Revalidation has always seemed like a big undertaking and it’s been all too easy to put it off. However, the beginning of a new year was as good a time as any to finally get round to thinking about this and the possibility of being able to complete the process in just one morning made it sound much more achievable.
The session
One upside of the current requirement to hold events online is that people from anywhere in the UK can attend. This event attracted lots of participants from the CILIP NW area, but others from as far afield as Kent. It is really helpful to be able to share resources across the regional groups in this way, and perhaps this benefit will be able to continue even after we return to our previous ways of working. The open invitation may well have contributed to the high turnout of 20 participants, some of whom had gained accreditation in recent years, others much longer ago.
It was recommended that a small amount of preparation could be done before the day in terms of:
• Reading about revalidation
• Downloading and starting to complete the revalidation template
Getting started
After a warm welcome, as is the etiquette with many Teams meetings, participants were asked to mute their microphones and invited to type in the chat. The number of comments and questions that quickly appeared suggested a real engagement in the session right from the outset. Perhaps the invitation to write rather than speak has the effect of encouraging more people to feel confident in sharing their thoughts? The presenters were able to read the chat ‘on the go’ and incorporate any queries into their presentations. This created a very inclusive and relaxed atmosphere, putting people at ease as their concerns were addressed.
We were each asked to state our own aim for the session in terms of how much of our revalidation we expected to achieve. Answers varied between 60 and 100%. Setting this personal target proved to be a meaningful way of keeping up the momentum and staying on track.
Why revalidate?
It was useful to begin by thinking about why we had all turned up. After all, revalidation is optional! We discussed reasons such as the importance of demonstrating our commitment to professional development to employers and potential employers. Revalidating our accreditation also serves as a means of underlining the professional nature of our roles and aligning ourselves with professionally registered colleagues from different departments within our organisations.
(Really) Getting down to it
Once the revalidation process had been demystified and the template explained, we began the first of two ‘Shut up and Write’ blocks of 45 minutes which were punctuated by a 15 minute break.
The Pomodoro timer (www.tomatotimers.com) was started and remained visible on our screens.
Shut up and Write means exactly that. Working silently at home during an online course was a new experience for many. Although it initially felt a bit strange, knowing that other participants were also dedicating this time to their revalidation provided a sense of accountability, solidarity and focus. Many of us will be familiar with attending courses and leaving with great intentions only for life to get in the way. Shut up and Write aims to overcome this and you can, at the very least, make a start.
Other benefits of this approach included the fact that those participants who were home schooling could check in with their children, helping to avoid too many interruptions during the interactive sections of the workshop. Additionally, being able to carve out the time to write during a scheduled training session meant that online interruptions from work colleagues could be kept to a minimum, ensuring that concentrating was much easier.
Finding 20 hours of recent CPD was not too onerous. In fact many participants found it difficult to cut down their log entries to a manageable level. This required prioritising the training and development sessions from the last 12 months to those the best demonstrated the three assessment criteria set by CILIP. (These criteria vary according to the level of revalidation you are working towards but are all listed at the bottom of the revalidation template). Being able to reflect succinctly on the various learning activities was a little more challenging at first but got easier with practice. With the presenters available on the Teams chat throughout, participants were able to get quick responses to any questions that cropped up and then continue writing.
Getting towards the end
By the end of the second 45 minute session, it felt like a good time to stop for reflection and a progress check. Then all that remained was to discuss the final details regarding how to upload the finished piece.
There was a feeling of surprise (and perhaps relief?) at how straightforward and satisfying the morning had been. Comments on the Teams chat and Twitter included;
‘A really great and productive session’
‘I don’t think I would have even attempted to revalidate without the course and would recommend it to anyone’
‘This is ace, I’m getting so much writing done’
Several participants fully completed their template and most if not all were well on their way. As well as being able to contact the presenters if we need any more help, we will all be contacted in a few weeks to see how we’re doing. This support and accountability were much appreciated as they are both really key to success.
If you are reading this and have been meaning to get round to revalidation, we hope this will inspire you to take the plunge.
Huge thanks to Dawn, Victoria, Gil and Anna for organising a great event and sharing their expertise.
This article has also been published on the ARLG NW blog
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