Continuing Professional Development
World-class education and training for Commonwealth pharmacy professionals
Continuing Profession Development (CPD) is career-long education and training
Ensuring that Commonwealth pharmacists continue to learn and develop in their role(s) is one of the aims and founding principles of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association. We want to raise the level of pharmacy practice in every member country, using our platform to disseminate pharmacy knowledge and best practice.
CPD is fundamentally different to finding medical information reactively in response to a situation: it is conscious, structured and proactive learning which enables you to develop and enhance your abilities as a pharmacist.
CPD is the key to unlocking your potential to develop your pharmacy career. Changing sectors or specialisms – from community pharmacy to hospital pharmacy practice, for example – can seem daunting. Pharmacy CPD courses can be the first steps to develop our career or carve out a new career pathway.
CPD programmes often combine a range of practical and theoretical learning methods such courses, workshops, conferences and events. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted that pharmacists need better access to high quality online education and training programmes.
Start your Commonwealth Pharmacy CPD journey today.
To share knowledge and educational resources in order to continually develop the knowledge and skills of the pharmacy profession throughout the commonwealth
CPA Charitable Objective
Our programmes are available to take today, with many more in development.
CPD courses made by pharmacists, for pharmacists. Help us create more.
Track your progress via your dashboard and dip in and out as time allows.
The CPD platform is accessible currently accessible through your national pharmacy associations for those countries whose NPA is a member of CPA and has undergone the onboarding process. More ways to access the platform are coming soon.
Who creates the CPA CPD courses?
Our CPD modules are co-created by the CPA and its professional pharmacy association members: you! We develop courses in response to changes and challenges in the global pharmaceutical industry, ensuring that they meet the needs of pharmacists working in the Commonwealth. We prioritise the development of courses based on your requirements, so tell us which topics you’d like to see as CPD modules.
Our CPD platform builds on years of pharmacy education and training experience, bringing it all together in an easy-to-use platform.
Why undertake CPD?
CPD is important in any profession, but especially in pharmacy where there is a significant risk of harm from outdated knowledge or practice. Pharmacy is a fast-paced industry, estimated to be growing at around 16% annually. The continuous development of new medicines and treatment methodologies means that pharmacists and their teams need to maintain up-to-date pharmaceutical knowledge in the areas relevant to their practice. CPD helps pharmacists do that.
Is CPD mandatory for pharmacists in every Commonwealth country?
No, but we are hopeful that it will be one day. We estimate that around 50% of our current member countries require their pharmacists to undertake mandatory CPD. However, many more encourage and support them to participate in structured, evidenced voluntary pharmacy CPD programmes.
Membership of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association is a vital step on the journey to implementing mandatory CPD for pharmacists working in your country. Commonwealth countries are extremely diverse, so a one-size-fits-all model for mandatory CPD programmes wouldn’t work. But with our knowledge of what works in countries similar to yours, we can help you to create a bespoke pharmacy CPD programme that is effective for you.
Which pharmacists should undertake CPD?
All pharmacists should undertake and record CPD. Whether you work full time or part time, or whether you have direct contact with patients or not, we believe that CPD is fundamental to safe and effective pharmacy practice.
That’s why we’ve launched a new learning platform dedicated to helping you to refresh old knowledge and learn new skills, helping you to meet the needs of the individuals and communities you serve.