CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)
I. Importance of Lifelong Learning for Professionals
Lifelong learning and continued education are essential element of practice and
service for those of us who work in an area that impacts the public’s health and well-
being.
Medical professionals are expected to maintain their knowledge on the most recent
advances in laboratory testing and continuing professional development (CPD)
programs can address this expectation. In developing countries, accessing CPD
programs is a major challenge for laboratory personnel, partly due to their limited
availability and sometimes financial resources.
It is for this reason that continuing medical education (CME) is required as part of the
recertification process for healthcare providers.
Lifelong learning contributes to the fund of knowledge that is required to earn an
advanced degree but most importantly, lifelong learning is a mindset that commits
the learner to strategies that add new and emerging information, knowledge and
technologies to the provider’s “toolbox.”
It goes beyond lecture-style instruction to include conferences, seminars and skills
workshops, online study, shadowing and mentoring, and active learning projects that
encourage self-assessment and/or performance improvement.
a. Advantages of pursuing Lifelong learning process
o Make us better providers because continued learning expands knowledge,
capabilities and commitment.
o Benefit us professionally by exposing us to new concepts and research-driven
strategies, which can be reassuring to patients, and
o Improve the quality of our professional and personal lives by expanding our
professional network and resources.
II. Continuing Professional Development and Its Legal Basis
Republic Act No. 10912 - An Act Mandating and Strengthening the Continuing
Professional Development Program for All Regulated Professions, Creating
Continuing Professional Development Council, and Appropriating Funds
Therefor, and for Other Related Purposes
This Act is also known as the “Continuing Professional Development
Act of 2016”.
This is the law that formally requires all professionals performing
regulated professions under the PRC to mandatorily comply with the
CPD for the renewal of Professional Identification Card (PIC). This is
also the law that creates the CPD Council.
R.A. No. 10912 lapsed into law on July 21, 2016 and took effect on
August 16, 2016 following its publication. It was however formally
implemented by the PRC on March 15, 2017.
“It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote and upgrade the
practice of professions in the country. Towards this end, the State shall
institute measures that will continuously improve the competence of the
professionals in accordance with international standards of practice,
thereby, ensuring their contribution in uplifting the general welfare,
economic growth and development of the nation.”
III. THE CPD PROCESS
The commission stated in Resolution No. 2016-990 series of 2016 that professionals
have to comply with specific number of CPD units every three (3) years to continue
with license renewal. As quoted from the latest announcement from PRC.
A. How can professionals earn CPD Units?
Registered or Licensed Professionals can acquire CPD units through Professional Track,
Academic Track, Self-Directed Training and other activities recommended by the CPD Council.
The term CPD refers to the inculcation of advanced knowledge, skills and
ethical values in a post-licensure specialization or in an inter- or
multidisciplinary field of study, for assimilation into professional practice, self-
directed research and or lifelong learning.
1. The nature of CPD is “MANDATORY” for renewal of the Professional
Identification Cards (PIC) of all registered and licensed professionals
under the regulation of PRC, including Registered Medical
Technologists (RMTs) and Medical Laboratory technicians (MLTs).
A CPD Credit Unit (CU) refers to the value of an amount of learning that can be
transferred to a qualification achieved from formal, informal, or non-formal
learning setting including professional work experience wherein credits can be
accumulated to predetermined levels for the award of a qualification.
The CPD is mandatory for renewal of Professional Identification Card (PIC) per
compliance period of three (3) years.
1. The following are the guidelines in earning CPD CUs:
1. Generally, a maximum of one (1) CU per hour of activity may
be given.
2. Full credit units are given for attendance and completion of
assessment.
For Certificate of Attendance: 50% of the full credit units
is given for attendance/participation.
For Certificate of Completion: Full credit units is given
for attendance/participation and completion of pre-
and post-test.
3. Programs under professional track, i.e. conference,
workshop, etc., may be given a maximum of twenty (20) credit
units only for activity of three (3) or more days.
4. Programs under the Academic Track, i.e. Master’s or
Doctorate Degree or its equivalent, may be given credit units as
the specific course is completed, the sum total of which shall
not exceed the allowable full credit units for the compliance
period upon completion of the degree.
5. The maximum creditable units for self-directed and/or
lifelong learning are as follows:
a. Registered Medical Technologists (RMTs): 15 CUs
b. Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLTs): 10 CUs
o This however does not apply to RMTs/MLTs
working overseas during the compliance period.
o Applications for accreditation of Self-directed
and/or Lifelong learning should be filed no later
than 5 years after completion of degree or
program.
6. Certificates of Attendance/Completion of CPD activities
under Professional Tract or Other CPD activities issued to
participants by the Accredited CPD Providers shall include the
corresponding CPD Units.
CPD Council refers to a body created to promote and ensure the continuous
improvement of professionals, in accordance with national, regional and
international standards of practice.
1. Every CPD Council shall be composed of a chairperson and two (2)
members, and which shall be under the supervision of the concerned
PRB.
The CPD Council for Medical Technology operates under the
supervision of MTB. The following is the composition of CPD
Council for Medical Technology:
Chairperson – a member of MTB so chosen by MTB.
First Member – president or officer of PAMET (being the
only authorized professional organization (APO) of all
registered medical technologists in the Philippines.)
Second Member – president or officer of PASMETH
(being the national organization of all deans or
department chairpersons of schools, colleges, or
universities offering medical technology course.)
