. Ethics, Human Rights and Medical Law is an understanding of the bioethical principles that determine how health professionals perform research and interact with patients/clients and society and is also described in Chapter I and II of the Constitution. Health care is a constantly advancing field and with these advances conflicts often arise within the arenas of politics, law, religion, philosophy and economics. An understanding of bioethics helps us to recognise, admit and sometimes resolve these conflicts. HPCSA CPD Committee, which is accountable to Council, comprises representatives from each Professional Board. Together with the Professional Boards the Committee develops policy proposals for Continuing Professional Development. HPCSA Individual CPD Activity Record (Form CPD IAR 1) is the document held by individual health health professionals as a record of every learning activity attended or completed. It should be accompanied by the Attendance Certificates for each event or series of events. For level 3 qualifications, a certified copy of the qualification is required. The record must be regularly updated and kept current. In the event that a health professional?s name is drawn in the compliance check, the Individual CPD Activity Record (Form CPD IAR 1) for the previous two years, together with the attendance certificates and copies of qualifications that may have been obtained during this period, must be sent to the CPD Section of Council within 21 days on receipt of notification requiring such information. Learning activity/ies are the CPD activities for which Continuing Education Units are obtained. There are three levels of activities: those with non-measurable outcomes; those with measurable outcomes that do not necessarily constitute a full year of earned CEUs (including education, training, research and publications; and those associated with formally structured learning programmes. Learning Portfolio (Level 3 Activity) is the record of a health professional?s learning and self development over time, reflecting the health professional?s growth and improved practice. National Accreditors Forum is the body which has representatives from among the Accreditors, and which meets regularly to deliberate on policy and issues of common concern. Feedback is provided to the HPCSA CPD Committee. Non-compliance is the failure of an individual to annually obtain 30 CEUs (or the required CEUs for their register as determined by their Professional Board) which includes at least 5 CEU?s for Ethics, Human Rights and Medical Law. There are various penalties, which will be applied in the event of non-compliance, by individual Professional Boards in collaboration with the HPCSA CPD Committee. Practice Audit involves a health professional undertaking a systematic review of aspects of patient care and comparing these against explicit criteria. Recognition of CEUs refers to the fact that if a CPD activity has been accredited by an Accreditor for a specific Professional Board, all health care professionals may attend that activity if it is relevant to their specific scope of practice. Health professionals will therefore not need to apply for that activity to be re-accredited by their own Professional Board in order to claim the CEUs accrued for attending that activity. Restoration after erasure occurs once the conditions for restoration to the register have been met. The conditions vary, and depend upon the duration for which the health professional has been erased from the register, and the requirements of the relevant Professional Board. Service Providers are individuals/institutions/organisations/societies who have to submit each of their learning activities to an accreditor for review and accreditation prior to presenting the CPD activity. Shelf life refers to the time the CEUs will be valid, which is 24 months from the date that the activity took place or ended, thus the CEUs have a „shelf life? of 24 months. PREAMBLE Ethical practice of the health professions requires consistent and ongoing commitment from all concerned to lifelong learning to update and develop the knowledge, skills and ethical attitudes that underpin competent practice. This perspective protects the public interest and promotes the health of all members of the South African society. Guided by the principle of beneficence, health professionals aspire to standards of excellence in health care provision and delivery. The Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974) (as amended) endorses Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as the means for maintaining and updating professional competence, to ensure that the public interest will always be promoted and protected, as well as ensuring the best possible service to the community. CPD should address the emerging health needs and be relevant to the health priorities of the country. In this spirit of dedication to best practice and a desire to act and serve wisely and well, the following Guidelines for Continuing Professional Development, through engagement with continuing education activities is presented for all health professionals who are registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. The hierarchy of activities detailed include traditional learning experiences such as attendance at conference presentations and workshops, as well as structured courses and quality assurance audits of practices or groups of professionals in their work environments. CPD providers are encouraged to offer learning activities in line with adult education principles and greater learner involvement, with the goal of not only acquiring new or updating knowledge, but also of improving competence and ultimately the performance of the health professional with an end benefit to the patient/client. The CPD system is based on trust. The HPCSA believes that health professionals will commit themselves to meeting the requirement for continuing education in the belief that both they and their patients/clients will reap the benefits of ongoing learning, and personal and professional development. 