As many of you will be aware, the Council is currently reviewing its recertification policy.
We want to ensure we have the best possible framework for ensuring ongoing practitioner competence and fitness to practise.
We are still in the initial stages of the review. At this point our focus has been on reviewing literature to inform our understanding and thinking about the future direction of the recertification framework.
The recertification framework comprises some key components everyone should be familiar with, including:
application process for annual practising certificates
compliance with Council practice standards
competence and fitness to practise
continuing professional development (CPD)
While our review has focused on these components, other topics and areas of interests have also been explored, including ways to measure the ongoing competence of practitioners; how to identify risk factors that may prevent practitioners from being recertified; and ways to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of CPD activities for practitioners.
The most relevant literature focuses on oral health professionals in New Zealand and overseas.
However, the largest pool of research relates to medical professionals (i.e. doctors). To ensure our thinking reflects and is guided by the available literature we have included the larger pool of research relating to health practitioners in our review.
We are particularly interested in the experiences of other regulatory authorities (both in New Zealand and overseas) who have or are considering the best way forward for recertification of their own health practitioners.
If you would like to learn more we have included a small selection of the research we have been reviewing - this selection has a particular focus on CPD.
In terms of the review process, we will be seeking practitioner input once we have a clearer idea of what a future framework may look like. We will provide an update on the review process in the December newsletter.
