CPD Information
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Program Overview
The ACAM CPD Program has five components: Mandatory Tier, Tier One, Two and Three and Special Recognition Activity Tier. The following is a breakdown of these sections, with some activity concepts.
Members and Fellows will need to achieve 150 hours per triennium made up of the following domains:
- 25% from Educational Activities
- 25% from Performance Review
- 25% from Outcome Measurement
- The remaining 25% of CPD activities can be from the above domains.
The college will retain the triennium structure of 150 hours over three years required to complete the ACAM CPD Program.
Members and Fellows should note that CPD activities are reported to the Medical Board Australia (MBA) as hours, and activities from each domain and tier group should be completed. In addition to Tier One, Two, and Three activities, there is a provision for Special Recognition Activity, that includes completion of the ACAM Fellowship Pathway or an externally recognised academic award from an accredited university or similar institution.
You may only use the activity once on your CPD dashboard for the year that it is completed (i.e., for example, you may claim attendance at a conference, but only once in a single Tier for the year that you attended; if you attend the following year, you may claim the next year in a single Tier for that subsequent year you attended).
The ACAM CPD dashboard is the responsibility of the member or the fellow to complete appropriately, as explained in this guide. Please be aware that ACAM representatives will be required to conduct random audits on the completion and appropriateness of activities per the Australian Medical Council (AMC) guidelines for CPD Homes.
Tier One, Two and Three Activities
Tiers One, Two and Three attract hours. The MBA guidelines state that 50 hours of CPD should be gathered each year, with a total of 150 hours over the triennium period [1,2]. Therefore, participants would need to complete five Tier One activities per triennium, a minimum of five Tier Two and unlimited Tier Three activities, and their ACAM mandatory nominated activities for their Certificate of Completion to be issued.
CPDs will not be considered complete if Mandatory Tier One and Two activities are not completed, regardless of how many Tiers, three activities are completed.
It is important to note that all activities can span several learning spheres [3]:
- Professional development.
- Communication skills.
- Medico-legal.
- Clinical skills.
- Clinical Audit and reflection activities; and
- Contribution to college (board observer role, assisting on committees, assisting with VIVA examinations, providing talks and presentations for college members, assisting with college-run courses).
[3] Points can be awarded a number of ways, per hour for example, per activity or on completion of larger projects. CME however will not be considered complete without Mandatory, Tier One and Two activities completed as prescribed.
Each member has a personalised dashboard which can be accessed via your membership portal. If you are having difficulties accessing the membership portal or loading to your dashboard, please contact secretary@acam.org.au. Your dashboard will be able to produce a visual record of your CPD and, on completion of all triennium activities, generate a Certificate of Completion for your records.
The ACAM CPD Dashboard is designed to be a self-reporting tool, and activities do not need to be formally accredited to claim CPD hours. You can attach your evidence of participation to the activity. There is a field for reflective notes, which can often be used as evidence for most activities. Your CPD Dashboard will update automatically, and you can check your progress. ACAM representatives will be required to audit a percentage of CPD portfolios each year and request your evidence if it is not loaded on your CPD Dashboard. It is recommended that you retain your CPD records for audit purposes and a period of seven years after the completion of an activity.
As the triennium progresses, you may find that your initial CPD plan does not quite suit your progress in specific areas; as such, it is recommended that you review your plan and ensure that you are adequately meeting your CPD needs, as they may change throughout the triennium.
The desired outcome of CPD is to ensure each practising medical practitioner is practising to their professional best. It is important to note that skill education alone is no longer the whole standard of required educational outcomes to ensure a well-rounded practitioner. Reflection enables professionals to develop a philosophy of continual improvement, maintaining their clinical, medical and management skills. Reflection allows self-evaluation of these skills so that the individual learns to recognise and improve on areas they may not be happy with.
Content of CPD Claimable Activities
The guide demonstrates the range and breadth of activities that can undertake and contribute to their CPD. The guide is incomplete and should be read in conjunction with the Tier Guide and ACAM’s CPD Handbook.
- Skills simulator/practical training
- Teaching in practice
- Education visit
- Co-ordinating and moderating clinical forum discussions
- Development of relevant educational programmes
- Distance education modules
- Scientific presentation
- Self-directed learning
- Supervision of doctors and nursing staff
- Teaching programmes: presenting/facilitating/instructing
- University courses
- Other Education activities
Educational activities
Performance Review
- Multi-Source Feedback
- Patient Feedback
- Observation of clinical practice (peer review)
- Case-based discussion (peer review)
- Case studies
- Publications
- Scientific presentations
- Clinical teaching visit/VIVA Examiner Role
- Formal workplace performance appraisal
- Assessment of skills/simulator / practical training
- Supervision of less experienced colleagues or members
- Teach programmes – presenting/facilitating/instructing
- Clinical attachment
- Best Practice reflective activity
- Medical record review (MRR)
- Other performance review activities
- Clinical audit
- Medical Records Review (MRR)
- Morbidity and Mortality Meeting
- Significant Event analysis
- Publications
- Practice analytics
- Maintain and reflect on procedural logbook
- Scientific or clinical presentation
- Patient feedback
- Observation of clinical practice (peer review)
- Case-Based Discussion (peer review)
- Case Studies
- Best Practice Reflective activity
- Peer observation of teaching audit
- Other Outcome measurement activity
- Professional standards
- Professional Development
- Communication Skills
- Medio-legal
- Clinical skills
- Clinical Audit and reflection activities
- Special Recognition Activities
- Academic award
- Certificate in Primary Care Dermatology RACGP
- Post Graduate Diploma of Practical Dermatology Cardiff University
- Certificate of Dermatology Dermcoll (Dermcoll.edu.au);
- Master of the Aesthetic Medicine Queen Mary University of London
Outcome Measurements
Leave of Absence / Exemption
The ACAM CPD Program members may apply to the ACAM Board for a full or partial exemption from CPD requirements.
