Which GDC standard focuses on maintaining and developing professional knowledge and skills?

• A. Maintain and develop professional knowledge and skills.
• B. Communicate effectively.
• C. Put patients' interests first.
• D. Respect patient confidentiality.

Answer: (A)

This standard is about keeping your knowledge and skills up to date through ongoing learning. It emphasizes continuing professional development, reflecting on what you do, identifying what you need to learn, and applying new evidence to your practice. By actively pursuing learning opportunities and updating your competence, you help ensure safe, current, evidence‑based patient care as guidelines and technologies evolve.

In everyday practice, this means engaging in CPD activities, reviewing new guidelines, updating techniques and procedures as needed, and documenting your learning. The other areas focus on different aspects of professional duty—putting patients’ interests first relates to ethics and prioritizing patient welfare, communicating effectively to ensure clear patient and team interactions, and respecting patient confidentiality to protect information. While important, they address distinct responsibilities rather than the ongoing process of developing your own professional knowledge and skills.