CPD questions,
answered.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a mandatory requirement for all healthcare professionals registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). It ensures practitioners maintain and develop their knowledge and skills throughout their careers. CPD activities earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which must be accumulated on an ongoing basis as part of your professional obligations.

HPCSA-registered healthcare professionals are required to accumulate a minimum of 30 CEUs per year. Of these, at least 5 must be ethics CEUs and at least 5 must be from Level 1 activities (structured learning with formal assessment, such as accredited online courses with MCQs). The remaining CEUs can come from a combination of Level 1 and Level 2 activities.

Ethics CPD points cover professional conduct, patient rights, confidentiality, informed consent, and regulatory compliance. Clinical CPD points cover clinical knowledge and skills relevant to your field of practice. The HPCSA requires a minimum of 5 ethics CEUs per year. Both types contribute to your total of 30 required CEUs.

Level 1 CPD activities are structured, formally assessed learning activities accredited by a recognised accreditor. These include online courses with MCQ assessments, accredited workshops, and formal training programmes. They earn 1 CEU per hour of learning. Level 2 activities are self-directed and include reading journal articles, attending non-accredited conferences, or peer learning. Level 2 activities earn fewer CEUs. At least 5 of your annual 30 CEUs must come from Level 1 activities.

All 26 HPCSA-registered healthcare professions require CPD. This includes medical doctors, dentists, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dietitians, radiographers, optometrists, pharmacists, clinical technologists, biokineticians, and other allied health professionals. Certiva courses are accredited for all 26 HPCSA-registered professions.

CPD points can be submitted to the HPCSA through their online CPD portal. You need your HPCSA registration number and proof of completion (certificates) for each activity. With Certiva, your CPD points are submitted directly to your HPCSA profile on your behalf after you complete a course and pass the assessment. No manual tracking or certificate filing is required.

Certiva courses are accredited by SAMA (South African Medical Association) and the University of Cape Town (UCT). Both are recognised CPD accreditors under the HPCSA CPD framework. Each course displays its accreditation number, and your certificate of completion includes the accreditor details for your records.

Certiva has two options. The Exam Pass is R399 once-off and gives you full access to the exam question banks (FCPsych, FCS and FCP Primaries) for your entire run-up to the exam, with no subscription. The monthly subscription is R199 per month with no contracts and includes everything in the Exam Pass plus all SAMA and UCT-accredited CPD courses, points and certificates; you can cancel anytime. There is also a free course (Social Media and Professional Conduct) that you can complete without paying.

Yes. Certiva offers a free SAMA-accredited ethics CPD course on Social Media and Professional Conduct. It covers the ethical obligations of HPCSA-registered healthcare professionals when using social media, based on HPCSA Booklet 16. You can complete it and earn 1 ethics CEU without subscribing.

Certiva offers exam preparation question banks for three South African primary exams: FCPsych Primaries, FCS Primaries and FCP Primaries (FCP(SA) Part I). Each bank has hundreds of explained questions covering all major exam topics, with weakness tracking that identifies your lowest-scoring subtopics with chapter-level textbook references, timed mock papers, and detailed explanations for every question. The question banks are included in both the R399 once-off Exam Pass and the R199/month subscription.