College Connection Winter 2016 | Page 4

college connection CONSULTATION CONSULTATION CONTINUES ON NEW ACCREDITATION MODEL The College invites your input on the future of veterinary facility accreditation. The proposed model enables a veterinarian to demonstrate his/her facility meets the provincial standards for his/her practice and facility type while at the same time supporting responsiveness to the evolution of veterinary medicine. Every facility type will be required to meet and maintain Essential Standards which pertain to items such as medical records, biosecurity and waste management, and pharmaceutical management. The proposed model is more flexible than the current model and enables a veterinarian to define his/her practice at the outset and then be required to fulfill the Essential Standards. For details on the proposed new model visit: What do you think? www.cvo.org/public-consultations Your input and comments are appreciated. The consultation will be ongoing until the end of January 2017. Questions? A consultation report is available through the link above and provides a detailed explanation of the need for the proposed new facility accreditation model. The College is also presenting the model through a webinar on January 5, 2017. A recording of the webinar will be available for those who are unable to participate. Register for the webinar at www.cvo.org/publicconsultations. CPD Activity Log TRACKS YOUR LEARNING AND HELPS YOU IDENTIFY GAPS By Sarah Thompson, DVM I began my career as a veterinarian in a jurisdiction that required mandatory Continuing Education reporting upon annual licence renewal. As a rural practitioner, continuing education opportunities were limited and primarily consisted of events lasting less than two hours. Without careful tracking these hours would be lost, threatening to derail the licence renewal process. I was aware that licensees could elect to print out a sheet to track hours but I relied on entries into my trusty paper calendar. In retrospect, I spent far too much time in November reviewing a year’s worth of scribbles. I still use a paper calendar but have stretched myself into new territory by signing onto the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Activity Log in January of this year. As CVO separates CPD activities into 10 types of activities, it seemed to be more logical to begin to track my hours in an organized manner. Furthermore, as a member of the Quality 4 / College Connection Assurance Committee I was involved with some aspects of the development of this tool and was excited to utilize the CPD Activity Log as soon as it became available. With the year ahead of me, I planned to analyze the value of every activity as it was completed and hoped to be able to identify further opportunities for learning upon my licence renewal in November. I bookmarked the website (www.cvo.org/Portal) on three computers (workstation, personal laptop and tablet) and utilized all devices for my logging activities. I set myself a deadline of activity logging within 48 hours of completion in order to be able to accurately input information. Upon reflection over the past year I can state unequivocally that I have improved in my reporting experience. I have identified that I tend to slip into comfortable CE events and rely heavily on reporting hours of rounds with colleagues and tracking my research on VIN. I have critically evaluated where I will benefit from further study and I have begun to frankly assess the potential impact that upcoming CE events may have on my identified knowledge gaps. The CPD Activity Log has become an indispensable part of my continuing professional development. Over the coming years I look forward to challenging myself with more diverse education opportunities both for the benefit of my professional practice and the clients who entrust their animals to my care. CPD Activity Log More Infomation The CPD Activity Log is available to veterinarians in the Professional Practice Portal www.cvo.org/Portal Log CPD activities Assign activity codes Indicate learning outcomes Learn more and take a video tour at: www.cvo.org/CPD