Continuing professional development (CPD)

Continued professional development (CPD) is a professional requirement for all veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses on the RCVS Register. It keeps your skills sharp, your knowledge current and boosts your confidence, helping you grow as a professional while providing your patients with the best possible care. 

This page will guide you through planning, recording, and reflecting on your CPD.

On this page:

• CPD requirements
• The outcomes-focused CPD cycle
• How to access 1CPD
• Planning your CPD
• What counts as CPD
• Recording your CPD
• Reflecting on your CPD
• Pausing your CPD
• How we can help

CPD requirements

To meet RCVS CPD requirements, follow the outcomes-based cycle: plan, do, record, and reflect.

For vets:

• Record 35 hours of CPD per calendar year using 1CPD
• Reflect on your learning in 1CPD

For vet nurses:

• Record 15 hours of CPD per calendar year using 1CPD
• Reflect on your learning in 1CPD

Note: CPD hours cannot be carried over from one year to the next.

These annual targets apply:

• Whether you work full or part-time
• To RCVS-registered vets practising overseas

Who needs to complete CPD

• Vets on the non-practising register are not required to complete CPD.
• Vet nurses must complete CPD regardless of where they are practising.

Compliance in 1CPD

We recently updated the 1CPD homepage. You’ll now see a message indicating that you are not compliant until you’ve both recorded and reflected on your required CPD hours.

Remember: you must reflect on your learning for your CPD to count. 

The outcomes-focused CPD cycle

Plan - Set objectives and identify areas for development.

Do - Take part in activities relevant to your role.

Record - Use 1CPD to track the CPD you’ve completed.

Reflect - Consider what you’ve learned and the impact of your CPD.

How to access 1CPD

You can access 1CPD in two ways:

1. Download the app:

• Apple store (for iPhone)
• Google Play (for android)

2. Use the web version

Logging in 

You can log in to 1CPD with the same username and password you use for My Account. If you've forgotten your login details, you can find your username and reset your password via the My Account sign in page.

How we use your 1CPD data

For information about how we store, secure and use your data, see the 1CPD privacy policy.

Planning your CPD

Planning your CPD is important because it:

• Allows you to identify areas for development and improvement
• Helps you make the most of opportunities for learning as they arise
• Ensures you choose cost-effective activities relevant to your role

We recommend regularly reviewing your learning and development needs. You might do this through formal workplace appraisals and one-to-ones.

Planning using the 1CPD app

The 1CPD platform helps you set and manage your objectives. These are set from the Plan page.

• Select Plan in the navigation menu, then choose Add Objective.
• When you record an activity, select which objectives it helps you meet.
• You can have up to ten active objectives at a time.
• Once you complete an objective, mark it as complete so you can add more.
• You can also add a future activity in the Record section; it will appear on your summary page as a reminder. 

What counts as CPD

Anything relevant to your role counts as CPD. It doesn't have to be clinical, costva lot or invlove a formal course. 

Opportunities for CPD can arise in your day-to-day work. If you learn something new that you didn't know yesterday, that counts as CPD.

Examples:

• Formal activities: courses and seminars
• Workplace-based activities: reflecting on a challenging case or shadowing a colleague
• Self-directed activities: reading a book or listening to a podcast

You can do as many hours of each activity as you like - there isn't a limit. The key is to record your CPD and reflect on what you’ve learned.

CPD on a budget: how to learn for less

"Not only was I making my own CPD hours to log, but I also got a discount on the cost of the meeting. Extra CPD hours and saving money was a win-win in my eyes."

Vet nurse Lauren Valentine blogs about carrying out CPD on a budget.

Read Lauren’s blog

 

Recording your CPD

You record your CPD using our digital recording platform, 1CPD, which lets you track your activities on the go. 

You can access 1CPD either via the app or on desktop.

How to record an activity:

• Select Record on the main menu.
• Enter activity details and the dates you completed it

Working overseas and CPD

• Vets: you don’t have to use 1CPD if you're an RCVS-registered vet practising overseas. You can use whatever platform is available locally.
• Vet nurses: you must meet UK CPD requirements, regardless of where you are practising.

Reflecting on your CPD

Reflection is essential - CPD only counts once you've reflected on it.

For each activity, consider:

• How it relates to your learning needs and objectives
• What you've learned
• How you'll apply it at work
• How it will impact your practice

You might finish an activity and realise it wasn't useful. That's fine - as long you reflect on why this is the case.

It's a common misconception that reflecting on CPD takes lots of time. But remember: 

• You don't have to write an essay; a few notes are enough.
• You can upload a photo of written notes instead of typing.
• Reflections can be added anytime - a day, a week, a month or even a year later - as long as the impact is still relevant.

How to log your reflections on 1CPD

1. Select Reflection in the main menu.
2. Select the activity you want to reflect on.
3. Choose between:

• Guided reflection (with prompts)
• Free reflection (notes, voice recording, documents or photos)

Integrating CPD into day-to-day practise

"I think many vets are easily attaining the minimum of 35 hours per year, they just don’t see it - or forget to record it!"

Vet Pam Brown blogs about how she fits learning into everyday practice.

Read Pam’s blog

 

Pausing your CPD

You can pause your CPD for up to six months per calendar year in certain circumstamces, such as: 

• Having a baby or going on parental leave
• Going on long-term sick leave (including for mental health reasons)
• Taking time off work to care for a loved one
• Other sinificant personal or professional changes

Yearly targets when pausing

If you pause your CPD, your yearly target is reduced - you only need to complete a portion of it and you don’t need to make up the hours.

For example, if you pause your CPD for six months, your CDP requirement is halved: 

• Vets: 17.5 hours
• Vet nurses: 7.5 hours 

How to pause your CPD

You can request to pause your CPD on the desktop version of 1CPD. Select Pause CPD and complete the form. Once you’ve completed it, you’ll be asked to complete a return to work plan.

Applications can’t be made retrospectively, but there's no limit to how many times you can apply to pause.

Letting us know 

• Please give us as much notice as possible. 
• When completing the request form, you’ll be asked to select a reason from a dropdown menu. You don’t need to provide any further details - our system is built on trust. However, if a concern is later raised about your pause request, we may ask for supporting evidence as part of the concerns investigation process.

Pausing CPD longer than six months

You can only pause your CPD for six months per calendar year. If you’re planning to pause for longer, it might be best to:

• Join the non-practising register (for vets)
• Remove yourself from the register temporarily (for vet nurses)

By doing either of the above, you won’t need to complete CPD during your time away. Your CPD requirement will resume from the date you re-register.

Paying to re-register (vet nurses only)

Vet nurses re-registering after six - 18 months off the Register don't need to pay a fee.

How we can help

We want to ensure you have everything you need for your CPD.

If you have a question that we haven’t answered on this page, email us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help.

CPD courses and webinars

Our RCVS Academy course is designed to help you better understand CPD requirements.

We've also held several webinars on a range of topics related to CPD.

One-to-one support

Need extra support using 1CPD? Want to talk through your questions with us? Our education team offers one-to-one support sessions. To arrange a session, please email [email protected]

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