The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) will be holding two online workshops to give an overview of the College’s 1CPD platform and how to use it most effectively to plan, record and reflect on ongoing professional learning and development.

The 1CPD platform was launched by the RCVS at the beginning of 2020 with the aim of providing a simple and easy-to-use ‘one stop shop’ for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to use to plan, record and reflect on their continuing professional development (CPD).

Although the majority of UK veterinary professionals are now using the platform, there are a number who have not yet signed up and so the RCVS has organised two separate workshops, taking place on Wednesday 9 December 2020, to help those who are not yet familiar with the platform, or have some limited experience of it but would like some additional guidance.

The first interactive workshop takes place at midday and is for those members of the profession who haven’t yet used the platform. This session will give an overview of how 1CPD works and its advantages in terms of planning, recording and reflecting on CPD, with the facility to ask questions about the platform throughout the workshop. No prior knowledge is assumed, and complete beginners are especially welcome.

The second interactive workshop takes place at 7pm and is for those who have some experience of using 1CPD but may have further questions, for example, about how to use some of its features such as the planning module and how to best make use of the reflective notes and comments feature. Both of the workshops will last for approximately an hour each.

Susan Paterson, Chair of the RCVS Education Committee, said: “We’ve seen fantastic take up of the 1CPD platform in less than a year – with around 65% of UK-practising veterinary surgeons and an amazing 80% of veterinary nurses using it to plan, record and reflect on their professional development. The feedback that we receive has been overwhelmingly positive, with the even the more technically-challenged amongst us finding 1CPD intuitive.

“Although the numbers are very encouraging, there is a cohort of people who have not yet actively engaged with the platform and maybe are unsure about using it or are put off by the thought of having to learn how to use a brand new online system. The aim of these workshops is to guide and reassure those who are hesitant that the 1CPD system is very simple and easy-to-use with lots of useful features. In the long run, it will save you a lot of time and effort when it comes to recording your CPD because it’s there on your phone or tablet, ready to update as-and-when you need to.

“As we approach the end of 2020, many vets and VNs will be starting to think about their CPD for next year. Now is the perfect time to get up to speed with 1CPD to help support the process.”

Richard Burley, Chief Technology Officer for the RCVS, added: “We are very glad that the 1CPD platform developed by our team here has been so well received. We are continuing to improve and update the platform based on user feedback to improve its design and usability and would welcome any further constructive comments that members of the professions have about it. We do hope you those who are both unfamiliar with the system, and those who have used it but need further advice, can join us for these sessions to find out both how to use 1CPD and how to get the best out of it.”

Those who wish to sign up to one of the workshops can do so here: www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/events/1cpd-online-workshop.

For those who aren’t able to make it on the day, recorded versions of all of the workshops will be made available to watch again after the event.

To download 1CPD as an app for use on iOS (Apple) or Android devices, or to access the web version, please visit: www.rcvs.org.uk/1CPD