How do I earn CEUs on eCPD^®?

eCPD^® works on the principle of self-study. You first have to study a reading material document, and then complete the assessment questionnaire on our website. You can claim the CEUs once you have successfully completed the assessment. A unique numbered CPD certificate will be issued in your name for each successfully completed assessment. Courses are all listed under the various discipline-based categories in the Browse Courses section on eCPD^®.

How can I earn CEUs on eCPD^® if I do not find any CPD activity of my liking on eCPD^®?

If you do not find a suitable course in one of the categories on eCPD^®, you can find your own open access source(s) on the Internet. You can also try any of the medical/dental journal websites on the website www.FreeMedicalJournals.com for suitable source documents.

You then e-mail the title and link of the suggested article to us. The eCPD^® editorial team will evaluate your suggested source, and if approved, develop an electronic CPD course for you. You can then claim a CEU once you have successfully completed the assessment on your suggested source.

Will the Health Professions Council of South Africa accept my CEUs earned on eCPD^®?

Absolutely yes! eCPD^® is fully accredited with the HPCSA. Read more in “Accreditation”.

How can I earn CEUs in Professional Ethics on eCPD^®?

eCPD^® maintains a special section on Professional Ethics. This section is appropriate for all health professions. You can complete any of the courses in that section to earn CEUs in Ethics. Your CPD certificate will clearly state that the course was in Professional Ethics.

Why do I have to pay to claim CEUs on eCPD^®?

You have to pay a small service fee for the certification service provided by eCPD^®. The income from these fees is used to pay for the expenses of developing and maintaining the website and its content.

Some individuals, however, enjoy free CEUs on eCPD^®, which means that a third party is paying the service fees on their behalf. Talk to the representatives of major suppliers to your profession for possible sponsorship of your service fees on eCPD^®.

How many CEUs do I need?

The number of CEUs you need may differ per council. We advise you to read your council’s CPD guidelines.

HPCSA guidelines
From July 2017, Health practitioners registered with the HPCSA are required to accumulate different amounts of ethics, human rights and health law CEUs per annum depending on their profession. View the HPCSA Council’s CEU guidelines per profession on page 7-11, click here.

HPCNA guidelines
The HPCNA requires all professions to accumulate 30 CEUs per 12 month period, of which, at least five (5) CEUs should be for ethics, human rights and medical law.

AHPCSA guidelines
The AHPCSA requires all professions to accumulate 40 CEUs per 24 month cycle. A medical practitioner must obtain a minimum of four (4) CEUs in AHPCSA-specific bioethics and jurisprudence per CPD cycle, while the balance of CEUs may be acquired at a single level or across all levels. A medical practitioner who accumulates more than the required total CEUs in a cycle will be permitted to carry over a maximum of 10 CEUs to the next cycle.

Is there any limit on the number of points that may be earned per CPD category?

As the number of points earned per CPD category may differ for each council, we advise you to read your council’s CPD guidelines.

HPCSA guidelines
Since July 2017, CPD activities have been categorised into two levels of learning activities (according to the measurability of outcome) and are linked to a certain CEU value or weight. A health practitioner may obtain CEUs at any level depending on personal circumstances and individual learning needs.

• Level 1: These are once-off activities and CEUs are allocated according to time. For online CPD activities two Ceus per hour may be earned for ten Multiple Choice Questionnaires (MCQs) with a pass rate of 70%. Three CEUs may be earned for activities with twenty MCQs with a pass rate of 70%.
• Level 2: This level comprises structured learning — a formal programme that is planned and offered by an accredited training institution, evaluated by an accredited assessor and has a measurable outcome. Activities are divided in two categories: 
  • Those courses where no prior approval by an accreditor is required (postgraduate degrees and diplomas. 
  • Those courses which require prior approval by an accreditor (short courses with a minimum of 25 hours with additional clinical hands-on training and a formal assessment) and short courses less than 25 hours, with measurable outcomes such as online CPD courses.

Other: Practice audit and learning portfolios require accreditation by an accreditor.

HPCNA and AHPCSA guidelines
CPD activities are categorised into three levels of learning activities (according to the measurability of outcome) and are linked to a certain CEU value or weight. Practitioners may obtain all required CEUs from any level of activity, depending on their personal circumstances and individual learning needs. 

• Level 1: Activities without a clearly measurable outcome and presented once only such as attendance at conferences and CPD meetings.
• Level 2: This level includes activities that have an outcome but do not constitute a full year of earned CEUs. It includes education, training, research and publications such as authoring articles and MCQs in journals (paper and electronic)
• Level 3: Structured learning such as postgraduate degrees and diplomas and short courses with a formal assessment at the end.