Exemption requests are to be made in writing, with supporting evidence, to ACAM Office secretary@acam.org.au.
- Are working overseas and therefore exempt under the Medical Board of Australia regulations.
- On maternity leave (exemption will be offered for six months, extensions may be considered by application to the Board in exceptional circumstances);
- Or suffering severe ill health (a medical certificate will be required from your treating practitioner); and
- Are recognised specialists of an accredited college (except ACRRM and RACGP), whereby the bulk of the daily work can be considered aesthetic medicine. These individuals may furnish their respective college CPD to ACAM as the fulfilment of their CPD but still are required to complete the five mandatory CPD activities required of all members and fellows and part of ACAM maintenance of professional standards.
Your application for an exemption can be found when you login to your ACAM Member or CPD User dashboard.
Please contact the CPD team at secretary@acam.org.au for more information.
Fees
There will be no additional charge to the ACAM annual Membership and Fellowship fees for access to the CPD Dashboard, it is already included in the remittance fee.
- The current Membership fee is $660.00 AUD incl GST /annum with an initial joining fee of $200 incl GST.
- The Fellowship fee is $770 AUD incl GST /annum, after the completion of a fellowship education program or acceptance under the fellowship equivalence program.
- CPD Home user-only membership will be $550 AUD incl GST, with an initial joining fee of $200 incl GST.
- The Nursing Membership fee is $580 AUD incl GST/annum with an initial joining fee of $100 incl GST.
- Course Merchant Fees will be set each triennium and include course evaluation, CPD accreditation, and use of the Course Merchant Dashboard. The sliding scale of fees will allow several courses to be proposed under a set fee for the period of the triennium. The fee includes an evaluation of the educational content and appropriateness for members.
Planning and Reflection for assessing and recognising CPD activities
Members and users are directly responsible for determining and planning what educational, performance review and outcome measurement activities are relevant to their current scope of practice. ACAM has provided a wide range of options for members, fellows and users to peruse and recommends that members/users implement a personal development plan (PDP), review their plan and update their CPD Home dashboard regularly. Your CPD requirements should be based on your analysis of identified areas of education and training that reflect individual educational needs, practice requirements and patient safety objectives.
To help individuals define their CPD needs, this five-step guide is suggested:
Identify your current knowledge and skills level and the knowledge and skills you would like to gain or improve in the next triennium. Then, in your learning plan, ensure that your chosen CPD goals are distributed over the triennium and tailored to suit your work and life balance. Remember that 50 CPD points are required per year each year of the triennium ensure your selection of activities supports your current scope of practice.
ACAM has five mandatory activities for all members and fellows to complete before their Certificate of Completion can be generated. However, your choice of activities is the remainder of your individualised CPD plan. Planning your CPD ahead of time allows you to maximise conference and face-to-face activity attendance.
Members/users are also cautioned to look for cross-accreditation of activities as a mark of quality. For example, suppose a short course is accredited with ACAM, RACGP and ACRRM. In that case, the course is likely to be of a higher educational standard than a course that is not accredited or has attempted accreditation and failed. In addition, most accredited activities will be able to load your dashboard with the appropriate information for your CPD dashboard to be awarded your points; however, it is advised that you check your dashboard with the correct reporting information for your completed activities.
The PDP Activity Matrix is a guide to help you plan your nominated CPD activities. It is suggested that you gather your CPD requirements at a steady pace and load each activity as you receive your certificate so that your CPD is logged.
Each member/user has a personalised dashboard that you access via your membership/user portal. If you are having difficulties accessing the portal or loading to your dashboard, please contact secretary@acam.org.au. Your dashboard should be able to produce a visual record of your CPD and, on completion of all triennium activities, generate a Certificate of Completion for your records.
The ACAM CPD Home Dashboard is designed to be a self-reporting tool, and activities do not need to be formally accredited to claim CPD hours. You can attach your evidence of participation to the activity. There is a field for reflective notes, which can often be used as evidence for most activities. Your CPD Home dashboard will update automatically, and you can check your progress. ACAM representatives will be required to audit a percentage of CPD portfolios each year and request your evidence if it is not loaded on your CPD Home dashboard. It is recommended that you retain your CPD records for audit purposes and a period of seven years after the completion of an activity.
As the triennium progresses, you may find that your initial CPD plan does not quite suit your progress in specific areas; as such, it is recommended that you review your plan and ensure that you are adequately meeting your CPD needs, as they may change throughout the triennium.
The desired outcome of CPD is to ensure each practising medical practitioner is practising to their professional best. It is important to note that skill education alone is no longer the whole standard of required educational outcomes to ensure a well-rounded practitioner. Reflection enables professionals to develop a philosophy of continual improvement, maintaining their clinical, medical and management skills. Reflection allows self-evaluation of these skills so that the individual learns to recognise and improve on areas they may not be happy with.