Recording a minimum of one goal, and associated self-reflection, is a new requirement of the Australian Medical Council (AMC). Consequently, all Australia and New Zealand specialist CPD programs need to include a cycle of planning and self-evaluation.
This requirement was introduced to the ACEM Specialist CPD Program on 1 July 2017.
This is the first CPD year the requirement has been in place.
FACEM Dr Maddi Howard, member of ACEM’s CPD Committee, said Fellows and members will gain as much from this process as they are willing to put in.
“When you are planning your CPD for the year, you are already working out what you want to do and why,” Dr Howard said. “Afterwards, you will have an opinion about the value of the activities you undertook”.
“In order to complete the minimum requirement, all you need to do is record that. You write down what the goal is for one of the activities that you set yourself, you engage in that activity – for example going to a conference or a course – and then at the end you reflect on the activity and whether or not you felt it achieved the goal you set for yourself.
“It really is an easy online process. Once you have done it you will realise that it is not difficult or time consuming.”
Dr Howard said this cycle of goal setting and evaluation was an important process to undertake.
“We all want to get better at what we are doing,” Dr Howard said. “This new requirement provides the opportunity to spend some time thinking about what you want to achieve in the next 12 months. By ensuring that you are heading in a direction that is valuable to you, the time that you spend on CPD activities is providing maximum benefit.
“So it just gives you a structured tool for recording what you have decided to learn, how successful you have been, and what you might do differently in future."
Dr Howard suggested the SMART goal setting approach for Fellows and members wanting to get the most value from this process. “That is, create a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound,” Dr Howard said.
Fellows and members can record a goal and an associated self-reflection within Plan my CPD.
For further information on how to record your goal and self-reflection, as well some examples, please see the How to Guide.
Fellows and members with any enquiries should email [email protected]