Have you completed your CPD reflection?

The General Optical Council (GOC) reflective exercise is now open for all registrants to complete before 31 December 2024 to finalise the current cycle.

In May 2024, the GOC published its guidance on the reflective exercise that all registrants must complete by the end of the year. Here we look at some key points of this guidance.

What is the GOC reflective exercise?

The reflective exercise is the culmination of the CPD you have carried out over the three-year cycle and allows time for you to reflect on and discuss your personal development plan (PDP), the learning process and its outcomes. It allows you to gain insights into your clinical practice and find areas where improvements can be made to patient care, or the way you work. The reflections you have created over the cycle will be useful within this process to remind you of the learning you have undertaken, and how that learning has impacted on your practice. It will also allow you to plan for the next cycle.

Who can be a peer?

• Another dispensing optician (DO), CLO or optometrist
• Your employer
• Another UK registered healthcare professional such as an orthoptist, ophthalmologist, nurse, pharmacist, etc

It is possible for a person to act as a peer for more than one registrant, however, they must be completed as separate meetings as they must be held one-to-one. Group sessions are not permitted. Relatives, friends or an employee would not be considered a peer by the GOC for the purposes of the reflective exercise.

When can I complete my reflection?

The window to submit your reflection opened on 1 July 2024 and must be completed by the end of 31 December 2024. Registrants have been recommended to consider having all, or almost all, of the minimum CPD requirements completed by July 2024 to allow sufficient preparation for the reflective exercise. This then allows time to prepare and undertake the reflective learning exercise and complete any further required or planned CPD before the deadline of the 31 December 2024, when all CPD evidence must have been uploaded to the GOC website.

How do I complete my reflection?

Once you have decided who your peer will be and arranged a suitable time and place have your PDP, have your CPD reflections and the reflective statement to hand to support your discussion. The reflective exercise can take place between you and your chosen peer face-to-face but you are also able to conduct the discussion online using a video conferencing platform.

Your discussion should involve the following points:
• Your initial PDP for the current cycle
• Any changes you have made to your PDP
• How the CPD you have completed has changed your practice
• Any areas of CPD which you did not manage to complete
• Any reasons why areas were missed, i.e. a job change may have changed your priorities
• Plans you have for your CPD learning in the forthcoming cycle

The GOC has an online template, which you can complete during your discussion. Please note that this is a template only and the details must be completed on the online form on the GOC MyCPD platform to be accepted.

Access the GOC reflective exercise.

Access the GOC reflective statement template.

Tools and drop-ins

The ABDO CPD Department has created a useful guide regarding the detail required in each section, which can be found on the CPD News Page alongside details of the next CPD drop-in session, where members can ask questions directly to the ABDO CPD team.

Don’t forget: the ABDO CPD team is always happy to answer queries. Email abdocpd@abdo.org.uk – telephone 01206 734155 – or visit the ABDO CPD pages.