CPD

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Dispensing opticians and optometrists are required to complete the General Optical Council statutory CPD scheme to maintain registration. The scheme runs as a three year cycle and the current three year cycle ends on the 31st December 2024. All dispensing opticians and optometrists are required to gain a minimum of thirty six CPD points by the 31st December 2024 including a minimum of eighteen interactive CPD points and a peer review. For dispensing opticians on the contact lens specialty register this must include a minimum of 18 points within the contact lens specialty domain and a contact lens peer review.

We encourage all ABDO members to regularly take part in CPD to ensure you are up to date in the broad scope of practice of your professional role. We recommend all members to regularly review your CPD cycle progress on the MyGOC site and to review and update your Professional Development Plan as required.

ABDO is committed to provide sufficient CPD to attain at least your minimum CPD requirement over the CPD cycle, with a full range of learning domains for ABDO members.

ABDO provides a range of interactive and non-interactive CPD including:

Online

  • Online Peer Review  – We provide three new dispensing peer reviews and three new contact lens practitioner peer reviews each year which are repeated regularly over a three month period.  Successful completion offers 3 interactive CPD points. Visit the Events page to book on to a session.
  • Online Journal Club – We run an online journal club regularly discussing three new papers across the year. These sessions are designed to help ABDO members develop skills to critically appraise academic research and consider how research may influence and develop clinical practice. 3 interactive CPD points are available per session.
  • Safeguarding – We provide a child safeguarding course and adult safeguarding course both of which have been designed for specifically for dispensing opticians. For further information please visit the safeguarding page.
  • Dispensing Optics CPD articles – We provide ten CPD distance learning articles per year. Once logged into your membership portal on the ABDO website, use the link on the dashboard for CPD Online.
  • Recorded lectures – These are available in the CPD online section of the membership portal. Successful completion of the MCQs will enable 1 non-interactive CPD point.
  • Webinars – We provide a range of webinars across the year. 1 interactive CPD point is available.
  • Standards of Practice Modules – A range of e-learning modules covering all of the GOC CPD learning domains are available from your CPD Dashboard in the CPD online section of the membership profile. Successful completion offers 0.5 – 1 non-interactive CPD point module dependant.

Physical Attendance CPD

  • Physical attendance CPD is available across the year via our Regional Events and Masterclasses.

If you have any concerns about anything CPD or are trying to re-register to the GOC please feel free to call the CPD Team on 01206 734155 or email abdocpd@abdo.org.uk

CPD Certificates can be found in your membership area – download instructions here.

Your CPD Team from left to right Cheryl Hill, CPD Learning Manager, Alex Webster, Head of CPD and Sue Bennett, CPD Operations Manager