What you need to know about CPD

The AVNAT Regulatory Committee welcomes our new and renewed AVNAT registrants. Thank you all for your commitment, dedication and enthusiasm as we continue to build the profile of our role within the workplace and the communities in which we live and work. We also thank our education partners who are a part of the AVNAT scheme in providing high quality education events for all. These partners provide a number of events and courses throughout the year, and I encourage you to check out their events as there will be a CPD event for everyone on a variety of topics. For a list of education partners and their events, go to the VNCA website and the AVNAT page for details. The AVNAT Regulatory Committee completed the audit process over the last few months. It was pleasing for the committee to see most of those audited ensuring that they had all their documentation in place and CPD activities clearly listed. This was certainly aided by the online CPD activity tracker that makes everything clear and easy to follow. If you have not used the tracker, I encourage you to do so, and every time you undertake a CPD activity, log it straightaway. The committee did note during the audit process that there are several registered veterinary nurses and technicians who are logging CPD events that have no formal points system approved, and these CPD events are therefore ineligible for CPD points to use for AVNAT. While listing all CPD you undertake on the CPD tracker is a good idea, you must ensure that a minimum of 20 points is either AVNAT, RACE or NZVNA approved to be eligible to use for AVNAT CPD requirements. • AVNAT CPD Points are awarded by the AVNAT Regulatory Council on application by the training provider. The certificate of completion/ attendance will often feature the following logo and/or wording with the number of eligible points clearly specified.

• RACE CPD Points are awarded by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) on application by the training provider for a wide range of international programs and veterinary medical professionals. As such, some activities may only be approved as CPD for veterinarians, while others will have wider approval. While some training providers may include a RACE logo on their certificates, the following wording must always appear: ‘This program has been approved for _____ hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.’ • NZVNA CPD Points are awarded on a training provider basis and will include a logo and wording similar to that shown for AVNAT CPD Points. If you are undertaking CPD and the course or event does not have any formal points system applied, ask the provider why not and if they would apply for points with AVNAT. While the AVNAT Committee does contact providers to encourage them to apply for points for their events, your voice can also assist us with this process and ensure even more approved events for all. Another area to check when you receive your certificate for a CPD event is to understand the difference between CPD hours and CPD points applied to the event. Some certificates will state a number for hours that the event or course was undertaken in, but this is not necessarily the same as the actual CPD points applied. For example, a course may list on the certificate that the length was 20 hours, but the CPD points applied may only be 5 points. It is the CPD points that you can use towards your overall CPD yearly total, not the hours. Work continues on the path towards the formal regulation of veterinary nurses and technicians in Australia with the VNCA and AVNAT Regulatory Council continuing to liaise with associations and government bodies at both state and national level. The Sustainable Practice Committee (SPC) of the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) continues to meet and is reviewing the feedback from the survey on the potential for a national registration scheme with the consultation of the VNCA, AVNAT and relevant industry representatives. In South Australia, the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, the Honourable Clare Scriven MLC, has advised that a drafting of a New Veterinary Services Bill for South Australia is underway and is considering feedback from the discussion paper in 2021 that the VNCA and AVNAT provided on the registration of veterinary nurses and technicians. We will keep you updated on further developments as they occur. As we enter the second half of our registration and CPD cycle, plan your CPD events to ensure you gain your minimum of 20 points for your renewal in July. For all AVNAT enquiries, please email avnat@vnca.asn.au