The quick answer
CPD means Continuing Professional Development. It is the learning you undertake to keep your knowledge and skills up to date across your full scope of work. For appraisal, it is not enough simply to have learned something: you need to make that learning visible in your portfolio.
As a practical target, aim for about 50 hours (or points) each appraisal year. One hour of educational activity generally equates to one point. The GMC does not itself require 50 credits: this familiar benchmark comes from Royal College CPD arrangements, including the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians.
My advice is to aim for three things: enough CPD, a good variety of learning, and clear relevance to your actual work.
Why CPD matters
This is usually the largest part of an appraisal portfolio. It should give your appraiser confidence that you are learning continuously rather than relying only on what you learned in training. Good CPD also gives you a reason to reflect on difficult cases, update your practice and spot gaps in your knowledge.
The greatest problem I see is not always that doctors have done too little learning. More often, they have done plenty and simply have not documented it. This is especially common in IMGs preparing for postgraduate examinations, doctors on clinical attachments and locums who do not have a ready-made hospital teaching programme.
What does the guidance actually require?
The GMC expects doctors to keep their professional knowledge and skills up to date, undertake CPD relevant to the whole scope of practice, and reflect on the effect of learning. It does not set a fixed number of CPD hours or credits.
Royal College schemes often use an annual benchmark of 50 credits, and physician CPD guidance describes external, internal and personal learning. For day-to-day appraisal preparation, 50 hours is therefore a useful practical target, but it is not a numerical GMC pass/fail rule.
What counts as CPD? Much more than online courses
Think broadly. If an activity helped you maintain or improve your professional knowledge or skills, and you can explain and evidence the learning, it may be relevant CPD. The examples below are intentionally wide-ranging.
Internal or workplace-based CPD
Mandatory training
Resuscitation, safeguarding, IPC, IG, equality, moving and handling
- Possible evidence
- Completion certificates / ESR record
Local induction
Prescribing systems, escalation, referral pathways, local policies
- Possible evidence
- Induction record and learning note
Departmental teaching
Grand rounds, journal clubs, specialty teaching
- Possible evidence
- Teaching timetable, attendance and reflection
Meetings with learning
Radiology, pathology, M&M, case conferences, MDTs
- Possible evidence
- Dated record and anonymised learning points
Learning from cases
Unusual presentations, drug interactions, guideline review after a patient
- Possible evidence
- Anonymised case log and reading / reflection
Supervision and colleagues
Senior advice, supervised clinics, workplace feedback
- Possible evidence
- Supervisor comments or reflective note
Workplace assessments
Mini-CEX, DOPS, case-based discussions
- Possible evidence
- Completed assessments
Clinical skills and simulation
Procedures, resuscitation scenarios, emergency training
- Possible evidence
- Competency / procedure logs or certificates
Clinical attachment
Ward-round learning, teaching, NHS pathways, MDT experience
- Possible evidence
- Learning diary or case-based reflection
Teaching and presentations
Preparing teaching, case talks, journal clubs
- Possible evidence
- Slides and preparation / reflection
Guidelines, leadership
Local antimicrobial guidance, governance, service development
- Possible evidence
- Learning note, project records, reflection
Mandatory training is commonly recorded as a single block of up to 10 CPD points in local appraisal practice, although credit rules vary by scheme. Completing more than ten hours of mandatory training does not necessarily mean you can claim every hour under that particular local convention.
External and self-directed CPD
Courses and conferences
Royal College events, specialty study days, skills courses
- Possible evidence
- Certificate, event programme, reflection
Live or recorded webinars
BMJ, college and specialty education
- Possible evidence
- Attendance email, session title / screenshot
Online learning
e-LfH, BMJ Learning, professional modules
- Possible evidence
- Module completion / screenshot
Reading and updates
NICE guidance, journals, BNF / MHRA updates
- Possible evidence
- Article / guideline and dated learning log
Podcasts and videos
Medical education podcasts, recorded lectures
- Possible evidence
- Title, date and key learning
Exam preparation
MRCP, MRCGP, PLAB, specialty exam, question banks
- Possible evidence
- Revision log, activity screenshots, progress record
Qualifications
PGCert, diploma, MSc modules
- Possible evidence
- Transcript, coursework and learning record
Independent case study
Reading prompted by a clinical case
- Possible evidence
- Anonymised reflection plus source reviewed
New role preparation
UK clinical practice, private practice, aesthetics, medico-legal, teaching
- Possible evidence
- Reading / course log tied to new role
Research and academia
Research methods, statistics, GCP, academic work
- Possible evidence
- Certificates, posters, documentation
A particularly overlooked example: exam preparation
It is common for a doctor to arrive with fewer than 50 recorded points despite spending considerable time preparing for a postgraduate examination. Preparation can represent substantial learning. Rather than treating the total revision time automatically as CPD, record the subjects studied, dates, estimated educational hours, revision logs or question-bank evidence, and what the study has changed or reinforced.
