Chair | Professional Development Committee

Chair, Professional Development Committee

Vice President, Education

Three years. December 2026 to December 2029

• To oversee the management of the RCOG CPD programme for UK and overseas Fellows, Members and Associates.  
• To oversee the production of CPD guidance to support the CPD programme.  
• To collaborate with other organisations (e.g. GMC and AoMRC) and produce or endorse CPD guidance. 
• To collaborate with other committees on other College activities related to the CPD programme.  
• To oversee the management and further development of the CPD ePortfolio from a clinical perspective. 
• To support the Faculty Development Framework T&F Group in the review of the RCOG's Faculty Development Framework, helping to shape its future direction and ensure it continues to meet the needs of O&G educators and trainers. 
• To lead the Committee’s work in taking forward the outcomes of the Faculty Development Framework T&F Group’s review, including progressing any agreed recommendations and actions. 

• Chair three Professional Development Committee meetings per year. 
• Represent the Professional Development Committee at the quarterly Education Board meetings. 
• Support and monitor the CPD programme.  
• Lead the work to further develop the RCOG CPD ePortfolio and guidance for the CPD Framework. 
• Support the eLearning team in relation to development of learning resources for CPD. 
• Deal with all enquiries and correspondence from College Officers, other College Committees, Fellows and Members, and outside bodies related to continuing professional development, as and when they arise. 
• Coordinate College responses, as requested by College Officers, to relevant consultation documents from external bodies.  
• Where appropriate, seek advice and opinion about particular issues from individuals and experts not represented on the Committee. 
• Represent the College at relevant Academy of Medical Royal Colleges meetings. 
• Support the RCOG CPD administration team from a clinical perspective. 
• With the support of the Committee secretary, set the agendas for PDC and ensure that decisions taken are properly and effectively followed up and completed. 
• Recommend future membership of the Committee. 

• Members of the committee 
• Vice President, Education 
• Director of Education 
• CPD administration team and members of the Education Innovation team
• Executive Director of Education and Quality 
• Academy of Medical Royal Colleges 
• GMC 

The nature of the role means that the Chair, Professional Development Committee will be required to handle a fluctuating workload. It is up to the candidate to discuss and agree this with their NHS employer.

The Committee meets three times per year, and the Chair will also be expected to represent the Committee at quarterly Education Board meetings. 

There will also be a commitment outside of the meetings to deal with Committee matters and responses to consultations as required (on average 1 hour per week). 

Attendance at relevant Academy of Medical Royal Colleges meetings will be expected. 

Essential  

• MRCOG/FRCOG  
• Registered with a licence to practise with GMC, in good standing 
• Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecologist in substantive UK NHS practice 
• Evidence of annual appraisal 
• Evidence of equal opportunities and diversity training within previous 3 years 

Desirable  

• Formal training or experience in medical education 
• Formal training or experience in healthcare management 
• Previous role as clinical leader such as departmental lead/clinical director 

Essential 

• Experience as an appraiser 
• Desirable 
• Experience of developing educational tools to promote learning 

Essential 

• Clear demonstration of a commitment to improving women’s health relevant to the Professional Development Committee 
• Good communicator  
• Flexibility and prepared to respond rapidly to issues as they arise 
• Prepared to undertake work for the Committee, outside of the committee meetings 
• Prepared to represent the College at external events 
• Prepared to represent the Professional Development Committee views for formal consultations 
• Prior experience of a significant leadership role 
• Detailed knowledge of current NHS and the Health and Social Care Act 

Information about the RCOG CPD Framework can be found here.

Committee Chair/Member/Course Convenors and Organisers

If within your committee role or work as course convenor or organiser you gain knowledge which enhances patient care or leadership and technical skills (including, for example, giving presentations, teaching sessions or mock examining) credits can be claimed as an ‘Experiential Learning Event’.

CPD users can now freely select and record the number of credits for all their CPD activities. For Experiential Learning Events, a Reflection is required to claim the selected credits. In addition, 1 or 2 credits can be claimed for an action following the learning (1 credit for a simple action, 2 credits for a complex action). To claim credits for an action, the individual needs to demonstrate how they have applied their learning to their practice, the service they provide and/or the potential impact of the learning.

For those who prefer to follow RCOG recommendations, the CPD Framework still provides a suggested number of credits that can be claimed for different CPD activities.

Further information can be found in the RCOG CPD Framework document.