The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program instigated by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has gone through some adjustments ever since the pandemic last year, 2020.
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Granting of credit units
One of many adjustments that the PRC had to create was to grant PRC CPD units for frontliners who have provided public health services during the crisis, as stated by the Professional Regulation Commission Resolution No. 1239.
The frontliners s who are granted 45 CPD credit units are as follows:
- All employees of the Department of Health (DOH);
- DOH Hospitals;
- Hospitals of LGUs and Provincial, City, and Rural Health Units, and Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers including those managed by other government agencies (e.g. police and military hospitals/clinics, university medical facilities), and uninformed medical personnel;
- Private health workers, such as but not limited to medical professionals, hospital, and health facility administrators and maintenance staff, and aides from private health facilities, as well as their service providers;
- Health workers and volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross and the World Health Organization, and the employees of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs);
- The Philippines Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), disaster risk reduction management officers, and public safety officers;
- Researchers and scientists who developed testing kits, professionals who designed/constructed accommodations for suspected, probable, and confirmed COVID-19 patients and health care workers, disinfection chambers, and adapted medical equipment such as ventilators and aerosol boxes;
- Vital Goods and Services Providers who provided health and social services to secure the safety and well-being of persons, such as but not limited to, food, water, medicine, medical devices, public utilities, energy, and others as may be determined by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
The frontliners who are granted 25 CPD credit units are as follows:
- Volunteer professionals who offered services during this COVID-19 crisis, including but not limited to, answering queries about COVID-19, online consultation, public health education, and other activities directly related to their profession;
- Volunteer professionals who responded and participated in Social Responsibility (CSR) programs/projects, whether in their personal capacity or through organizations, who collected, packed, and distributed medical supplies and masks or personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals/ medical facilities and distributed food to Frontliners serving in hospitals/medical facilities and security checkpoints.
Waiving accreditation fees for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) providers
Other than granting CPD credit units to professionals who are continuously devoted to providing essential services in line with their profession and tasks during the pandemic, the PRC has also waived the accreditation fees of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) providers for free online training and programs.
They have also accepted applications of CPD providers who have already started offering their online programs and training during the State of the Public Health Emergency.
Please be guided that all applicants for Accreditation of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Provider, Program, and Self-Directed Learning should submit their application with all the documentary requirements in both hard and soft copy (PDF format) pursuant to Memorandum Circular No. 10 series of 2017 and Memorandum dated November 19, 2018.
Take note that the PRC will not accept any applications whose requirements are incomplete.
License renewal without the required CPD credit units
Professionals who are unable to comply with the required number of CPD credit units are still allowed to renew their Professional Identification Card (PIC) upon execution of an undertaking to complete the required CPD credit units for the next compliance period.
Please take note that this undertaking can only be availed until December 31, 2021.
For any concerns, you can always contact the PRC through their contact information on their official website.