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CPD for clinical support roles: I am the head/deputy head of a department/unit/service

I am the head/deputy head of a department/unit/service Leader & Manager

Key areas to consider in planning your CPD include:

  • Learning and growing in your role, including in your professional supports and networks
  • Progressing your leadership skills
  • Enhancing your communication skills
  • Understanding your own biases
  • Identifying and managing conflicts of interest
  • Identifying and managing risk
  • Developing knowledge and skills in clinical governance to support the delivery of safe, high-quality care
  • Managing financial and business aspects, including technology and data management
  • Developing and managing your staff
  • Supporting education and training
  • Supporting all staff health and wellbeing

Practice evaluation (category 1)

  • Facilitate or participate in an analysing healthcare outcomes (AHO) activity with a small group of colleagues on a published report of outcome data and evidence-based care relevant to your role. Topic examples are in the AHO CPD guideline.
  • Undertake an annual structured conversation/performance appraisal with your manager or a trusted colleague including on your leadership role to review your professional activities, development needs, learning goals and plans for the following year.
  • Undertake a critical reflection on your leadership performance and outcomes (ideally informed by peer feedback) and develop a plan for practice change. Potential topics for reflection are in the key areas to consider Learning and growing in your role, including in your professional supports and networks; Progressing your leadership skills; Enhancing your communication skills; Understanding your own biases; Identifying and managing conflicts of interest; Identifying and managing risk; Developing knowledge and skills in clinical governance to support the delivery of safe, high-quality care; Managing financial and business aspects, including technology and data management; Developing and managing your staff; Supporting education and training; Supporting all staff health and wellbeing.
  • Participate in a cultural safety activitySee the Support across work roles > Providing a culturally safe practice tab for more information with a view to better understanding cultural safety and implications for your department/unit/service. Following this activity, consider undertaking a critical reflection on what you have learnt and what it means for your practice.
  • Formally engage with a mentor to further your professional goals for your leadership practice. Claim hours spent doing so under the mentoring activity.
  • Participate in a peer support group of self-selected peers with expertise and interest in leadership and management. Potential areas of focus for the group are listed under key areasLearning and growing in your role, including in your professional supports and networks; Progressing your leadership skills; Enhancing your communication skills; Understanding your own biases; Identifying and managing conflicts of interest; Identifying and managing risk; Developing knowledge and skills in clinical governance to support the delivery of safe, high-quality care; Managing financial and business aspects, including technology and data management; Developing and managing your staff; Supporting education and training; Supporting all staff health and wellbeing.
  • Conduct a practice audit (clinical support) relevant to your leadership practice. Potential topics for audit include systems and operations to measure departmental effectiveness, cultural safety initiatives occurring across your health service, and audit of performance metrics. Others are in the practice audit (clinical support) CPD guideline.
  • Present to a colleague/audience or write a report of your audit results, including key findings and the implications for your practice. Claim hours spent under report of audit findings.

Knowledge & skills (category 2)

  • Undertake a formal leadership or governance qualification and claim time spent doing this under formal courses.
  • Read peer-reviewed journals relevant to your leadership role (see key areas to consider) Learning and growing in your role, including in your professional supports and networks; Progressing your leadership skills; Enhancing your communication skills; Understanding your own biases; Identifying and managing conflicts of interest; Identifying and managing risk; Developing knowledge and skills in clinical governance to support the delivery of safe, high-quality care; Managing financial and business aspects, including technology and data management; Developing and managing your staff; Supporting education and training; Supporting all staff health and wellbeing and claim this as journal reading.
  • Attend courses and workshops to develop your leadership and/or governance skills. Claim time spent doing this under leadership and management skills development.
  • Attend face-to-face or virtual learning sessions relevant to your leadership and/or governance practice (for example: conferences, podcasts, webinars; see key areas to considerLearning and growing in your role, including in your professional supports and networks; Progressing your leadership skills; Enhancing your communication skills; Understanding your own biases; Identifying and managing conflicts of interest; Identifying and managing risk; Developing knowledge and skills in clinical governance to support the delivery of safe, high-quality care; Managing financial and business aspects, including technology and data management; Developing and managing your staff; Supporting education and training; Supporting all staff health and wellbeing). Claim time spent doing this under learning sessions.
  • Provide feedback to a colleague for their CPD. Claim time spent observing their performance and providing them with feedback under review of ANZCA/FPM fellows. Examples are multi-source feedback [anaesthesia practice | DHM practice | pain medicine practice | procedures in pain medicine practice], multi-source feedback (clinical support), annual structured conversation/performance appraisal, peer review of educational practice, report of audit findings. (Note: for peer review and peer review of educational practice, both participants claim under that activity.)
  • Participate in face-to-face or virtual small group learning which may include teaching or learning a new skill relevant to your leadership, management and/or governance practice, and which has an interactive and/or hands on component. Claim this under short format learning.
The college welcomes suggestions on additional resources and topics for CPD on heading a department/unit/service.

ANZCA & FPM resources



External resources


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