VetSkill SQPs – Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
It is vital that, as an SQP, you keep up-to-date with all legal and professional changes, and maintain your knowledge and understanding of both your role and the medicines that you are prescribing and/or supplying.
Annual CPD requirements
CPD is a mandatory, yet simple, process for all VetSkill SQPs. CPD requirements are set out in hours; this aligns with many other professional registers. The amount of CPD you will be required to undertake depends on your SQP category and the date on which you qualified.
A CPD period is defined as a three year period, starting on the 1 January of the year after SQP status is achieved and ends on 31 December three years later. As a VetSkill SQP, the minimum amount of CPD you are required to undertake is:
| SQP Type | VPS Medicines | No. of hrs from CPD Activities | No. of hrs from Personal study | Total CPD hours per year | Total CPD over 3 yrs |
| C-SQP | VPS Companion animals only | 5 | 0 | 5 | 15 |
| J- SQP | VPS Equines only | 5 | 0 | 5 | 15 |
| L-SQP | VPS Farm animals only | 5 | 0 | 5 | 15 |
| A-SQP | VPS Avian only | 5 | 0 | 5 | 15 |
| E-SQP | VPS Companion & Equine only | 5 | 5 | 10 | 30 |
| K-SQP | VPS Companion & Farm Only | 5 | 5 | 10 | 30 |
| CA-SQP | VPS Companion & Avian only | 5 | 5 | 10 | 30 |
| G-SQP | VPS Equine & Farm only | 5 | 5 | 10 | 30 |
| JA-SQP | VPS Equine & Avian only | 5 | 5 | 10 | 30 |
| AL-SQP | VPS Avian & Farm only | 5 | 5 | 10 | 30 |
| R- SQP | VPS Companion, Equine & Farm | 10 | 5 | 15 | 45 |
| EA-SQP | VPS Companion, Equine & Avian | 10 | 5 | 15 | 45 |
| CAL-SQP | VPS Companion, Avian & Farm | 10 | 5 | 15 | 45 |
| S-SQP | VPS Avian, Equine & Farm | 10 | 5 | 15 | 45 |
| XA-SQP | VPS Companion, Equine, Avian & Farm | 10 | 5 | 15 | 45 |
Addition of new categories to existing SQP classifications
If you decide to add additional categories to your current SQP category, you will need to complete the CPD requirements for the new combined category.
Permissible CPD activities
All CPD activities undertaken and claimed against your SQP role must be relevant to your SQP classification. When claiming CPD hours from attending a seminar, webinar, training event or conference, you must only claim the time that is relevant to your SQP role and not the hours attended covering non-relevant material.
Listed below are examples of CPD activities that can be claimed, and how this can be evidenced. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.
| Activity Type | Evidence required |
|---|---|
| External attended training sessions | Attendance certificates with agenda |
| Conferences | Attendance certificates with agenda |
| Seminars | Attendance certificates with agenda |
| Webinars (with Q&A answer sheets) | Q&A paperwork and answer sheets |
| Practical training events | Attendance certificates with agenda |
| In house training/Mentoring | Employer training course attendance certificate |
| Mentoring/Job shadowing | Manager/employer report |
| Online/Distance learning | Online attendance certificates with agenda |
Example of private/self-study activities can be found below. Where self-study is permitted, no more than five hours can be claimed per year.
| Activity Type | Evidence required |
|---|---|
| Online/ Distance learning | Online attendance certificates with agenda |
| Research | Copies of research/ programmes |
| Reading | Title of article and publication |
Claiming and recording CPD
Each SQP will be given access to their online CPD record where they can view their categories CPD requirements and upload CPD evidence.
Any CPD you claim must be relevant to the year that you are claiming, all CPD must be dated when it was undertaken and evidenced.
CPD is expected to be undertaken on a continuous basis. Where this is not possible, for example due to an SQP taking time off for maternity/paternity leave or for a period of long term illness, the CPD requirement may be suspended during this period with VetSkill’s approval.
Where an SQP falls just short of the CPD required for one year, as long as they have still achieved the total number of hours required in the three year CPD period this is acceptable, provided the SQP has completed a minimum of two hours of CPD in each year. Where an SQP falls short of the required number of CPD hours for the three year CPD period, they will need to complete and pass VetSkill’s SQP re-accreditation exam. There is a fee payable for the exam, and the SQP must meet the cost.