The same is true of a postgraduate qualification: a certificate alone may show completion, but the strongest entry explains which modules you studied, what you learned and how it is relevant to your current or planned scope of work.
Learning opportunity versus actual learning: put things in the right place
This distinction makes a big difference. Attending an activity does not always show what you learned from it. You also should not count the same activity several times just because it could reasonably sit in different parts of the appraisal.
| If you did this… | Record it mainly here… | What could count as CPD? |
|---|---|---|
| Completed a clinical attachment | Scope of work | Dated case log, teaching attended, reflective cases, workplace-based assessments |
| Completed an audit | Quality improvement | Distinct learning arising from evidence review, if recorded without double-counting |
| Had a significant event / complaint | Significant events or complaints section | Separate learning reflection about clinical or professional development |
| Delivered teaching | Teaching / CPD as appropriate | Preparation, evidence review, feedback and your own learning |
For example, uploading a certificate that says you attended a two-week observership into CPD is of limited value. The observership itself belongs in your scope of work. A spreadsheet of anonymised cases you observed, with a column on what you learned, can be useful CPD. So can a teaching log or a completed case-based discussion.
What counts as evidence?
You do not need an official certificate stating “one CPD point” for every piece of learning. Supporting evidence might be a certificate, attendance record, screenshot, teaching presentation, question-bank activity report, case log, workplace assessment, guideline link or a clear dated written entry. For independent learning, a reasonable estimate of hours is acceptable if it is credible and transparent.
Keep patient information anonymised. A self-declared entry that simply states “five hours of cardiology” without dates, topics or learning is weaker than one explaining which guidance was reviewed, why and what you took from it.
How to record CPD properly
Most appraisal platforms ask for the activity type, title, date, number of hours/points, description, learning or outcome, and any attachments. You do not need to write an essay for every activity, but an appraiser should quickly be able to understand why each entry belongs there.
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Activity | Review of updated anticoagulation guidance |
| Date | 16 September 2026 |
| Time | 2 hours |
| Evidence | Link to guideline; dated reading notes |
| Learning | Reviewed dose adjustments and bleeding-risk assessment for frail older adults |
| Reflection | I will more explicitly check renal function and interacting medications when reviewing anticoagulation |
For mandatory training, it may be sufficient to group certificates into one clearly titled entry with a completion period, total credit claimed under your scheme and copies of the completion records. This usually needs less reflection than an activity that changed clinical decision-making.
How to reflect on CPD
Keep it simple:
- (1) What did I learn?
- (2) Why is it relevant to my work?
- (3) Did it change or reinforce my practice?
- (4) What should I do next?
A couple of specific sentences can be much better than a generic paragraph.
What good looks like: an appraiser’s perspective
I generally want to see around 50 points, with a range of methods and clear relevance across the doctor’s scope of work. CPD totals below 50, at 50 or above 50 may be separately recorded in appraisal reporting. A shortfall is therefore likely to be mentioned even if the learning is thoughtful and clinically relevant.
| Portfolio | Likely appraisal discussion |
|---|---|
| 35 hours, highly relevant with strong reflections | Good quality, but the shortfall from the usual 50-point benchmark is likely to be recorded |
| 50 hours, nearly all last-minute online modules | Meets the numeric benchmark, but could benefit from variety and ongoing learning |
| 70 hours, largely unrelated to work | Strong volume, but relevance across scope of work needs improvement |
| Around 50 hours, varied, evidenced, relevant | A credible and balanced portfolio with fewer obvious concerns |
These observations are not automatic grounds for refusing an appraisal. Your report should reflect the quality, relevance and limitations of the evidence. At revalidation, responsible officers may approach the level of scrutiny of reports and supporting evidence differently.
Common mistakes worth avoiding
- Collecting certificates but giving no account of what was learned.
- Forgetting exam revision, teaching preparation, postgraduate study or learning during attachments.
- Using the observership attendance certificate as CPD rather than documenting learning from it.
- Recording very low hours because you did not count credible self-directed learning.
- Completing dozens of similar online modules immediately before appraisal with little variety.
- Including learning that is not clearly relevant to your role or future development.
- Counting an activity multiple times in different sections without distinguishing separate learning.
- Recording vague, unverified hours without dates, topics or supporting detail.
The key myth: “CPD is just about getting 50 points”
MythFifty is a useful benchmark, not the GMC’s definition of success. The real objective is a credible account of development during the appraisal year: sufficient learning, relevance to what you do, varied opportunities where possible, and reflection on what was learned or reinforced.
A practical checklist before submitting
- Have I recorded about 50 hours where appropriate to my CPD scheme?
- Does my CPD cover my full scope of work?
- Have I included workplace, external and self-directed learning?
- Have I captured exam study, qualifications and attachment learning?
- Can my appraiser understand each entry and its estimated hours?
- Have I included appropriate evidence without identifiable patient details?
- Are reflections short, specific and honest?
- Have I avoided duplication with scope of work, QI and incident sections?