Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is becoming a formal requirement for nurses in South Africa. The South African Nursing Council (SANC) is introducing CPD as part of the process for nurses to maintain their professional registration.

CPD is already a requirement for other healthcare professionals. Doctors must complete CPD under the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), and pharmacists under the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC). The inclusion of nurses aligns the profession with existing standards across the healthcare sector.

What this means in practice

Nurses will be required to earn CPD points each year by taking part in training, workshops, courses, and other professional learning activities. These points will form part of the annual registration process.

The CPD system is being introduced in phases, allowing time for nurses, employers and agencies to prepare and adjust.

A shared responsibility

CPD is a shared responsibility between healthcare professionals and their employers.

Healthcare professionals are responsible for participating in CPD activities and keeping records of their learning. Employers and agencies can support this by encouraging training, providing access to development opportunities and promoting a culture of continuous learning.

For agencies, this also means supporting placed professionals and ensuring they remain compliant with their professional requirements.

Why CPD matters

CPD helps healthcare professionals keep their knowledge and skills up to date. This strengthens professional standards, supports career growth, and improves confidence in practice.

Most importantly, ongoing learning contributes to safer, higher quality patient care.

AHASA’s commitment to skills and standards

As part of its commitment to strengthening skills and maintaining high professional standards in the healthcare staffing sector, the industry body for healthcare recruitment agencies in South Africa (AHASA) aims to offer two complimentary CPD webinars each year for members and the broader healthcare community.

These webinars are designed to support ongoing learning, promote compliance and help agencies and healthcare professionals stay informed.

Members and stakeholders are encouraged to follow the AHASA website events page and social media platforms for upcoming CPD webinar invitations and other learning opportunities.

This article was written by AHASA, an industry body for healthcare recruitment companies. For further assistance or information, contact us at info@ahasa.org  or visit our website www.ahasa.org

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