Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Frequently Asked Questions about CPD
What is Continuing Professional Development (CPD)?
CPD is an approach to lifelong learning. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) defines CPD as a self-directed, ongoing, systematic and outcomes-focused approach applied into practice. It involves active participation in formal and informal learning activities that assist individuals in developing and maintaining continuing competence, enhancing their professional practice, and supporting their career goals.
How is CPD different from CPE?
Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) traditionally focuses on passive learning with pre-approved content. Completing CPE usually involves attending lectures, webinars or reading pre-determined materials.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) emphasizes a learner-driven approach. With CPD, pharmacists engage in learning activities relevant to their practice needs and professional goals. CPD includes a broader range of activities, such as:
- Self-directed learning: Reading articles, conducting research, attending conferences and engaging in online courses.
- Mentorship and coaching: Learning from experienced colleagues, seeking guidance from mentors and participating in peer-to-peer learning activities.
- Quality improvement projects: Implementing and evaluating practice changes within their workplace.
- Research and scholarly activity: Conducting research projects, publishing articles, and presenting at professional meetings.
How does UT Austin provide CPD?
Our approach to CPD is to provide pharmacists with structured "retreats" to facilitate their success in self-directed learning.
CPD Retreats aim to bring together pharmacy leaders and rising stars to exercise strategic planning techniques, share experiences in executing visions, and discover strategies for leading teams in the ever-changing health care landscape.
The retreats offer over eight hours of CPE and CPD credit, which meet the new BPS CPD requirements for recertification.
How are CPD Retreats formatted?
Our approach to CPD aligns with the ACPE's CPD components by using a coaching facilitation process. This framework empowers pharmacists to develop a foundation for their self-directed learning plans for the upcoming year. Through the retreat, pharmacists learn key skills for earning extra CPE credit, develop SMART objectives and goals for the coming year, and participate in twice-yearly reflections and check-ins to ensure goal support and achievement. The retreat format includes the following:
- Pre-program asynchronous career reflections
- In-person reflection and coaching
- Skills learning through cohort groups
- Development of SMART objectives and learning plan for the following year(s)
- Asynchronous check-ins throughout the year
- Documentation library available for records, portfolio, and/or BPS CPD reporting
- 12+ CPE hours of credit included (CPD credits are offered as dual CPE credits and count toward both BPS recertification and re-licensure)*
*Credit for CPD retreats and programs is awarded only upon the individual participant's completion and documentation of each phase of the CPD cycle. To receive CE credits, learners must complete all surveys and reflections and execute their individualized learning plans and activities within the specified timeframe.
Can CPD retreats help me meet my Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) recertification requirement?
Our CPD Retreats fulfill the BPS recertification requirement of two credits per year by providing two years of CPD credit, establishing an infrastructure that supports continuous self-directed learning, and providing a documentation process that pharmacists can use to meet all CPD requirements throughout the recertification process.*
*Credit for CPD retreats and programs is awarded only upon the individual participant's completion and documentation of each phase of the CPD cycle. To receive CE credits, learners must complete all surveys and reflections and execute their individualized learning plans and activities within the specified timeframe.
Can CPD retreats be customized?
While we host our own CPD Retreats, we also work with organizations to create custom retreats! The programs can be customized to focus on specific topics or to help facilitate organizational needs. Our objective is to provide professional development and to help implement the applicable and measurable outcomes that match your group's goals.
Contact Glen Baumgart, Ph.D., at gbaumgart@austin.utexas.edu, to discuss how we can create a custom CPD Retreat for your team.
How can I sign up for a CPD retreat?
We're excited that you're interested in a CPD Retreat! We are still planning retreats for 2025, but when they open, you will be able to find an upcoming retreat that matches your professional development goals and learn more information on this page.
Looking for a customized retreat for your organization? Contact Glen Baumgart, Ph.D., at gbaumgart@austin.utexas.edu to get started.
The Importance of CPD
According to professional research and market projections, the pharmacy profession is entering a period of significant transition. The focus is shifting from prescription filling to a patient-centric model emphasizing direct patient care, improved collaboration within the health care team, value-based payment models, and long-term patient care management.
Relying solely on traditional online CE programs may not adequately prepare pharmacists for the changing demands of their profession.
The CPD framework allows for a focused, coached, and organized approach to learning, which will provide the foundation for pharmacists to thrive in this evolving health care landscape.