1 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1.1 HEALTH PROFESSIONALS The purpose of CPD is to assist health professionals to maintain and acquire new and updated levels of knowledge, skills and ethical attitudes that will be of measurable benefit in professional practice and to enhance and promote professional integrity. The beneficiary will ultimately be the patient/client. All registered health professionals are required to complete a series of accredited continuing education activities each year. The activities are clustered together to represent a hierarchy of learning. Health professionals may select activities at any level of learning that meet their particular needs and the demands of their practice environments. Any health professional who registers for the first time as a health care professional after 1st January of a particular year will commence with his or her CPD programme immediately. Health administrators who are not in clinical practice are required to comply with CPD requirements, unless they are registered on the non-clinical register. When health professionals who are actively practising in South Africa attend an accredited professional or academic meeting or activity abroad it will be recognised for CPD purposes. The activity attended abroad should be accredited by an Accreditor in South Africa if not accredited/recognised for CEU equivalent in the country where it was held. 1.1.1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) Each registered health professional is required to engage in CPD and accumulate 30 CEUs per 12 month period of which at least 5 CEUs should be for ethics, human rights and medical law. CEUs accrued for CPD activities will be valid for a period of 24 months from the date that the activity took place/ended. Thus health professionals should aim to accumulate a balance of 60 CEUs by the end of their second year of registration and thereafter “top up”. The requirement for compliance is to reach and MAINTAIN a level of 60 CEUs (of which at least 10 CEUs should be for ethics, human rights and medical law) at all times. Health professionals who are registered in two professions from two Professional Boards are required to obtain 30 CEUs per profession with the 5 CEUs for ethics, human rights and medical law (per 12 month period) being credited to both professions. Health professionals registered in more than one category within the same Professional Board should accrue 30 CEUs per profession with the 5 CEUs for ethics, human rights and medical law per 12 month period applicable to both professions. Cross Recognition of CEUs: If a CPD activity has been accredited by an Accreditor for a specific Professional Board, all health care professionals may attend that activity if it is relevant to their specific scope of practice. Health professionals will therefore not need to apply for that activity to be re-accredited by their own Professional Board in order to claim the CEUs accrued for attending that activity already in the document at the definitions under Recognition. The number of CEUs to be accumulated by the following health professionals who are on the assistant or supplementary registers was determined by the relevant Professional Boards: DENTAL THERAPY AND ORAL HYGIENE DA - Dental Assistant  - 15 CEUs SLA SLA - Supplementary Laboratory Assistant - 15 CEUs EMERGENCY CARE PRACTITIONERS BAA - Basic Ambulance Assistant  - 15 CEUs MEDICAL AND DENTAL BOARD AN - Anaesthetist?s Assistant - 15 CEUs HA - Health Assistant - 15 CEUs MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY GT - Medical Technicians - 15 CEUs LA - Laboratory Assistants - 10 CEUs OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND MEDICAL ORTHOTICS/PROSTHETICS AOS Assistant Medical Ortho Prosthetics & Leatherworker  - 15 CEUs OSA Orthopaedic Technical Assistant - 15 CEUs OTB Occupational Therapy Assistant  - 15 CEUs OTT Occupational Therapy Technician  - 15 CEUs OPTOMETRY AND DISPENSING OPTICIANS OR - Orthoptists  - 15 CEUs PHYSIOTHERAPY, PODIATRY AND BIOKINETICS PTA - Physiotherapy Assistants - 15 CEUs PTT - Physiotherapy Technicians - 15 CEUs MA - Masseurs - 15 CEUs RM  - Remedial Gymnasts - 15 CEUs RADIOGRAPHY AND CLINICAL TECHNOLOGY EE  - Electro-Encephalographic Technician  - 15 CEUs RLT - Radiation Laboratory Technologist - 15 CEUs 7 RSDR  - Restricted Supplementary Diagnostic Radiographer - 15 CEUs SEE - Supplementary Electro-Encephalographic Technician - 15 CEUs SRLT - Supplementary Radiation LaboratoryTechnologist  -15 CEUs SPEECH, LANGUAGE AND HEARING PROFESSIONS STB - Speech Therapy Assistant  - 15 CEUs 1.1.2 Certificate of Attendance All health professionals shall ensure that they are in possession of a certificate of attendance for every activity they have attended. They shall keep these for at least two years so that their certificates will be available if required for a random compliance check. 