Chasing after CPD Units–The Experience

When you’re desperate for CPD units you kind of take every opportunity that comes your way. With a total of 45 CPD units required for PRC license renewal and a possible cap of 15 units a year, you get caught up in the rush.

Now I have nothing bad to say about the seminar. ORNAP did a very good job and at 300 pesos for 3 units. It’s just that the whole CPD thing is a big problem.

Now I’ve basically summarized the problems of this new CPD law in another blogpost but let me list them again. 

Problem 1 – It’s hard to find seminars that are accredited to provide CPD units. Some CPD providers have talked about the delays in getting accredited.

Problem 2 – Those that do provide CPD units offer seminars/lectures that are too expensive especially for contractual nurses working in the private sector. An example would be a national convention that costs 3,500 to join but only gave out 6 CPD units. That’s almost like 500-600 pesos per unit. It looks small and cheap to some but the following problems arise.

Problem 3 – Nurses are required to pay for themselves when going to CPD seminars/lectures. Hospital executives couldn’t care less because going on to the next problem

Problem 4 – We nurses have to be absent at work and most hospitals have a no work no pay policy. For those with leave credits, would you waste 2-3 days of leave just for a max 8 CPD units?

Problem 5 – CPD providers tend to stick to cities. So nurses in rural and far flung areas have to deal not just being absent (with no pay) but also travel, board and lodgings as well as other expenses for communication, supplies during the seminar and more.

Problem 6 – I still haven’t found official information about it yet but it seems that you can’t get all 45 units in 1 year. It has to be spaced evenly in 3 years. So you can only get max 15 units a year.

The Problem with CPD – In the Real Setting

Three (3) units. It’s great isn’t it? Let me just list the problems I encountered with the whole thing. The problem lies with PRC and not ORNAP. 

1. ORNAP held the seminar in Cagayan de Oro city. That’s about 2 to 3 hours away from where I live.
2. To defray transportation costs, had to carpool. Worst case scenario, pay for transportation round trips.
3. The schedule of the seminar was at 8am to 12 and right before my 7pm shift. The good thing was that I already had a force leave applied on that day so I was able to rest after, but my shiftmates had to rush home and get ready for 12 hours graveyard shift.
4. I still don’t have the units yet. Yes just 3 units but apparently, PRC has not approved the seminar yet. Not the fault of ORNAP as they submitted their papers last December 2017. The seminar was February 10, 2018. All the time lost for a measly 3 units and PRC can’t even get their act right. I thought we had an anti red tape law or something. And there’s some chance it will be 4 units but also some chance they’ll only approve 2, or none at all which is the worst case scenario.
5. Finally, once the papers are approved (hopefully), I will have to travel back to Cagayan de Oro and have my certificate stamped just to get those 3 units (or 4 units, could be 2 or worse 0).

Judging from the problems I had for just 3 units, I think this whole CPD thing causes more hardships than what it was really intended.

Just imagine, I have to do this 4 more times this year to get a quota of 15 units for the year. And then there’s next year, and then the final year when I renew my license. The stress, expenses and work pressure is not worth it.