Big Brother is watching (your CPD)

I had just completed the three month educational supervision meeting with my senior house officer to assess his continuing professional development (CPD). The letter was the first piece of correspondence in the pile awaiting my attention, with the familiar emblem on top of the heavy bond paper. As I read the first paragraph of the letter, my heart rate quickened. It was a letter from the CPD officer of the “College,” the “Professor” himself. He wrote: “the College's Executive Committee has asked me to write to you to remind you that the College took participation in its CPD program very seriously.”

“What have I done now?” was my initial response. I then remembered: I hadn't sent the first quarter's CPD returns yet—late by four long weeks. But my previous returns were in, sent by email and electronically acknowledged. “Gosh,” I thought, “they are getting very good at this. Fancy being ‘outed’ when your returns haven't gone in within the month.”

As I read further, I grew more uneasy. The Professor went on to quote “the 10th Principle of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges CPD framework”: “Failure when challenged to produce sufficient evidence to support claimed credits will result in an individual's annual statement being endorsed accordingly for the year involved and their subsequently being subject to annual audit. Suspected falsification of evidence for claimed credits may result in referral to the GMC/GDC.”

I had to read the letter again a couple of times to satisfy myself that I hadn't been picked up as the Desperate CPD Dodger of the Year. I then rang my colleague next door to ask if he had received any veiled threats as I had. He hadn't, but neither had he sent in his return so far. So, was I going to be investigated for “delays in CPD returns”?

I immediately opened the folder labelled “CPD” on my computer and transferred the information there on to the CPD return form, struggling a bit as usual to decide on the right category—clinical, academic, or professional. (I guess it's also dangerous if you get too clinical, academic, or professional—or if you get your arithmetic wrong—there may be a penalty there, you never know). I then sent the return form as an email attachment as usual. I decided to get all the receipts and scraps of paper for evidence of travel, attendance, etc, ready just in case.

It was a relief the next day to see the email network buzzing on the subject. Clearly many had been “found out” like me, or it might have been a mass mailing. There was a strange comfort in numbers. In my case it had an instant result: my return was in, up to date, and hopefully fully backed up with all the receipts, bills, and certificates. I haven't received an electronic receipt yet, and it is almost a day since the return form went in. I must chase it up. You can't be too careful with these things, you know.