CPD online courses – in Canada, US & International – and other offerings for continuing professional development can help busy legal, medical, financial and other professionals meet their annual requirements. In many fields, professionals need to take a minimum number of CPD courses each year to meet requirements for maintaining membership, licenses, certifications or other designations.
Online CPD benefits
Traditionally, many people turned to their professional society or to annual conferences and cruises in warm and sunny climes. But the advent of online CPD course offerings has opened the door to new ways of accessing continuing professional development. With ebooks, videos and online courses, busy practitioners can access CPD online.
For people with busy practices and careers, active family lives, remote locations or just a preference to work on their own or in small groups, online CPD may be the way to go.
Online CPD and Offline Options for Continuing Professional Development
CPD is just one of the many terms for ongoing professional development. Other terms:
- Continuing Education Units (CEU)
- Continuing Renewal Units (CRU)
- Professional Development Points (PDP)
- Professional Learning Units (PLU)
- Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
- Mandatory Continuing Legal Education(MCLE)
- Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE)
CPD – online & other formats
Continuing professional development may happen on the job (in-service) or outside the workplace. It might be through formal or informal programs. In some organizations, the Human Resources department may offer programming or there may be dedicated training departments in some firms. Some employers may also include CPD and other professional development courses as part of annual reviews and ongoing workforce planning. In other cases, it’s up to the individual to pursue their CPD.
CPD Online & Traditional Formats:
- Lecture
- Workshop
- Academic course
- Case studies
- Coaching
- Small group communities of practice
- Individual study or reading
- Mentoring
Some organizations award CPD credit for:
- Teaching
- Mentoring
- Writing and publishing
- Supervision
Looking for individual study options for you? Take a look at our online CPD resources. We have also partnered with CareQuadrant to offer socially innovative online CPD courses on inclusive language, advocacy, reflective practice and more.