What counts as Structured CPD?

Different professional bodies will have different requirements but fundamentally, it’s agreed that there are two types: structured and unstructured.  The combination of these two types is intended to get you to your learning and development goals in the most effective way possible.

Structured learning is any formal activity that is designed to achieve a specific learning outcome and could include studying for an exam, going to a seminar, a conference or a workshop, training courses or relevant e-learning.  It is critical that you reflect on the learning after the event and note whether you have partially or completely achieved the outcome you set. Reflection can take the form of a test or exam (so the exam study is the CPD and the exam itself is the reflection which measures what you have learned) or in the case of a formal learning event such as a conference it could simply be your own report of what you think you have achieved towards the outcomes you have set.

Here are some examples of Structured CPD: