Evidencing continual professional development : maximising impact and informing career planning

Continuing professional development (CPD) is essential for radiographers to maintain and update their specialised knowledge base in light of constant professional changes. CPD is the continuous and systematic maintenance, improvement, and broadening of knowledge and skills and the development of personal qualities necessary for the execution of professional and technical duties. Professional and regulatory bodies are increasingly relying on proof of CPD through a variety of learning opportunities to provide evidence of clinical competence. Importantly, CPD has been linked not only to competence but also to motivation and job satisfaction. However, for CPD to be embraced fully, the individual needs to see how activity can be planned and recorded in a way that is meaningful to them in the context of their career aspirations. This article will review basic principles of why evidence is needed for CPD, what constitutes evidence (direct and indirect), and how that evidence can be presented. This will be discussed in the context of having a longer-term career vision, and embedded within Donner and Wheeler’s five-phase career planning and development model.