1.1.3 CPD Activity Record Every health professional shall maintain a record of their own learning activities and document these on an official HPCSA Individual CPD Activity Record (Form CPD 1 IAR) which includes the following: The name and registration number of the health professional; The name and number of the Accredited Service Provider or individual activity accreditation number; The topic of the activity (ethics, human rights and medical law must be specified separately); The level of the activity; The number of CEUs; and The attendance/completion date. This record is the only data required of individual health professionals. It should be duly completed so that it accurately reflects a health professional?s CPD activities for the previous 24 months. This is the record that needs to be submitted should the health professional be selected in the randomly selected audits. An individual drawn in the audit may submit the data and copies of CPD certificates in one of the following three ways: A paper copy of the Excel spreadsheet record of his/her Individual CPD Activity Record (submitted by post to the CPD Section at HPCSA at P O Box 205, PRETORIA, 0001); Electronic copy of the Excel spreadsheet record of his/her Individual CPD Activity Record (Form CPD 1 IAR) (submitted electronically to the CPD Section at HPCSA at cpd@hpcsa.co.za);  An electronic copy of the Excel spreadsheet that has been captured and held by arrangement between the health professional and a relevant individual or business (submitted electronically to the CPD Section at HPCSA at cpd@hpcsa.co.za. Health professionals who are non-compliant or who do not submit their CPD records will automatically be included in the next audit. 1.2 ACCREDITORS Accreditors are groups or institutions appointed by a Professional Board on the basis that they meet the criteria set out by the HPCSA CPD Committee. The role of the Accreditor is to review and approve applications for the provision of CPD activities (within its profession?s ambit) by organizations and individuals without accredited service provider status; to monitor these activities; and to revise continuing education units (CEUs) allocated where the provider failed to comply with the rules and regulations of the CPD guidelines. Professional Boards may delegate their responsibility for accrediting service providers to Accreditors with the mutual agreement of the Accreditor. The criteria and processes to be followed as well as the procedures for record keeping has been developed by the HPCSA CPD Committee in consultation with the Accreditors and are contained in the Criteria and Guidelines for Accreditors document. These guidelines enable the Accreditors to standardise the process of accreditation and to fulfil their mandate effectively and timeously. Accreditors who have been approved by a Professional Board will continue to function for the duration of the Board?s term of office. Potential Accreditors should apply to the relevant Professional Boards for registration as an Accreditor on Form CPD4. Professional Boards shall, within their first year of office, review the existing Accreditors and appoint new Accreditors or re-appoint the existing Accreditors for a further period of five years. 1.3 SERVICE PROVIDERS There are 2 categories of service providers namely (3.1.) accredited service providers, and (3.2.) service providers who are not accredited. 1.3.1 Accredited Service Providers Accredited Service Providers are the profession specific higher education institutions and departments, professional associations or formally constituted professional interest groups who meet the specified criteria and have been accredited by the Board/Accreditor to present learning activities for Continuing Professional Development. Accredited Service Providers are required to apply annually on Form CPD 2 to a Professional Board or its designated Accreditor to be formally accredited to offer CPD activities. Accredited Service Providers will be allocated a Service Provider specific identification number linked to the relevant profession. 1.3.2 Service Providers All interested parties (who are not Accredited Service Providers) who wish to be a Service Provider and present CPD activities, must submit an application (Form CPD 2A) for accreditation of each CPD activity, as well as all the relevant documentation and fees to the profession–specific Accreditor designated by the Professional Board or to the Professional Board if no external accreditors have been appointed by the Board. The Service Provider will be allocated a Board specific activity number, which should appear on the documentation for the particular activity. 1.3.3 Responsibilities of Accredited Service Providers/Service Providers An Accredited Service Provider/Service provider shall publicise the proposed activity together with its CEUs. The activity will take place as advertised. An Accredited Service Provider/Service Provider shall keep a record that reflects attendance at the entire event / completion of activity and should retain these for a period of three years after the activity as these may be required in a compliance audit. Following the CPD activity an Accredited Service Provider/Service Provider shall issue to all health professionals who attended the activity, an attendance certificate containing: the accreditation and activity number (a board specific identification) (eg. MDB001/12/09/2008); the topic of the activity (ethics, human rights and medical law must be specified separately); the level of the activity; the number of CEUs for that activity; the attendance/completion date; and the name and HPCSA registration number of the attendee. An Accredited Service Provider/Service Provider shall provide the certificates to attendees on completion of the activity/event or a series of events. If these are not available on the 10 day/on completion of the activity or event the certificate/s should be sent to attendees within one month. (Note: In those instances where a health professional completes a structured learning programme for degree or certification purposes, the health professional may be constrained by the administrative processes of the provider institution with respect to a delay between the completion and the formal recognition of the programme of study. The CPD Section will take this into consideration if the health professional is selected in a compliance audit). 