Education Guidelines
The following guidelines have been developed and approved by the NSW OTA Inc.
Executive Committee as providers of professional educational activities for our members. They are designed to assist the committees of all NSW OTA zones to deliver professional educational activities that aid in promoting lifelong learning, assist members to work toward obtaining Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours towards their National Registration as per the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Continuing professional development registration standard. These guidelines shall be reviewed Bi-annually by the NSW OTA Executive Committee.
Criteria
- The educational activity is delivered in a professional manner, which shall include aims and expected outcomes of the activity, relevant to our area of practice. The NSW OTA Inc logo, length of time, cost, contact persons and any sponsorship provided shall be acknowledged on all promotional and advertising material for Professional Education days (PED) and the Annual Conference.
- All presenters are, or have recently been, working within their area of expertise and their profile shall be provided and supplied to delegates. At Annual Conferences a brief overview of the topic including the profile shall be included in delegate programs where possible. Activities should be appropriate for the greater membership while also providing information on new or updated health care regulations, techniques, technologies or products.
- A record of attendance stating the Continuing Professional Development hours is provided to delegates. The points awarded are for the educational sessions only and do not include time for meal breaks, trade displays or networking. These points shall be approved by the Education and Research or the appropriate Zone executive team prior to the session. The NSW OTA Inc. logo, event date, the topics presented and the CPD hours shall be included on the certificate.
- Formal evaluation and data collation processes shall be available to establish areas for improvement and future educational topics. Discussions at the NSW OTA Inc. Planning weekend shall provide a guide to the information that should be collected in this evaluation process. These shall be discussed at an Executive Committee or Zone committee meeting following the educational activity and tabled in the minutes, thereby providing evidence of response to evaluation outcomes.
- The venue shall be appropriate for the activity, and able to accommodate an adequate number of members, based on data collected. Records of numbers of delegates should include those requesting attendance, who cannot be accommodated, this data shall provide evidence for future planning. The venue should be covered by indemnity insurance and meet relevant WorkHealth and Safety (WHS) standards.
- NSW OTA Inc. members fees are less than that of non-members and those who join at the time of registration shall be charged as a member. The delegate registration documentation shall provide details of inclusions and exclusions within the cost structure for all events. Costing for education sessions, including speaker payment shall be discussed and decided at an Executive, Zone or Conference Committee meeting prior to the event. Presenters do not pay registration fees for the day of their presentation.
Approved: by the NSW OTA Executive Committee September 2012