To view your Council’s CPD guidelines, click here.

How can I keep track of my required CEUs?

The easiest way is to make use of the unique “Online CPD Manager” available on the eCPD^® website. All your CEUs earned on eCPD^® will be recorded automatically. However, you need to manually enter all your CEUs earned elsewhere if you want our CPD Manager to reflect your total CEU portfolio. Your CEUs earned on eCPD^® are summarised on a portfolio form, which can be printed for record purposes. You can also print a completed council submissions form (Individual Activity Record).

How many points do I need in my specialty if I am a registered specialist?

Specialists have to do the same number of CEUs as all the other practitioners. There is as yet no obligation for registered medical and dental specialists to earn points only in their field of specialty. They can earn points in any accredited CPD activity, although it naturally makes sense for them to primarily obtain points in their speciality.

When do I have to submit my CPD points portfolio to the HPCSA?

Practitioners will be required to submit their full CPD portfolio of the preceding 3 years to the HPCSA if their names are drawn in a random audit by the HPCSA Practitioners will be requested to provide proof of compliance with the CPD system within 21 working days.

Certificates issued by providers as proof of attendance/participation have to be attached to your CPD portfolio form. On receipt of the CPD portfolio from individual practitioners, the HPCSA will analyse the contents and record the points achieved. We strongly suggest that you make a copy of all your certificates AND the completed CPD portfolio form before submission, in case they get lost in the post. Send your CPD portfolio per registered post.

Please note: There will no longer be any electronic submission of CEUs to the HPCSA from any CPD provider on your behalf. You have to obtain a CPD certificate for every attendance of CPD activities. CPD certificates for activities completed on eCPD ^® can be viewed and printed on the eCPD^® website, found in your CPD Manager

What can happen if I do not comply with the requirements of the CPD system?

We advise you to read the non-compliance section in your council’s CPD guidelines as it is different for each council.

HPCSA guidelines
On receipt of a non-compliant audit or request for extension, the CPD Section will afford the health practitioner a six-months’ extension during which they can attempt to become compliant. If, after the six-month period, the health practitioner is still not compliant, the name of the non-compliant health practitioner will be submitted to the relevant professional board which might take any of the following actions:

• change the category of registration to supervised practice until proof of compliance with the CPD requirements is submitted;
• request the health practitioner to successfully pass a board examination;
• suspend the health practitioner from the register until submission of proof of compliance with the CPD requirements is submitted; or
• pass any other resolution.

Should the practitioner still not comply with the CPD requirements within the second six months period, one of the following actions will be taken:

1. Registration in a category that will provide for supervision as considered appropriate by the relevant Professional Board;
2. A remedial programme of continuing education and training as specified by the Professional Board;
3. An examination as determined by the Professional Board;
4. Suspension from practice for a period of time as determined by the Professional Board; or
5. Any other action as recommended by the Professional Board.

HPCNA and AHPCSA guidelines
The CPD desk will investigate the reasons for non-compliance and there after send the names of bona fide non-compliant health professionals to their respective councils for noting. At the same time, those names will be submitted to the HPCNA CPD Committee for action in consultation with the relevant council. The following actions may be taken: 

• A letter will be sent to the non-compliant health professional requesting a reason for the non-compliance. The health professional will be required to
  furnish the CPD desk with a letter of explanation within four weeks (HPCNA) or 21 days (AHPCSA) of receipt of the letter of inquiry from the CPD desk.
• Should the explanation be acceptable, the health professional will be given six months to comply with the CPD requirements. The CPD desk must receive evidence of such compliance within four weeks of the end of the six-month period.
• The health professional’s name will be forwarded without delay to the relevant council should the health professional not comply with the requirement.
• The relevant council may decide on the basis of evidence to grant a final additional six-month period to comply with the CPD requirements.

Should the health professional still not comply with the CPD requirements within the second six-month period, one of the following actions may be taken:

• The health professional will be registered in a category that will provide for supervision as considered appropriate by the relevant council;
• the health professional will undergo a remedial programme of continuing education and training as specified by the relevant council;
• the health professional will take an examination as determined by the relevant council;
• the health professional will be suspended from practice for a period of time as determined by the relevant council; or
• the relevant council will recommend any other action.

To view your Council’s CPD guidelines, click here.

I am busy with my community service year. Do I have to comply with the CPD system

Practitioners in internship and community service are not required to comply with CPD during the internship and Community Service years but are encouraged to attend and may accrue CEUs which will be to their credit for 2 years.

