The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners

Continuing medical education and professional development is a part of every doctor’s life. The dramatic increase in the volume of new and changing information makes it a challenge for you to keep your medical knowledge up to date.

To practise medicine in New Zealand you must be registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) and hold a current Practising Certificate issued under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a requirement of the MCNZ before issuing your Practising Certificate. The CPD must include continuing medical education, clinical audit and peer review and be aimed at ensuring you are competent to practice medicine.

The MCNZ stipulates that your CPD should cover the domains of practice:

• medical care
• communication
• collaboration
• management
• scholarship 
• professionalism

These are reflected in the six domains of the RNZCGP curriculum:

• communications
• clinical expertise
• professionalism
• scholarship
• context of general practice
• management

Upcoming CME events and conferences endorsed by the RNZCGP

The curriculum guides the CPD of vocationally registered general practitioners to ensure their skills, knowledge and attitudes continue to reflect contemporary practice. CPD activities should enhance your knowledge, skills, attitudes and judgement to improve the health care you provide to your patients.

The Division of Rural Hospital Medicine has it's own curriculum with five domains closely aligned to the RNZCGP curriculum.

The College promotes a learning strategy that involves:

• identification of actual learning needs
• learning needs being addressed in the most time and cost effective manner
• the knowledge obtained being based on the best available evidence, and
• new knowledge being applied to produce improvement in the clinical setting

The MCNZ audits 10% of its practitioner base each year. If you participate in one of the College programmes, the MCNZ asks the College to provide the necessary evidence of your participation in CPD activities, rather than asking you as an individual.

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