The term of office of the Chairperson is coterminous with his
incumbency in the PRB. The First and Second Members have a
term of office of two (2) years.
The following are the Major Areas of Activities:
1. Ethics
2. Standards of Professional Practice
3. Enhancement of Professional Practice and Technical Competence
4. Environmental Factors Affecting the Profession
Credit Units
Major Area Coverage of the Area (includes the % Required
following but not limited to:) RMTs MLTs
Ethics Profession’s Code of Ethics and Its 18 8 5
Applications, Regional/International
Ethics
Standards of All related laws, rules and regulations, 27 12 8
Professional Administrative Orders of the
Practice Department of Health (DOH) and
related agencies, Resolutions of the
Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC) and the Professional Regulatory
Board of Medical Technology (PRBoMT)
Enhancement of Updates, Capacity and Credential 44 20 14
Professional Building
Practice and
Technical
Competence
Environmental Gender and Development, Personality 11 5 3
Factors Affecting Development, Environment Concerns,
the Profession Social Responsibility
Total 100 45 30
In the PRC Resolution No. 2019-1146, Series of 2019, it provides that during
the “TRANSITION PERIOD” the following must be observed:
a. Professionals working overseas shall not be covered by the CPD
requirements.
b. Newly licensed professionals shall not be covered by the CPD
requirement for the first renewal cycle after obtaining their license.
c. The various CPD Councils shall reduce the required CPD to a
minimum, which shall not be more than fifteen (15).
The CPD Programs consist of activities that range from structured to non-
structured activities, which have learning processes and outcomes. These
include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Formal learning;
2. Non-formal learning;
3. Informal learning;
4. Online learning activities;
5. Professional work experiences.
a. detailed matrix of programs/activities the professionals must do to attain the
corresponding CPD units, courtesy of PRC:
Program/Activity Credit Units
1. PROFESSIONAL TRACT (TRAINING OFFERED BY ACCREDITED CPD PROVIDERS, Face to
Face/Online)
1.1. Participant Approved credit units for the Program
1.2. Resource Speaker 3CU per Hour
1.3. Panelist/Reactor 2CU per Hour
1.4. Facilitator/Moderator 1CU per Hour
1.5. Monitor Twice the number of Approved credit units for the
Program
1.6. In-service Training Maximum of 20CU for a 12-month period or a fraction
thereof upon completion
2. ACADEMIC TRACK
2.1. Master’s Degree or equivalent Full credit units for compliance period upon completion
of degree
2.2. Doctorate Degree or Full credit units upon completion of candidacy for
equivalent compliance period
Additional full credit units for compliance period upon
completion of the degree
2.3. Professional Chair 15CU per Year
2.4. Residency/ Externship/ 10CU per Year
Specialty/ Subspecialty Program
2.5. Fellowship Grant
2.5.1. Participant 2 CU per Grant
2.5.2. Resource Speaker 4 CU per Grant
2.5.3. Researcher 5 CU per Grant
2.6. Post Graduate Diploma Maximum of 30CU for an 18-month period or a fraction
thereof upon completion
3. SELF-DIRECTED (TRAINING OFFERED BY NON-ACCREDITED CPD PROVIDERS, Face to Face/
Online)
3.1. Participant Credit units for the program as evaluated by the CPD
council
3.2. Resource Speaker 3CU per Hour
3.3. Panelist/Reactor 2CU per Hour
3.4. Facilitator/Moderator 1CU per Hour
3.5. In-Service Training Maximum of 20CU for a 12-month period or a fraction
thereof upon completion
3.6. Program/ Training Module 10CU per Hour
Development
3.7. Technical Paper 5CU per technical paper
(For published paper, see3.8)
3.8. Article Published in a refereed/ Peer Reviewed Professional Journal
3.8.1. Author/s Local International
10CU 15CU
For multiple authors, divide CU equally among them.
3.8.2. Peer Review 2CU per Article
3.9. Pamphlet/ Book or monograph
3.9.1. Author/s 20CU for single author for 40CU for single author for
pamphlet (less than 100 book or monogram (less
pages) than 100 pages)
For multiple authors, divide CU equally among them.
3.9.2. Editor Maximum of 20CU
3.10. Articles in Magazine/ News Maximum of 5CU per Article (for multiple authors, divide
Paper CU equally among them.)
3.11. Inventions Full credit units for compliance period
3.12. Study Tours/ Visits 2CU per Day
(Maximum of 20CU per Tour)
3.13. Consultancy 1CU per Hour
3.14. Socio-Civic Activities using 1CU per Hour
Profession
3.15. Recognition/ Title Full credit units for compliance period
4. Such other activities to be recommended by the CPD Council and approved by the PRB and the
PRC
The following are the classifications of CPD Providers:
1. Local CPD Provider
a. Individual/Sole Proprietor (RMT + PIC)
b. Firm/Partnership/Corporation
c. Government Institutions/Agencies
2. Foreign CPD Provider
a. Foreign Entity/Firm/Association
B. PRC RENEWAL
Every Filipino professional is required by law to renew his/her PRC license to continue
practicing his profession here in the Philippines. The PRC license renewal is done every three
years, usually on the birth month of the license holder.
In compliance with the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Act of 2016, the PRC
is now requiring every professional to present earned CPD units before the renewal of
Professional Identification Cards. Professionals renewing their professional ID cards must
provide the original and photocopy of certificates of credit units earned.