1.4 PROFESSIONAL BOARDS Professional Boards shall appoint profession-specific Accreditors and approve Accredited Service Providers in accordance with the HPCSA CPD Committee?s criteria and guidelines. A Professional Board shall ensure that high standards are set and maintained for their Accreditors and Accredited Service Providers. A Professional Board or designated functionary will be responsible for conducting quality checks from time to time on the activities presented to their respective health professionals. 1.5 NATIONAL ACCREDITORS FORUM The National Accreditors Forum comprises representatives from the Accreditors of each Professional Board. The Forum meets regularly to deliberate on policy and issues of common concern. Representatives of the Forum shall consult with the HPCSA CPD Committee on such matters applicable to all Accreditors across all the Professional Boards. 1.6 HPCSA CPD COMMITTEE The HPCSA CPD Committee together with the Professional Boards develops policy proposals for a uniform but flexible system of CPD that will accommodate the diversity of health professions; facilitates continuing development of all health professionals registered with the HPCSA and the Professional Boards; addresses all CPD related issues within the existing policy parameters of the Council and the Professional Boards; and reports thereon to the Council and the Professional Boards The CPD committee takes cognizance of Section 26 of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974) whereby the Council may from time to time make rules which prescribe: conditions relating to continuing education and training to be undertaken by persons registered in terms of this Act in order to retain such registration;  the nature and extent of continuing education and training to be undertaken by persons registered in terms of this Act; and the criteria for recognition by the Council of continuing education and training courses and of education institutions/professional associations offering such courses. 1.7 HPCSA CPD SECTION The HPCSA CPD System will be administered and monitored by the CPD Section of the Council. The CPD Section of the CPD, Registrations and Records Department at the HPCSA will randomly select individual health professionals for compliance checks every two months. The sample size will depend on the number of health professionals on the register. Health professionals are obliged to submit the required documents within 21 working days on receipt of notification of being selected. The results of the compliance check will be submitted to the HPCSA CPD Committee as well as to the relevant Professional Boards for their further action, if any. 2 HIERARCHY OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES There are three levels of activities, those with non-measurable outcomes, those with outcomes that do not necessarily constitute a full year of earned CEUs, and those associated with formally structured learning programmes. A health professional may obtain CEUs at any level depending on personal circumstances and individual learning needs. Level 1 These are activities that do not have a clearly measurable outcome and are presented as a once off non-continuous basis. CEUs are allocated according to time, 1 CEU per hour to a maximum of 8 CEUs per day. Presenters/co-presenters can only claim once for CEUs if the same presentation is given more than once. These activities include: Breakfast meetings or presentations; Formally arranged hospital or inter-departmental meetings or updates; Case study discussions; Formally organised special purpose teaching/learning ward rounds (not including routine service ward rounds); Formally organised special purpose lectures that are not part of a business meeting; Mentoring/supervision and activities that are specific to certain professions; Conferences, symposia, refresher courses, short courses without a measurable outcome, international conferences (must be approved by a South African Accreditor if not accredited/ recognised for CEU equivalent in the country where it was held). Interest groups meeting less than six times per year. Presenters of such activities can be allocated double CEUs, eg. if attendee receives one CEU, presenters can get two CEUs excluding presenters at large group activities who would be allocated CEUs from level 2. Level 2 This level includes activities that have an outcome but do not constitute a full year of earned CEUs. It includes education, training, research and publications. (Teaching and examination of undergraduate and postgraduate students will not be accredited if these activities fall within a registered health professional?s job description).     CUEs a Principal author of a peer reviewed publication or chapter in a book 15 b Co-author/editor of a peer reviewed publication or chapter in a book 5 c Review of an article/chapter in a book/journal 3 d Principal presenter/author of a paper/poster at a congress/symposium/refresher course. 10 e Co-presenters/co-authors of a paper/poster at a congress/symposium/course/refresher course 5 f Presenters of accredited short courses 10 g Co-presenters of accredited short courses 5 h Interactive skills workshop with an evaluation of the outcome 5 i All learning material (which could include DVD, CD, internet or email activities) with MCQs for evaluation with a pass rate of 70%. 