Professionals in healthcare regulatory affairs work in an environment of constantly changing legal, technical and scientific requirements. They need to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) to ensure that they remain safe and effective in their daily practice.
All members of TOPRA are bound by the statement of values, which requires them to 'continually improve performance and update or refresh their skills and knowledge'. For Registered Members of TOPRA - who use the designation MTOPRA - we consider 50 hours per year spent on learning to be the minimum. If you are also a Registered Scientist (RSci) or Chartered Scientist (CSci), please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the CPD requirements you will need to meet to maintain your status.
A strong personal programme of continuing professional development, properly recorded, will also build your confidence and credibility at work and give you an evidence base for appraisals.
Our CPD tool
TOPRA members can record their progress using the TOPRA CPD tool. [Log-in required]
Go to CPD Tool [Please log in to TOPRA.org before clicking this link]
TOPRA recommends that regulatory professionals wanting to achieve or maintain their MTOPRA designation undertake a minimum of 50 hours of lifelong learning each year, to demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional development and keep their knowledge and skills up to date. There are plenty of activities that count towards your CPD, including TOPRA courses , conferences and webinars.
We also recommend keeping a log of activities, copies of attendance certificates and other evidence of your learning.
Career benefits
As well as improving professional practice, lifelong learning can help your career by:
- Building confidence and credibility in your ability to do your work
- Demonstrating your achievements
- Giving you a tool for appraisals
- Bringing focus to your training and development
- Giving you tools to cope with the constantly changing regulatory environment
- Helping you become more productive and efficient
- Highlighting gaps in your knowledge and experience which you can address to achieve the career progression you desire.
Guide to lifelong learning
TOPRA has signed up to the IMI LifeTrain principles which embody the concepts of ‘reflect, plan, do and record’ for effective continuing professional development. Our guide below will help you to apply the reflective learning cycle to your own career.