To help pharmacy professionals achieve CPD in a structured way that can be assessed, the GPhC has a CPD cycle that follows four stages, as seen in the diagram.

In an ideal world, the majority of learning would be planned through a period of reflection, but this may not always be practical as some learning experiences are not planned. To address this, the GPhC allows CPD to start at any stage in the cycle. However, at least three of the nine annual entries must start at reflection. Since learning something that is applied in practice is key, all CPD must include the evaluation stage to demonstrate the benefits to your development and practice. Evidence has shown that registrants find it easiest to start their CPD at either the reflection or action stage.

A good way to start is by looking at the GPhC document Plan and Record. Remember that CPD must be relevant to your area of practice and should reflect the work you do. Ideally, you should rotate through the different stages:

• Reflect on where you are, where you want to get to and what the gap is
• Plan what you need to do to address the gap
• Undertake the 'doing' 
• Evaluate what you have done and its impact.