Chasing the CPD 2024 Deadline
Each year and by 31 December, registered pharmacists are required to record and submit at least six Continuing Professional Development entries.
Each year, by 31 December, registered pharmacists are required to record and submit at least six (6) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) entries. These CPD entries should reflect activities in which a pharmacist has acquired knowledge and/or skills, which activities may include seminars, training courses and/or journal articles read, amongst others.
Practising pharmacists are strongly advised to adhere to the submission deadline by submitting a minimum of six (6) CPD entries annually by 31 December each year. This requirement is in line with the Regulations relating to Continuing Professional Development.
CPD entries must be submitted online on the SAPC CPD system. Pharmacists are required to keep a separate electronic portfolio of the evidence concerning their submissions. Recording of CPD activities helps pharmacists reflect on their professional pharmacy practice, identify knowledge and/or skills gaps, fill in the gaps, and evaluate the impact of the acquired knowledge and/or skill on their professional pharmacy practice.
Pharmacists are encouraged to submit at least one (1) CPD entry every two (2) months to avoid rushed submissions towards the submission deadline. Although Council grants a CPD submission grace period after the end of the official submission deadline, pharmacists are encouraged to submit all required entries by 31 December each year.
Designation as Practising and Non-Practising
A pharmacist who is neither a Responsible Pharmacist nor a tutor, who fails to comply with CPD requirements by the end of the grace period, will be designated as non-practising. A non-practising pharmacist is forbidden from practising the prescribed scope of practice of a pharmacist, including but not limited to working in a clinical setting with patients, any management or administrative work, advisory and policy development roles, and any other roles that require registration as a pharmacist to function.
Referral for Disciplinary Action
A pharmacist who is a Responsible Pharmacist and/or tutor who fails to comply with CPD requirements by the end of the grace period will be referred to disciplinary Committees for disciplinary action to be instituted against them.
Compliance Requirements for Practising Pharmacists
For a pharmacist to be considered CPD compliant for the year, they must have submitted all the required six (6) CPD entries by the end of the CPD grace period. Upon submission of a specific CPD entry, ensure that the correct year is selected to align with the year of submission.
When submitting a complete CPD entry, pharmacists can either select “submit for compliance” or “submit for peer review”. The chosen peer reviewer will receive a notification to accept the responsibility of peer reviewing a complete and submitted CPD entry. The entry submitted for peer review is automatically submitted for compliance.
At the end of the CPD submission cycle, pharmacists who are compliant with the CPD requirements will remain designated as practising and will receive a CPD compliance certificate and a congratulatory letter.
When Is a CPD Entry Not Submitted?
A CPD entry that has not been completed and submitted will not count towards the CPD compliance of a pharmacist. The entry will reflect either “Pending” (not all steps of the CPD entry have been completed) or “Awaiting submission” (all steps have been completed, but the pharmacist did not click the submit tab under the evaluation step).
Archived CPD Entries
To allow for the current year’s CPD submissions, CPD entries for the previous year are archived. Archived CPD entries count towards the total number of CPD entries required to determine compliance with the previous year’s CPD requirements.
Online Application for Change of Designation
Pharmacists who have been involuntarily designated as non-practising for failing to comply with CPD requirements may complete an online application to change their designation status from non-practising to practising. The non-practising pharmacist will be required to submit the outstanding CPD entries prior to the finalisation of the change of designation application.
Non-Compliance of Tutors and Responsible Pharmacists
It is mandatory for pharmacists who are tutors and Responsible Pharmacists to always be designated as practising and compliant with the CPD requirements. Pharmacists who occupy these two (2) sub-roles and fail to comply will be referred to the Professional Conduct Department to institute disciplinary processes.
Resources for CPD Success
The Office of the Registrar has made a multiplicity of resources available for pharmacists to ensure success in their CPD submissions. Pharmacists are encouraged to access the CPD Guidance Document and the how-to articles and videos via the SAPC CPD Blog, as well as the official SAPC YouTube Channel, which has tutorials and recordings of previous CPD Masterclass sessions.
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