“What Did You Learn?” – Why That Box in Your CPD Log Matters More Than You Think
There’s a little box at the bottom of almost every CPD activity on Osler. It’s labelled Learning Outcome, and more often than not, it gets barely a sentence – if that. Other times, it’s filled with vague statements like “Attended M&M meeting” or “Watched webinar.”
We get it. You’re busy. Logging CPD can feel like a formality – something you race through between patients, meetings and life. But here’s the truth: that little box is where the real CPD happens. It’s not an afterthought. It’s the whole point.
Over the last year, we’ve seen thousands of doctors complete CPD through Osler. We’ve seen incredible learning, from in-depth case reviews to national guidelines updates, and we’ve also seen the missed opportunities – blank boxes, meaningless comments, reflections that don’t reflect anything. And while the first year of CPD Home was about easing into a new system, year two is about using it well. That starts with treating the Learning Outcome field with the attention it deserves.
Learning Happens in the Writing
There’s a well-established principle in cognitive science: when you write something down in your own words, you’re more likely to remember it. That’s because it forces your brain to engage with the material. Passive learning, like watching a webinar or listening to a lecture, often disappears without a trace. But summarising what you learned, identifying what matters, and considering how it applies to your practice? That moves it from short-term memory into something more durable.
It’s the same reason reflective practice is a core part of medical education. Writing about what you’ve learned isn’t a hoop to jump through – it’s how you make the learning stick. Think of it as a debrief with yourself. Even spending one or two minutes genuinely thinking about what changed for you during a session can radically enhance the long-term impact.
Proof of Learning, Not Just Attendance
Another reason this field matters is because it actually provides better evidence of learning than certificates, minutes, or screenshots. A PDF showing you were at a meeting doesn’t prove you were present in any meaningful way. But a concise, considered explanation of what you learned and how it changed your thinking? That’s a much more compelling indicator that CPD occurred.
If you’re ever audited or asked to justify your CPD activity, your learning outcome entries will speak louder than your attendance records. Regulators and colleges are increasingly interested in impact, not just involvement – and this is where that’s demonstrated.
Your CPD Portfolio Is Searchable – So Make It Useful
One of Osler’s features is the ability to search your CPD log by keyword. If you’ve logged your learning outcomes thoughtfully, you’ve built a personal medical knowledge base – one that’s relevant to your own practice and retrievable at any time. Think of it as your clinical diary.
For example, imagine it’s been two years since you attended a medico-legal webinar and now you need to review informed consent procedures in a tricky case. If your Learning Outcome was simply “attended webinar”, you won’t find anything useful. But if you noted a key takeaway – such as “discussion of implied consent and the risk of misinterpretation in emergency care” – you can now search “implied consent” and pull that insight straight back up.
This is how your CPD becomes more than a compliance exercise. It becomes something you can use.
An Example - The Missed Potential of M&M Meetings
Some of the most significant learning in medicine comes from Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) meetings. These are forums for deep reflection – what happened, why it happened, and what we need to change. And yet, in CPD logs, they’re among the most poorly recorded activities. Too often we see entries that say nothing more than “M&M – 1 hour”.
That’s a tragedy – not just because the documentation is inadequate, but because the opportunity for learning is being lost. These meetings are already Reviewing Performance or Measuring Outcomes activities – high-value CPD categories. But they’re only meaningful if the lessons are named, internalised, and ideally acted on. And that process begins in the Learning Outcome field.
Let’s say the meeting discussed a missed case of cauda equina syndrome. Instead of writing “attended M&M,” a more valuable entry might say, “Patient with back pain and urinary retention diagnosed late with CES. Discussed need for earlier MRI access and raised awareness of red flag symptom clusters. Will review triage protocol with ED team.” That’s a learning outcome. It shows understanding, engagement, and intent to improve.
Examples of Learning Outcomes That Add Value
Here are some transformed entries that show the difference a few extra moments of reflection can make:
Instead of: “Webinar on paediatric sepsis.”
Try: “Revised early signs of sepsis in children – noted that mottling and prolonged cap refill can precede fever. Will integrate this into initial assessments and share with junior staff.”
Instead of: “Cardiology journal club.”
Try: “Discussed updated lipid management guidelines. Takeaway: ezetimibe has stronger evidence in secondary prevention than I realised – will adjust prescribing in post-ACS patients.”
Instead of: “M&M meeting – 1 hour.”
Try: “Case of deteriorating patient not reviewed overnight. Takeaway: gaps in escalation protocol for ward-based nurses. Will initiate review of after-hours MET triggers with governance team.”
These are specific, relevant, and grounded in your context. That’s the goal.
Year Two: Higher Expectations
In 2024, we recognised that many doctors were still getting used to the new CPD Home system, and we were flexible in our expectations. But now, in 2025, the focus is shifting from box-ticking to meaningful participation.
We’ll still support doctors at every stage, but part of that support is encouraging you to reflect well. The CPD framework isn’t just about meeting quotas – it’s about fostering a culture of learning, improvement, and professional growth. And that starts with how you engage in the little things, like what you type into a field at the bottom of the screen.
Write Like Your Future Self Will Thank You
It can be helpful to reframe how you see this task. You’re not writing for the Medical Board. You’re not writing for Osler. You’re writing for yourself – your future self. The one who might face a similar patient next week. The one who needs to remember that case you saw. The one who will be glad you took two minutes to reflect and record the key idea before it slipped away.
So next time you complete a CPD activity and come to that little box, take a breath. Ask yourself: What did I really learn? What matters here? What might I want to remember later?
Then write it down. It doesn’t have to be long. It just has to be real.