The Dietitian Cafe podcast ft. Julia: Tackling CPD dread - how to build a CPD portfolio to be proud of

The Dietitian Cafe is a podcast for healthcare professionals to learn from, hosted by dietitian Harriet Smith. It features interviews with a range of dietitians discussing many areas of dietetics and nutrition, from studying to academia, clinical to industry, the NHS to freelancing.

The Julia team was thrilled to be invited onto the podcast alongside Jen Fielder, Interim Professional Lead for the Nutrition and Dietetic Department at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (and the instigator for the Julia platform!). Joining her for the episode was Donna Fielder, one of Julia’s content producers, who has interviewed a wide range of AHPs about their CPD experiences and looked at how this has supported their career progression.

Some of the questions we address in the episode are:

• What actually counts as CPD and how much CPD should HCPC-registered dietitians be undertaking? (4:53)
• What is Julia Can Help and how can it help dietitians to manage their CPD? (8:00)
• What are the consequences if the HCPC deem that an individual hasn’t completed enough CPD to hold their professional registration? (14:36)
• Do Allied Health Professionals need to write a reflection after each piece of CPD they undertake for it to count towards their portfolio? (19:12)
• Is there a “gold standard” way to record CPD? (21:01)
• What are Jen's top tips for creating a CPD portfolio to be proud of? (26:32)

A definite takeaway for us after hearing Jen’s perspective is that there is no one way to build your portfolio: ultimately you need to select an approach that works for you.

You don’t need to write an essay when you reflect on your learning and, if you lack time, keep it as a voice note!

Think about how you learn best and focus in on those types of activities, whilst also tuning into the fact that some of the tasks you are doing in your day-to-day role could count.

It’s time to remove the fear around CPD and realise it can be an enjoyable experience!

So we invite you to have a listen and hope you come away with some reassurance, inspiration and, ultimately, a renewed vigour to build your CPD portfolio with confidence.

Listen now

Thank you to Harriet Smith at HRS Communications for inviting Julia onto the podcast alongside Jen Fielder, and also to Nualtra for making this podcast possible. If you enjoy the episode, then do subscribe to hear more episodes of the Dietitian Cafe podcast, with the full back catalogue available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.