Principal Auditor
NHS (Fife)
Since it became a requirement to formally record the activities included within my CPD, I have obtained a Higher appreciation of the entire CPD concept and how it can assist me to remain focused on the objectives included within my job description. Updating my CPD on a monthly basis also assists with this, as it allows me to consider my CPD on a regular basis, which helps me plan what development opportunities I wish to undertake in the forthcoming months.
Activities I have completed in the past year that I have benefited from, in terms of career development, include:
Attending an Audit Committee meeting and presenting papers on behalf of Internal Audit. The Audit Committee meeting is the final stage in the audit cycle, where the outcome of our audit reviews are formally reported and discussed. Attending such a meeting allowed me to understand how the business of such meetings are conducted, what the Chair and members’ expectations are and how they view Internal Audit’s contribution to the overall governance framework. This has helped me identify the most important elements of my role.
Being involved in preparing a tender document for the provision of an internal audit service, to a prospective audit client and assisting with the presentation of the proposed service specification. This was beneficial as it involved a wider appreciation of the service Internal Audit provides, requiring further consideration of the client’s needs and how these would be met.
Completing an internal course on developing staff skills and knowledge framework so that they would be able to consider their own CPD. This was particularly useful when it came to performing a staff development review as it gave a structured approach, enabling the most important development areas to be concentrated on. It also allowed staff to be fully involved and contribute to the review.
Completing intranet based training on the Data Protection Act 1998. This raised my awareness of its requirements, which I was then able to use when completing an audit that considered compliance with it.
Attending an in-house training seminar, where a number of topics prevalent to current internal audit issues were considered in more depth, such as risk management, best value and governance.
I find reading the Chartered Secretary can provide information on current topics of interest and other relevant issues. Recently I found the article on Mapping the Gap of interest as it relates to governance within the NHS.
