Continuing Professional Development: The Personal and Public Interface

Abstract

With the biennial circuit of Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) audits now established for occupational therapists, continuing professional development (CPD) is familiar throughout the United Kingdom (UK). Whereas HCPC audit provides a mechanism for occupational therapists to demonstrate Standards of Proficiency (HCPC 2012), it also enables occupational therapists to showcase their unique professional knowledge. The personal interface of CPD is, perhaps, most familiar. As occupational therapists establish professional roles, gaining experience, many seek to develop their expertise through training, reflection and mentorship. Such opportunities tend to be contextualised to particular services or practice areas. The training agenda has been particularly constrained of late, with efficiency savings meaning that study time and financial support for CPD are increasingly withheld by employers. The public interface of CPD is possibly less considered, but nevertheless is complex and intriguing. The HCPC agenda recognises the profession, but the Standards of Proficiency list statements relating to registrants’ scope of practice. This system facilitates more occupational therapists into skill or service led roles, rather than professionspecific core practice. Occupational therapists are increasingly employed in specialist posts open to wider applicants, such as cognitive behavioural practitioners or moving and handling experts. Such positions may not always require specialist occupational knowledge or use occupation as the primary means of therapy. What does this say about our