3 per questionnaire j Guest/occasional lecturer at an accredited institution 3 per lecture k Health personnel who supervise undergraduates/interns/postgraduates in clinical/technical training in collaboration with an accredited training institution on a regular basis during the academic year (if not in the job description) 2 per student (max 16 CEUs per calendar year) l External examiner of Masters and Doctoral thesis 5 per thesis m Workshops, lectures, seminars on ethics (not including general presentations with a so-called component of ethics) 2 per hour n Single modules of Masters degrees with part-time enrolment for study for non-degree purposes 5 on completion of module o Professional Interest Groups (this could include Journal Clubs if compliant with the criteria) that are formally constituted and present a regularly recurring programme that extends for one year with a minimum of 6 meetings per year. These activities should be ongoing or have a measurable outcome that is assessed according to criteria determined by the group, which may be interdisciplinary. 5 on completion of module Level 3 This level comprises structured learning, i.e. a formal programme that is planned and offered by an accredited training institution, is evaluated by an accredited assessor and has a measurable outcome. Successful completion of an activity at this level will earn 30 CEUs. Activities include: Postgraduate degrees and diplomas that are recognised as additional qualifications by the relevant Professional Board. At the end of each year of study (not exceeding the normal duration of the degree), 30 CEUs may be claimed upon submitting an academic report on progress. An additional 30 CEUs may be claimed on successful completion of the qualification; Short courses with a minimum of 25 hours with additional clinical hands-on training, plus a formal assessment of the outcome. Other Activities Learning portfolios; Practice audit. Guidelines for the latter two activities are available on the HPCSA website. Health professionals will need to submit documentation/portfolios to an Accreditor to obtain the 30 CEUs for these activities. 3 ACTIVITIES THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR CEUs The following activities do not qualify for CEUs: time spent in planning, organising or facilitating any activity; published congress proceedings; non-referenced letters to the Editor of accredited journals; daily ward rounds; written assignments; compilation of student training manuals for internal use; staff and/or administrative meetings; tours and/or viewing of exhibits and technological demonstrations; membership of professional bodies, Professional Boards or associations; holding a portfolio on the professional body?s executive or council structure; and presentations and publications to the public. Meetings arranged by pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers or importers of products and technical devices (including assistive device technology) or their representatives purely for the purpose of marketing and/or promoting their products are not eligible for accreditation. Activities for the purpose of training in the use of company products or technological devices may be presented by arrangement with an Accreditor or Accredited Service Provider. 4 NON-COMPLIANCE The CPD Section will investigate the reasons for non-compliance whereafter the names of bona fide non-compliant health professionals will be submitted to the Professional Boards for noting, and to the HPCSA CPD Committee for action in consultation with the relevant Professional Board. The following actions may be taken: A letter will be sent to the non-compliant health professional requesting a reason for the non-compliance. A health professional will be required to furnish the CPD Section with a letter of explanation within two weeks of receipt of the letter of enquiry from the CPD Section. Should the explanation be acceptable, the health professional will be given six months to comply with the CPD requirements. Evidence of such compliance must be received by the CPD Section within two weeks of the end of the six month period. Should the health professional not comply with the requirement, his/her name will be forwarded without delay to the Committee of Preliminary Enquiry. The Committee of Preliminary Enquiry may decide on the basis of evidence to grant a final additional 6 month period to comply with the CPD requirements. Should the health professional still not comply with the CPD requirements within the second six month period, one of the following actions may be taken: Registation in a category that will provide for supervision as considered appropriate by the relevant Professionalr Board; A remedial programme of continuing education and training as specified by the Professional Board; An examination as determined by the Professional Board; Suspension from practice for a period of time as determined by the Professional Board; or Any other action as recommended by the Professional Board. DEFERMENT Health professionals may apply for deferment of CPD and the HPCSA CPD Committee will review such applications individually on an ad hoc basis. The application should be strongly motivated with appropriate evidence/documentation. Deferment may be granted in the case of: a) a health professional who is outside South Africa for a period of time exceeding 12 months and is not practising his/her profession; a health professional who is outside of South Africa and practising in a country where there is no access to CPD activities; a