I am living abroad. How can I maintain my registration with the HPCSA?

All practitioners living abroad who wish to remain on the HPCSA register have to comply fully with the CPD system - no deferment will be granted. The easiest way is simply to earn most of your CEU's through the eCPD® website!

Practitioners who are practising abroad in countries where a continuing professional development system is in place should comply with the requirements in that country. They should retain documentary proof of attendance at CPD activities for submission in the event of being drawn in the sample audit. For re-registration purposes documentary proof of compliance must be submitted for continuing professional development purposes in South Africa. This may be in the form of a letter from the accrediting authority in the country concerned.

When practitioners who are actively practising in South Africa attend an accredited professional or academic meeting or activity abroad it will be recognised for CPD purposes. This activity should be reflected in the Individual CPD Activity Record of the practitioner.

Deferment for full-time students in Family Medicine, Registrars and Senior Registrars

Full-time students in Family Medicine, Registrars and Senior Registrars will automatically be awarded the required CEU’s for each year of:

1. such full-time study;
2. registration with the HPCSA as a Registrar or Senior Registrar.

Persons in these categories must provide documentary proof of such study to the HPCSA on an annual basis.

How does the HPCSA compliance auditing work?

The HPCSA endeavours to ensure that all registered practitioners follow the requirements for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and has embarked on an audit to ascertain compliance.

CEUs obtained 24 months before the date of audit will be credited to the practitioner's form. The number of CEUs to be collected per year is different for each profession; please refer to the HPCSA CPD guidelines.

Practitioners may opt to obtain all units in one level or a number of them across different levels. Practitioners must retain portfolios for submission to the HPCSA when names are drawn in the random sample audit.

How does the credit system work on eCPD®?

Users need credits or a membership on their account to be able to earn CEU's on eCPD®. To purchase credits or a membership, click on the following links:

Credits

Membership

Please note: With a membership, you don’t need to purchase credits.

eCPD® has amended its pre-paid credits policy to be fully in line with the “Consumer Protection Act” (Act 68 of 2008). All pre-paid credits will remain valid for 3 years from date of purchase.

All credits purchased after 30 April 2014 will expire exactly 3 years after the actual purchase date.

According to what I have bought and used, I should have more credits left.

It is possible that some of your credits have expired. All credits remain valid for 3 years from the date of purchase in order to be in line with the Consumer Protection Act (Act 68 of 2008). Since this policy was introduced on 17 April 2009 the first credits expired on 17 April 2012.

Contact us for assistance.

I did not know that credits can expire

An email notice regarding the expiry of credits has initially been sent to all users. When users purchase credits they are informed about the 3 year validity. A credit expiry system notification email will also be send to users be on a regular basis.

Why are credits expired?

Credits are purchased at the present price. With time the running costs of a service like eCPD® increases at least in line with the yearly inflation rate and after a number of years the service that has to be provided will then be provided at an operating loss. In order to prevent such an operating loss by the service, a reasonable period, as prescribed by the Consumer Protection Act (Act 68 of 2008), is provided to the user to use pre-paid credits.

How do I enrol in an eCPD® course?

The following steps serve as a guide to enrol in an eCPD® course:

After you have logged in, hover on the BROWSE COURSES tab and select the BY FIELD OF PRACTICE tab. On the new page select your applicable field of practice. You will then be able to open a list of available categories and/or sub categories or courses.

• Click on your preferred course.
• An information page for your selected course will open. Information regarding the course’s content, price or credit cost, CPD units and sponsorship and/or membership (if applicable) will be displayed.
• If you want to enrol in this course, click on the ENROL NOW button.
• A confirmation screen will open with the required amount of credits that will be deducted from your credit balance and/or whether you need to buy more credits in order to be able to enrol.
• If you have enough credits/have a membership or you are sponsored for the course, click on the YES button. (If you do not have enough credits or have a membership in your account you will be directed to the PURCHASE CREDITS page.)
• A confirmation screen informing you of your successful enrolment will open from where you will be taken to the course page.

How do I complete an eCPD® course?

