The General Optical Council’s (GOC) reflective exercise has been open since the start of the summer: have you completed yours yet?
As a reminder, by the end of the 2022-2024 CPD cycle, on 31 December 2024, all GOC registrants will need to have completed their minimum CPD requirement.
For dispensing opticians (DOs) this is:
• Thirty-six CPD points from each of the four core learning domains
• Eighteen of the minimum 36 points must be interactive points
• Cover a minimum of one point in each core learning domain
• Participate in one peer review
• Create a personal development plan (PDP) in your GOC MyCPD account
For contact lens opticians (CLOs) the above applies, however, 18 points and the peer review must be within the contact lens specialty domain.
All registrants will also need to have completed and uploaded a reflective exercise, which is based upon the content of their PDP. This will involve having a discussion with a peer1. Earlier this year, the GOC published its guidance on the reflective exercise that all its registrants must complete by 31 December 2024. Let’s recap some of the key points.
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 PDP, the learning process and its outcomes, and your future learning journey.
Who can be a peer?
• A peer can be:
• Another DO, CLO or optometrist
• Your employer
• Another UK registered healthcare professional such as an orthoptist, ophthalmologist, nurse, pharmacist, etc
When can I complete my reflection?
The window to submit your reflection opened on 1 July 2024 and must be completed by 31 December 2024.
How do I complete my reflection?
The discussion can be held at a time and place of your choosing, either face-to-face or virtually, then the details of this conversation need to be uploaded directly to the GOC MyCPD platform.
Your discussion should involve the following points:
• Your initial PDP for the current cycle
• Any updates you have made to your PDP
• How has the CPD you have completed influenced your practice? Are there any learning outcomes you did not manage to complete?
• Is there a reason why areas were missed, i.e. a job change may have changed your priorities?
• What plans do you have for your CPD learning in the forthcoming cycle?
The GOC has an online template2 which you can complete during your discussion and ABDO CPD has created a useful guide3 regarding the detail required in each section.
Please see the ABDO CPD News Page to find more guidance and 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 here to help. You can reach us at abdocpd@abdo.org.uk, telephone 01206 743155 or check out the CPD pages on the ABDO website.
CPD FAQs
Over the last few months, the ABDO CPD Department has received a variety of questions relating to the completion of the reflective statement. Let’s see what members have been asking:
Q. My husband is a DO and we run our own practice. Can we use each other as our peer as we work alongside one another?
A. Unfortunately not. The GOC guidance states that a relative cannot be considered a peer for the purpose of this reflective statement.
Q. As a director, I understand that I cannot count my staff as peers for the purposes of the reflective exercise, but could I conduct it with my locum optometrist instead?
A. A locum is not a direct employee. However, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that contractors are not deemed to be ‘employees’ under the IR35 tax rulings.
Q. If I qualified this year, how many points do I need?
A. Any registrant who joins part way through a cycle will have a reduced, pro-rata points requirement. The easiest way to find out is to log on to your MyCPD and it will tell you there. New registrants this year will only need to obtain CPD points. They are not required to complete the reflective exercise, a peer review or complete learning in all four learning domains.
Q. Do I need to attend an event to gain my peer review?
A. No, a peer review event can be delivered at an event or online by a CPD provider, or can be registrantled, e.g. organised within a practice.
References
1. GOC reflective exercise.
2. GOC reflective statement template.
3. ABDO Reflective Statement guidance.
This article first appeared in the October 2024 issue of Dispensing Optics.