Continuing Professional Development In Nursing Essay

This statement will define the concept continuing professional development, outline the requirements determined by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia, and explain how a portfolio is used to demonstrate participation in professional development. The world is ever-changing, health care professionals have a responsibility to provide patients with safe, quality care to ensure greater health outcomes. To deliver this, professionals must continue learning and develop new skills, knowledge and continuously demonstrate the ability to meet the competency standard for practice. Standards, attitudes, and values within the health system are changed and adapted to meet the needs of patients. It is an individual’s responsibility to partake in activities that not only broaden their skills, knowledge, and expertise
Continuing professional practice relies on the individual being able to recognize current competencies, determine their desired level of competency, identify the learning needs, plan, participate and reflect on the activity. The type of activity will consider many variables, such as; location of the practice, the type of patients, the identified goals of the midwife, the autonomy in which the midwife practices and the resources that the individual has available. There are many types of professional development that can be accessed dependent upon the variables, such as; seminars, conferences, workshops, mandatory workplace training, self-directed learning and accredited T.A.F.E courses. For each hour of professional development undertaken it will count as an hour towards the registration requirements. All professional development must be documented and kept for a minimum of five years. The documentation should include; a learning plan, participation in the activity, outcome achieved, evidence and an