The birth of 'MidPLUS': Australia's new national continuing professional development program for midwives

The national continuing professional development (CPD) program of the Australian College of Midwives, MidPLUS, was officially launched in September 2007. In our role as program developers we were dedicated to the belief that this national CPD program would be an important step for Australian midwives, and contribute to demonstrating a commitment to providing safe and effective care for Australian women and families. This paper outlines key issues involved in providing CPD programs for professional groups and highlights how this information was used in the decision making behind the design of MidPLUS. The key operational elements of CPD programs included program design, program administration and related professional issues. Important features and functions of the MidPLUS program are highlighted and justification is given for our overall design. This information may assist midwives who are considering using the MidPLUS program and are asking the question: CPD-what does it mean for me?