Mandatory continuing professional development requirements: what does this mean for Australian nurses

Abstract

BackgroundThis paper presents a discussion related to the recent decision in Australia to introduce mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for nurses. Historically there has been international debate surrounding mandatory CPD requirements; this debate is ongoing as Australian nurses face a diverse range of CPD offerings from a variety of providers.DiscussionThe purpose of this paper is to examine how mandatory CPD requirements for national nursing registration in Australia have evolved and to present an analysis of what this will mean for Australian nurses. What is yet to be determined is how to measure professional development and the effectiveness of professional development education. This is important to the international community with consensus in the literature that professional development is linked to ongoing education. Contradicting arguments are presented about whether this professional development should be mandatory.SummaryPresenting a contemporary discussion about the current and potential impact of mandatory CPD requirements for nurses, this discussion paper utilises the case of Australia’s current national policy and CPD operation to examine the choices that nurses make in order to fulfil their legislative requirements. Additional arguments are presented about the barriers nurses face in undertaking CPD. The quest for effective CPD is complex and should incorporate different situations for nurses and individual learning styles.

US and International Health Professions’ Requirements for Continuing Professional Development

“…Questions still remain regarding the need for voluntary or mandatory CPD. 38 Health professions in general and pharmacy in particular are encouraged to publish more work on CE and CPD.…”

Attendance indicators for students in long-term nursing courses at a university hospital

“…The conflict between the institution's demands and those of the staff has been raised as a factor that can make Continuing Education difficult (ROVERE, 1993). As it stands, the mandatory participation in continuing education is growing as a lawful requirement from nursing policies both in classes association and national legislation (ROSS, et al, 2013). The mandatory versus voluntary participations also is in ample discussion in literature related to continuing education (GRISCTI; JACONO, 2006).…”

Regulation and registration as drivers of continuous professional competence for Irish pre-hospital practitioners: a discussion paper

“…It is expected, however, that PHECCregistered paramedics and advanced paramedics will be required to provide evidence of CPC experience as part of their re-registration process analogous to requirements of regulating bodies in other health professions, both nationally and internationally [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. While such requirements are promoted as oriented towards patient safety and quality of service, registrants may not be aware of the benefits of CPC or the potential support mechanisms available, including dedicated time off for training, fee reimbursement, and credit recognition [15,16].…”