Advancing learning to advance pharmacy practice

Objectives: The objectives of this commentary are to: 1) describe advancements in the continuing professional development (CPD) model over the past decade; 2) detail an updated CPD cycle; and 3) describe how practitioners’ adoption of the CPD approach may facilitate the advancement of pharmacy practice. CPD is a self-directed, ongoing, systematic, and outcomes-focused approach to an individual's lifelong learning that is applied into practice. The 6 components of reflect, plan, learn, evaluate, apply, and record + review, described in a revised depiction of the CPD cycle, have evolved over the past 10 years alongside the evolution of the profession of pharmacy. The thinking around the value of building CPD habits has also advanced. New emphasis is being placed on mechanisms for applying and sharing CPD-related work, as well as the importance of employer support of CPD. Conclusion: As practice change has progressed, the individual's need to learn has also changed. To succeed in the evolving health care system, regular, robust, and intentional CPD is needed. Moreover, for learning to have maximum impact, it must facilitate, motivate and result in changes in learner behavior. Employers, educators, and pharmacy organizations should facilitate lifelong learning by creating CPD supportive environments that foster learner success and community. The adoption of a CPD approach by pharmacy practitioners may facilitate the advancement of pharmacy practice.