CPD Portal

CPD is short for Continuing Professional Development.

It can also be called Continuing Medical Education (CME) or Continuing Professional Education (CPE). We use the term CPD.

All healthcare professionals are expected to take part in CPD activities on a regular basis. In some parts of the world, the College of Midwives or the Midwifery Association determines how many hours of CPD midwives should have every year. In other parts of the world, CPD is not mandatory, but midwives are expected to be self‑directed, life‑long learners who keep themselves up‑to‑date with the changes in research and clinical practice guidelines.

Research is always changing and clinical practice changes in response to changing research.

What we learned in school may no longer be correct or safe. “Best practice” is the term that is used to describe what is currently considered to be the safest or most correct way of practicing midwifery. As we learn from new research, we should adapt our clinical practice so that we are providing the safest care to our patients.

As professionals, midwives have a responsibility to stay up-to-date on the research findings so that we are able to provide the safest care possible. Staying up‑to‑date is done through continuing professional development (CPD).

If we don’t take time to educate ourselves on a regular basis, we may discover that we’re using outdated management techniques that may cause harm to our patients. We all want to provide the best care possible, so we need to commit to CPD.