There are three major categories for participating in the three year CPD programme for 2004 - 2006. These three categories cover all vocationally registered orthopaedic surgeons in NZ.

This can include those who carry out other assessments such as for ACC, Health and Disability Commissioner Coroners Court etc.

It is essential that fellows enter their data to the webpage programme contemporaneously.

Category 1 activities of peer review and surgical audits should be conducted and entered on a quarterly basis.
Category 2 activities involving hospital credentialing. This data should be entered at the commencement of each year.
Category 3 activities of clinical governance and evaluation of care should be entered contemporaneously.
Categories 4 – 8 maintenance of knowledge and skills should be entered contemporaneously.

Note: Details of a fellow’s participation and compliance with the programme will be made available to the RACS on a yearly basis. The College makes this data available to third party enquiries including the Medical Council of New Zealand.

The CPD and Standards Sub Committee of the NZOA is available to any NZOA Member to aid in participation and compliance with the programme. The current membership of the CPD & Standards Committee is:
Denis Atkinson, Chairman. Mr Peter Devane, Mr Tim Lynskey and Mr Rod Maxwell.

The following notes are provided to aid entry of data to the web based programme which can be found at www.nzoa.org.nz (Detailed instructions on entering the web-based recording programme are provided in the CPD Manual).

It is mandatory for surgeons carrying out operative procedures to undertake a personal surgical audit. Data collection should include a report from any Hospital, Day Surgery Unit or Rooms containing details of a Fellow’s surgical case load. The report should be amended monthly to include adverse events (see below) and written complaints relating to any episode of care. The
report should include all facilities in which the fellow is credentialed.

Note: Reference can be made to the RACS Guidelines for Surgical Audit, available from RACS or on the RACS website (
www.surgeons.org)

Participants should claim 1 point per hour of attendance at each meeting.
Adverse events include:

Surgical audit reports must be subject to three monthly peer reviews.
Peer review meetings must be minuted and attendee’s names recorded.

Meetings and minutes should be a Protected Quality Assurance Activity under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. (This should be confirmed by each hospital involved)

Meetings may provide recommendations to fellows or hospital committees involved in patient care.

If through geographical or speciality isolation, a fellow is unable to complete a personal surgical audit, then the CPD and Standards Committee is available to approve an individual audit programme.

Participation in the NZOA National Joint Register is a mandatory audit activity for surgeons performing joint replacements.

All surgeons who conduct operative procedures in hospitals or day surgery units must be credentialed to each hospital or day surgery unit in which they operate and each unit must be certified under the Health and Disability (Services) Act 2001.
These institutions should have established Appointments and Credential Committees. (Refer also to RACS 2001. Credentials Committees, Surgical Appointments and Complaints Procedures, RACS Melbourne Australia)

All surgeons who work within hospitals and day surgery units should be involved in ensuring that it provides safe provision of pre and post operative management of patients and maintenance of surgical standards. This can be achieved by participation in any activity that examines and evaluates the clinical care of patients.

Activities can include:

Surgeons are responsible for maintaining their skills, knowledge and competence and for keeping up to date with developments in their area of practice, as well as developments in clinical and medical science. These requirements can be met by attendance at scientific meetings and workshops/seminars directing at maintaining and enhancing knowledge and skills and other self directed learning. Maintenance of knowledge and skills can also be achieved through teaching, research and publications activities.

All surgeons should attend at least one approved scientific meeting during the triennium from the following:

The NZOA CPD and Standards Committee will accept prospective applications for approval of conference, workshop, course or unit visits. Overseas meetings will be acceptable providing they have been accredited for CPD by a recognised national body in the country concerned. For verification purposes it is important to obtain a Certificate of Attendance from the meeting Conveners or to ensure the Conference Organisers have provided a list of attendees to the Chief Executive NZOA.

For NZOA members organizing a meeting and wishing to have it approved for CPD purposes a copy of the program should be forwarded to the Chief Executive NZOA for approval and allocation of points.
Members who attend an overseas meeting which is not on the approved list and wish to obtain CPD points should send a copy of the programme (and evidence that it has been accepted as a CPD qualifying meeting in the host country) to the Chief Executive, NZOA for approval and allocation of points.

Attendance at Scientific Meetings attracts 1 Point per hour attended (at Scientific Sessions).

Other activities can include:

Presentation, teaching and examining activities can include:

Research, publication and other presentation activities can include:

(activities that assist in developing practice knowledge and skills, e.g. staff management, communication, report writing)
Other professional development activities attract 1 point per hour and can include:

To be counted under Category 4, and recorded in Category 8.
Activities include:

Fellows should accrue 210 points from Categories 4 - 8 (Maintenance of Knowledge and Skills) including attending at least one approved scientific meeting in the triennium.

The NZOA CPD and Standards Committee will randomly select up to 5% of Fellows to verify their CPD data. Entries on to the web based recording system will be satisfactory for most activities.

Additionally Minutes of Peer Review Meetings should be kept along with Certificates of Attendance (if provided, refer Category 4 information) at approved scientific meetings. Copies of hospital appointment /reappointment letters should be retained.

For further detail refer to the RACS CPD Programme Information manual.

The NZOA CPD Programme is based on the RACS CPD Programme but with some
enhancements to make it more relevant to current orthopaedic practice in New Zealand. Fellows should be familiar with the RACS CPD Programme Information Manual but in the event of any questions arising contact with a member of the NZOA CPD and Standards Committee (direct or through NZOA Chief Executive) is advised.

Date: February 2004