POLICY

Preamble

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) “is the maintenance and enhancement of knowledge, expertise and competence of professionals throughout their careers to a plan formulated with regard to the needs of the professional, the employer, the profession and society”. (Madden and Mitchell, 1993)

In this context, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the education of physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists following completion of formal training. CPD consists of any educational activity which helps to maintain, develop or increase knowledge, problem-solving, technical skills or professional performance standards all with the goal that physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists can provide better health care.   CPD includes activities, like courses, conferences and workshops, as well as self-directed activities such as peer and non-peer reviewed articles. 

The objective of this revised policy is to address the attitude of ambivalence of physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists towards CPD activities and also address the shortfalls in the standards expected of providers in terms of quality of programmes, logistical arrangement and provision of feedback.

It is the view of Council that standards in regulation require that physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists obtain the requisite number of CPD credits before renewal of registration.

The CPD credit system has been updated and penalties for defaulting have been introduced.

Benefits to Physician Assistants and Certified Registered Anaesthetists

Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists are able to:

• remain updated in their knowledge, skills and competence
• keep up with developments in medicine/dentistry
• enhance their ‘fitness to practice’, and
• enhance professional satisfaction.

Benefit to the Public

Guarantees them the assurance of quality of care by physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists.

Benefits to the Employers

Ensures that physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists that are employed are competent and up to date with the best practice in medicine/dentistry.

THE SCOPE OF CPD

The contents shall consist of activities that will serve to develop or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance of physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists in carrying out their services to clients and enhancing the image of the profession.

The following are some of the identified areas. However, this list is by no means exhaustive and maybe amended from time to time as necessary:

CME (Related to specific medical and dental specialties)

CME Related Activities

The approved activities may include:

• Clinical meetings
• Scientific conferences and workshops which are pre-accredited
• Clinical Online/distance learning courses with certificates
• Research publications
• Resource person at approved CPD events

CPD PROGRAMMES

• Ethics and Law
• Bioethics
• Medical Jurisprudence
• Ethical issues in Research
• Ethical issues in healthcare practice
• Court Appearance (Expert Witness)
• International Standards of Care
• Media Relations
• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists -Client Relationships
• Management and Administration
• Basic Management Principles
• Human Resource Management
• Logistics Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Group Practice
• Work Planning
• Health Service Marketing
• Health Care financing
• Medical Auditing
• Supervision, Monitoring and Evaluation of Skills
• Basic Cost and Management Accounting
• Billing System
• National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)
• Private Health Insurance Schemes
• Simple Financial Policies and Procedures
• Budgeting
• E-Learning
  • Telemedicine
  • Webinars
• Good record keeping
• Updating clinical skills and information
• IT including computer assisted clinical programmes
• Basic research skills/Critical Appraisal
• Medical Education

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AND CERTIFIED REGISTERED ANAESTHETISTS

The policy is mandatory for all physician assistants and certified registered who are on the Provisional [per section 31(2)(a)] and Permanent Registers of Council.

GUIDELINES FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AND CERTIFIED REGISTERED ANAESTHETISTS.

• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists should accrue 10 credit points per annum from a minimum of 3 events.
• Newly registered physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists on the permanent register should obtain CPD credit points in ethics within the year of registration. Ethics recertification is required every three years for all Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists after permanent registration.
• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists cannot earn more than 5 credits in any set of activities in a day.
• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists should check with the Council’s website about the credit status of any CPD activity before attending that Credits are not given retrospectively for activities.
• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists moving out of the jurisdiction for a year or more MUST inform Council in writing.
• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists interns are exempted from undertaking CPD activities.

SANCTIONS

Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists unable to accrue the minimum number of credits without reasonable explanation will attract sanctions.

• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists presenting 7 – 9 credits will be required to make up the deficit in addition to the ensuing year’s requirement with a caution.
• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists presenting 4 – 6 credit points will be required to make up the deficit within six months of the ensuing year. Failure to do so will attract disciplinary proceedings.
• Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists presenting less than 3 credit points will attract immediate disciplinary proceedings.

PENALTY FOR EMPLOYERS

A person who employs or engages a non-registered practitioner commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than one thousand penalty units and not more than ten thousand penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not more than twenty years or to both; and in the case of continuing offence to a further fine of ten penalty units for each day during which the offence continues after written notice has been served on the offender personally by the Council. (Section 48 (c)(e) of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857).

PROVIDER

Definition

Any institution(s) or individual(s) who has the capacity to organise CPD programmes that meet criteria laid down by Council.  Such groups or individuals will require prior accreditation by Council, renewable annually.  The institution/individual must have a traceable location/venue. 

Rules for Providers

Credit points awarded by Council must be indicated on all notices for programmes.  Providers must:

• submit a report to Council within 4 weeks of completing the CPD activity,
• be aware that Council may send inspectors to the course or training events as observers. The inspectors are mandated to send an independent report to Council,
• NOT advertise programmes before accreditation is obtained,
• submit their applications 3 months before the proposed date of the event,
• give comprehensive information on what physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists can expect when they attend the CPDs, and
• give physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists verifiable documentary evidence of attendance stating the approved credit.

Providers who fail to comply with the rules will be sanctioned and may lose their provider status.

All CPDs done (walk-in or virtual) outside Ghana are classified as external CPDs.  Certificates from such CPDs may be submitted to Council together with relevant documentation for consideration and award of appropriate credit.

External CPD will not automatically earn same credit on the face value of the certificate.

CREDIT REQUIREMENT

Physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists should accrue 10 credit points per annum from a minimum of 3 events.

GUIDELINES FOR AWARD OF CREDITS

CPD                                                           Up to 3 credits/event

Law and Ethics                                                                

Management and Administration

Cost and Management Accounting                         

E-Learning

Good record keeping

Medical Education

Entrepreneurship

Updating clinical skills and information

IT including computer assisted clinical programs

CME

Multidisciplinary (one event covering up to                5 credits/event

at least 3 disciplines of medicine)          

Subject based events with hands on up to                5 credits/event

Subject based events (oral only)                      up to 3 credits/event

Online/distance learning courses                                 1 credit/event                

with certificates (Maximum of 4 credits/year)

Published research (peer reviewed) up to                  2 credits/paper

(Maximum of 4 credits per year)

Non peer reviewed papers***                                       1 credit/paper

(One credit per year)

Resource Person at accredited event                          1 credit/paper

(In addition to programme credit)

Clinical meetings (certified by HOD)                           1 credit/event

(Maximum of 4 Credits/year)

Professional Association/groupings/ up to                  3 credits/event

scientific meetings and conference