health professional who is registered for an additional qualification but is of the view that s/he will not meet the outcome within two years and thus will not be able to claim CEUs for such qualification. Deferment may be granted for a maximum period of three years. Deferment will not be granted for a period of less than 12 months (in view of the fact that a professional may collect CEUs in a following year). Any health professional mentioned in the above paragraphs wishing to re-enter the system after deferment will be subject to the following conditions: If deferment was granted for more than 12 months but less than two years, proof of full employment in the profession during that time should be submitted and the health professional will, on review by the HPCSA CPD Committee, be allowed to recommence the CPD year immediately. If deferment was granted for more than two years but less than three years, the health professional must submit proof of his/her employment during that time and the health professional will, on the recommendation of the HPCSA CPD Committee, be required to complete a period of supervised practice as determined by the Professional Board in his/her area of practice, and will recommence the CPD year immediately. If deferment was granted for longer than 12 months and the health professional did not practice his/her profession during the deferment period, he/she will be required to complete a period of supervised practice as determined by the Professional Board in his/her area of practice. If deferment was granted because the health professional was engaged in formal education and training for an additional qualification, CEUs will not be allocated for obtaining the said additional qualification. Proof of the additional qualification must be supplied to the CPD Section and the health professional will recommence the CPD year immediately. 6 HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ABROAD Health professionals who are practising abroad in countries where a continuing professional development system is in place should comply with the requirements in that country. They should retain documentary proof of attendance at CPD activities for submission in the event of being drawn in the sample audit. For re-registration purposes documentary proof of compliance must be submitted for continuing professional development purposes in South Africa. This proof may be in the form of a letter from the accrediting authority in the country concerned. When health professionals who are actively practising in South Africa attend an accredited professional or academic meeting or activity abroad it will be recognised for CPD purposes. The activity attended abroad should be accredited by an Accreditor in South Africa if not accredited/recognised for CEU equivalent in the country where it was held. 7 RETIREMENT, ILLNESS AND NON-CLINICAL PRACTICE Deferment will not be granted to health professionals who are retired or health professionals who are not practising due to ill health. Health professionals who are registered in the non-clinical practice register will be exempted from complying with Continuing Professional Development. Applications for returning to the clinical registers must be submitted to the specific Professional Board  8 COMMUNITY SERVICE AND INTERNSHIP Health professionals in internship and community service are not required to comply with CPD requirements during the internship and community service years but are encouraged to attend and may accrue CEUs which will be to their credit for the full 24 months from date of accrual. 9 VOLUNTARY REMOVAL FROM REGISTER: DE-REGISTRATION A health professional must apply in writing to the HPCSA before the last day of March for voluntary removal of his/her name from the register in terms of Section 19(1) (c) of the Act. 10 RESTORATION AFTER ERASURE If a health professional's name was erased from the register in terms of Sections 19(1)(b), (c) or (d) and the health professional was practising his/her profession, the following has to be submitted: Application for restoration (Form 18 – available on HPCSA website) Applicable restoration fee (ONLY annual fee if health professional?s name was erased in terms of Section 19(1)(c) Recent (not older than 3 months) Certificate of Good Status from the country where he/she has practised Proof of CPD activities attended  If a health professional?s name was erased from the register for a period less than 2 years and the health professional was NOT practising his/her profession, the following has to be submitted: Application for restoration (Form 18) Applicable restoration fee (ONLY annual fee if health professional?s name was erased in terms of Section 19(1)(c) If a health professional?s name was erased from the register in terms of Sections 19(1)(b), (c) or (d) for a period exceeding TWO years and the health professional was NOT practising his/her profession please refer to Annexure B for resolutions as per the respective Professional Boards. Secretariat: The secretariat for CPD is located in the CPD, Registrations and Records Department of the HPCSA. All correspondence relating to CPD (but not applications for accreditation of activities or Service Providers) should be addressed to the CPD Officer, HPCSA, P O Box 205, Pretoria 0001 or electronically to cpd@hpcsa.co.za.   click here to download the Full Document plus Annexures Annexure A - Individual Activity Record Annexure B - Restoration of Health Professional who were off the Register for 2 years and who have not practised their Proffession

Click here to download HPCSA CPD Guidelines 2011

Click here to download HPCSA CPD Guidelines 2011