1. What is CPD?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the learning you do after qualification to keep your knowledge and skills up to date. In the UK, all doctors with a licence to practise must show evidence of CPD as part of GMC revalidation. For IMGs, a strong CPD record also helps at interviews, appraisals, and when applying for specialist registration.
2. How many CPD credits do you need?
Most UK doctors are expected to complete around 50 CPD credits a year, with roughly half being "external" (conferences, courses, e-learning) and half "internal" (local teaching, audit, reflection). One CPD credit usually equals one hour of learning. Your responsible officer or appraiser may agree a different target depending on your circumstances.
3. What counts as CPD?
- Online courses and e-learning modules.
- Webinars, conferences, and journal clubs.
- Peer review, teaching, and presenting at meetings.
- Clinical audit, quality-improvement projects, and reflective practice.
- Reading and summarising journal articles or guidelines.
- IMG-specific preparation: PLAB courses, GMC guidance study, visa-rule updates.
4. Free and NHS-recognised CPD sources
- e-LfH (e-Learning for Healthcare) — free with NHS email; covers hundreds of clinical and non-clinical topics.
- Royal College websites — many colleges offer free webinars, journal clubs, and CPD-accredited resources.
- Open access medical journals — BMJ, Lancet, and specialty journals often have free CPD quizzes.
- NHS England and GMC guidance — reading and reflecting on Good Medical Practice and revalidation guidance counts as CPD.
- IMG2NHS CPD Hub directory — curated free and verified courses inside the membership.
5. How to log CPD properly
- Record the date, title, provider, category, and number of hours.
- Write a short reflection: what you learned and how it will change your practice.
- Keep certificates and screenshots as evidence.
- Update your log regularly rather than trying to reconstruct it before appraisal.
6. CPD for PLAB and GMC preparation
Preparation for UK registration can itself be valid CPD if it is structured and reflective. Time spent on PLAB courses, English-test preparation, GMC guidance, and portfolio building can all be logged, provided you record a genuine learning outcome.
7. Inside the IMG2NHS CPD Hub
Members get:
- A rolling 12-month CPD credit tracker.
- A curated directory of free and verified providers.
- Certificate storage with signed, expiring URLs.
- A PDF appraisal pack export.