The following steps serve as a guide to complete an eCPD® course:

1. On the course's page you will have 5 sections with all the relevant information and instructions regarding the course.
2. Click on any of the section bars to open the section. You can click on the same bar again to close the section.
3. INTRODUCTION: Read through the introduction for the requirements in order to complete the activity.
4. READING MATERIAL: You can save and/or print the article for convenient off-line reading, and come back later to do the questionnaire. You will only have 3 chances to complete the questionnaire successfully regarding the reading material.
5. QUESTIONNAIRE: The QUESTIONNAIRE for this course can be accessed by clicking on the QUESTIONNAIRE tab. Then you click on the Quiz>/strong> heading to open the questionnaire. Complete the questionnaire online and submit your answers. Or alternatively, click on the Download questions heading in order to download the questions. The questions will download in your browser and can be saved or printed from there.
   You have three (3) attempts to achieve the required pass rate.
6. COURSE RATING: Click on the COURSE RATING tab in this section to submit your course rating.
   You have to submit a rating in order to claim your certificate.
7. CERTIFICATE: After you have successfully completed the questionnaire and supplied the required course rating, click on the CERTIFICATE tab to claim your certificate.

I am unable to claim my eCPD® certificate? What’s wrong?

Please make sure you have completed these steps to claim your certificates:

1. You need to successfully complete your activity’s test on QUESTIONNAIRE.
2. You need to rate the course on COURSE RATING.

How do I view and print my certificate/s?

1. Login to the system.
2. In the CPD MANAGER block click on the VIEW CPD MANAGER button.
3. In order to view your CPD certificates click on the selected year’s button on the CPD MANAGER page.
4. The new screen will list the certificates you have claimed/or uploaded within that year.
5. Click on the selected course’s VIEW CERTIFICATE button.
6. On the Download Certificates page click on the DOWNLOAD CERTIFICATE button to open your certificate. You will be able to print or save the certificate from this view.

How many attempts do I have to complete a questionnaire?

How can I change my personal details and/or e-mail address on the eCPD® Healthcare Services system?

Log into the www.healthcare-ecpd.co.za website, then click on the MY PROFILE tab and select the VIEW PROFILE tab. You will then be able to edit your personal details by clicking on the EDIT PROFILE block. Always make sure that you completed the compulsory fields, indicated by a red *.

Please send an email to our client services unit at or contact us on 0861 000 381 or +27 21 975 2602 (international) if you require any further assistance.

How can I pay for eCPD® credits?

• Credit card payment via VCS
• Direct deposit/EFT

Full information is available on the PRICING INFORMATION tab on the Annual Membership page or the Credit Bundles page

I tried a credit card payment on eCPD® but for some reason the transaction was not successful, what must I do?

First of all, we would like to solve the problem so please provide the full details of what happened by email to finances@ecpd.co.za, or phone Tel RSA: 0861 000 381 or Tel International: +27 21 975 2602. We would like to assist you in making a successful payment.

The most common reasons for failed credit transactions are:

If you are using Internet Explorer as your default browser the problem might be that the version is too old – it must be at least version 9 or higher. To check your version, click the "Settings" menu and choose "About Internet Explorer".

Typing errors or incorrect information – check your information before it is finally submitted.

Connection problems – due to the way the Internet is assembled, communication between certain points could be interrupted. In these cases, it is best to try again later, or at a time when local traffic levels are low; usually this means early in the morning.

Your bank does not approve the transaction – in this case you need to contact your bank, as there may be a problem with your credit card, account or credit limit.

The bank's server is temporarily down – usually this does not take longer than a few hours, so try again the next day.

Are my expenses on eCPD® deductible for Income Tax purposes?

As CPD is obligatory to maintain your registration with the HPCSA, all expenses on eCPD® may be deductible from your taxable income. Keep the eCPD® tax invoices that were sent to you by e-mail, for record purposes. Talk to your tax consultant about claiming your expenses on eCPD® from your taxable income.

I cannot log into the website. Do I need to enable my browser cookies?

Yes, you will be required to configure your browser to accept cookies in order to successfully login to the website. Cookies pose no security risk and cannot in any way harm your computer; its purpose is to allow access to the site without the need to input a user name and password each time. Learn how to enable browser cookies :

Chrome

Firefox

Internet Explorer

Safari

What web browser should I use to view the website.

Our online learning system is best viewed using the latest version of Google Chrome. If you do not have the latest version of Chrome, then you can download it here.

If you prefer to use Internet Explorer, please ensure that you are using the latest Version. This can be downloaded here. When you hold a license for any Windows operating system, then you can download the latest version of Internet Explorer for free.

In a course I click on READING MATERIAL, but I don’t see it. Where is it?

The most common cause for this is pop-up blockers. The reading material opens in a new window; most browsers see this as a pop-up. You will be required to allow pop-ups for this site or turn your pop-up blocker off before using the site. Alternatively, click ( Chrome FireFox IE Safari ) for more tips on how to enable pop-ups in your browser.

Please send an e-mail to our client services unit at support@ecpd.co.za or contact us on 0861 000 381 or +27 21 975 2602 (international) if you require any further assistance.