NEW EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, NEW TOOLS

By The College
Contact the author by e-mail at christopher.johnstone@ntlworld.com

"Progress is impossible if you do things the way you've always done them"
Wayne Dyer

Revalidation Toolkit There has been so much to think about in terms of the complexities of the new contract that the fact that it signals the imminent demise of PGEA has gone largely unnoticed. And yet for many GPs Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is synonymous with PGEA. This will no longer be the case as of April 2004. For CPD the New Contract has brought about significant progress!

In recent years there has been a move toward encouraging "Personal Development Plans (PDP)". Some GPs have created their own plans and have received PGEA points along the way. For these doctors the experience has been rewarding, educationally effective and intellectually satisfying. Starting this year all GPs will be asked to create, develop and work towards their own plans and by next year it should become the norm. The Appraisal process will support GPs to do this however not everyone will be receiving appraisal within the next few months. Those who are waiting for formal Appraisal might like to get started on their own.

And yet where is there any free time for all of this? The immediate imperative facing most GPs and practices is to become "New Contract" compliant. However the experience of preparing for the contract makes excellent material for a PDP. With a few simple steps in the process and a little extra time discussing the lessons learned and then recording them in the format required the work done can simply be slotted into a PDP. The Revalidation Toolkit contains a section on Maintaining Good Practice - Personal Development Plan which explains how to do this clearly and provides good practical examples.

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely"
Rodin

As soon as you receive your Revalidation Toolkit, take some time look at it while working towards the New Contract and use your experience wisely.

hoolet is the magazine of RCGP Scotland. It is supported intellectually, financially and emotionally by RCGP Scotland.

This issue maintained by Robert Hallam.