A message from the CEO

CPD Requirements and RANZCR SIGs in 2023

CPD is a way of life for many professions. It’s confirmation that the members of that profession or group are undertaking ongoing education to stay at the forefront of their field of expertise. It’s a much more nuanced and self-guided way to ensure ongoing development than the alternative of having to sit a formal education course every few years.

In my life, I need to complete CPD as a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). As a Rugby Union referee, I have to undertake formal education every year and on-field assessments during the year, and I have to renew my first aid qualification every twelve months/three years for different components.

For our professions, the CPD program is a requirement of the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ). The College is tasked with providing a CPD program that complies with the minimum standards set by the MBA and MCNZ. The College provides this CPD program as a complimentary service to College members, as part of their College membership.

With effect from 1 January 2023 the College is obligated to forward the details of any member who does not fulfill their CPD obligations to MBA and MCNZ for possible deregistration.

In my conversations with members, a recurrent theme is that ‘the College’ is forcing CPD onto our members. It’s important to make this distinction; the College is providing the program on behalf of the Federal Government Regulator. This places the College in a sometimes-difficult position of having to follow up our members to complete their CPD, so that they are compliant with the national scheme. The College really does not want to be in the position of reporting our own members for non-compliance; we would much prefer that all of our members were fully CPD compliant.

At the beginning of February 2023, there were 233 members who had not met the 2022 CPD requirements. College staff have been busy contacting these members who are still outstanding with their 2022 CPD. While our people are trying their best to be polite, helpful, and respectful, we are rapidly approaching the time when we have to draw a line under continuing to actively contact the remaining members who have not met their 2022 CPD requirements.

We have recently sent a direct communication to these outstanding members, to urgently either contact staff for assistance and/or to enter their CPD activities into the ePortfolio. For any members who still have not entered their 2022 CPD activities into the ePortfolio we will have to notify the MBA and MCNZ that those members are CPD non-compliant, which could result in their deregistration. This list will also need to be forwarded to the College Board of Directors for a decision on whether their FRANZCR post-nominals should be cancelled as well.

I would urge all members to try and enter your CPD at regular intervals during the year. College staff are available to assist with any query by phone or email, details below.

There are also resources available on the College website including ‘how to’ guides, FAQs and video demonstrations in the RANZCR Presentation Library.

SIG discussions and topics for future Inside News editions

We’ve recently been holding discussions with our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) on ways that we can all work better together. One of the interesting things that has emerged from these discussions, is the need to promote our SIGs to our membership, and the need to better explain to our members, how your college operates.

In future editions of Inside News, we will be showcasing our College SIGs and inviting members to join any SIG that aligns with their professional interests, as well as featuring more of our people and their activities. We will also be placing the College organisation chart on www.ranzcr.com. If any of our members have questions about how the College is structured or how it operates, you are welcome to reach out to me or to any of the General Managers for a discussion—we love to speak with our members and we enjoy sharing what we do at the College.

Tel: 02 92899777 (press 1 for CPD)

Email: cpd@ranzcr.edu.au

Web: RANZCR Presentation Library bit.ly/RANZCRePortfolioCPD