MOPS … CPD … CME
Posted on Friday 16th July 2010
Not just random letters but rather a set of abbreviations that all mean effectively the same thing. And worth asking anyone engaged in a professional arena whether they participate too.
They, respectively, stand for Maintenance of Professional Standards, Continuing Professional Development and Continuing Medical Education. The upshot being that it is not enough for someone to complete their training and then stagnate for the following 30 or more years of their working life. In any rapidly evolving field, new innovations and discoveries become mainstream. Only by remaining constantly up-to-date can we all deliver an optimal level of care.
To this end all colleges and registration boards insist that, not only do we undertake ongoing education, but also demonstrate evidence to that effect. What qualifies as MOPS, CPD or CME is rather vague and it is possible to score points just by reading journals and professional websites. Attendance at courses and conferences is the easiest method, hence why I recently went up to the Gold Coast to learn how to do basic echocardiography.
Another important aspect is Clinical Governance aka Quality Improvement aka Quality Assurance. All buzzwords for ensuring that standards are either met or surpassed. We are also required to show involvement in some audit process to beneficial effect.
All of this may sound like more nuisance than boon, and to some degree that is the case. But, the underlying aim is to ensure that we are not allowed to just coast through the remainder of our careers. Having recently finished my training and now at the beginning of the comfort zone, I am cognisant of the risk of not getting involved sooner rather than later. Especially given the carrot and stick approach taken by our supervisors … emphasis on the stick.
