Overview of the CPD scheme
Over a three-year cycle, osteopaths will need to do 90 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) (at least 45 of which must be learning with others) across all four themes of the Osteopathic Practice Standards, including at least one objective activity, and one CPD activity relating to communication and consent.
Range of practice: the four Osteopathic Practice Standards themes
and breadth of practice.
You should do CPD activities in all four themes of the Osteopathic
Practice Standards:
A. Communication and patient partnership
B. Knowledge, skills and performance
C. Safety and quality in practice
D. Professionalism
Your CPD should also cover the breadth of your professional practice, which may
include the clinical, education, research or management aspects of your roles.
Objective activity
Your CPD needs to include at least one objective activity that informs your practice and
your CPD. An objective activity is where you seek external objective feedback about
your practice and then analyse and reflect on this to show how it has informed your
practice or CPD. This activity might include: case-based discussion, patient feedback,
peer observation, clinical audit or a peer observation.
Communication and consent
You need to do at least one CPD activity in the area of communication and consent.
This should include reviewing the relevant guidance in the Osteopathic Practice
Standards and showing how this has informed your learning and how it has been
applied in practice. Doing an activity in the area of communication and consent will help
you to demonstrate how your CPD benefits patients. Carrying out patient feedback can
cover communication and consent because reflecting on how you communicate with
patients in response to their feedback is a core part of the patient feedback analysis
and process.
Keeping CPD records
You need to keep a record of your CPD that shows you have completed a three-year
cycle of a minimum of 90 hours. This must include a minimum of 45 hours of ‘learning
with others’ and include all the required elements of the scheme.
Verification and assurance
The GOsC randomly selects 5 to 10% of osteopaths each month to look at evidence of their CPD, such as records of the activities they have completed, and to provide feedback and support and answer any questions about the CPD scheme.
Peer Discussion Review
You need to complete a Peer Discussion Review towards the end of your three year cycle with an osteopath or other health professional to confirm that you have completed all the scheme’s elements.