Compulsory CPD For Dental Care Professionals Coming Soon, UK

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 15 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Following public consultation the GDC has agreed that all dental care professionals (DCPs) will be required to complete and record 150 hours of continuing professional development every five years, a third of which should be verifiable (50 hours). We expect to introduce this requirement from July 2008 when registration will become compulsory for dental nurses and technicians.

Dental care professionals will be required to complete CPD in the same core subjects as dentists:

-- medical emergencies (10 hours per cycle)
-- disinfection and decontamination (5 hours per cycle)
-- radiography and radiation protection (5 hours per cycle)

Dental technicians should substitute radiography and radiation protection for materials and equipment (5 hours per cycle) as radiography is not within the dental technician curriculum.

In line with the dentists' CPD scheme, we recommend that DCPs involved in the care of patients should undertake CPD in legal and ethical issues and complaints handling.

Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive and Registrar, said:

"Compulsory CPD maintains public confidence in the Dentists and Dental Care Professionals Registers by showing that dentists and registered dental care professionals keep up to date so that they can give their patients a good standard of care.

The CPD hours requirement is lower for dental care professionals than for dentists as CPD provision is still developing for these groups. We would like to see greater availability of training courses for dental care professionals and hope the introduction of compulsory CPD will drive this provision."

There are many ways for dental care professionals to complete CPD, ranging from attendance at courses, lectures and staff training to reading journals and private study. Further information about CPD for DCPs is available on the GDC website.

1. The consultation 'Compulsory continuing professional development for dental care professionals' took place between December 2006 and March 2007, the results of the consultation can be downloaded from the GDC website.

2. CPD is defined as "study, training courses, seminars, reading and other activities under taken by a dental professional, which could reasonably be expected to advance his or her professional development as a dental professional."

3. Verifiable CPD means the activity must have:

-- concise educational aims and objectives - a clear purpose or goal;
-- clear anticipated outcomes - you should know what you can expect to gain as a result of taking part in the activity;
-- quality controls - you should have the chance to give feedback; and
-- documentary proof (e.g. a certificate) - to prove that you took part in the activity.

4. From 31 July 2008 all dental nurses and dental technicians must be registered with the GDC to work in the UK. The GDC is encouraging dental nurses and technicians to join the register during the two-year transition period, which will enable dental nurses and technicians who have been working in their role for a number of years to join the register on the basis of validated experience. Dental nurses and technicians joining the register after 30 July 2008 will need to have a GDC-recognised qualification.

http://www.gdc-uk.org

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