APR Maintenance is easier than you think
by Shawn Davis, MBA, BA Comms, APR
As PR people, there are very few of us who would consider ourselves to be “process” people – myself included. I am more of an ‘organic’ person, and at times I feel that processes just seem to get in the way. So when the voluntary CPRS Accreditation Maintenance program was implemented a number of years ago, I perceived it to be a cumbersome process that would likely take too much of my time and energy to complete. Imagine my surprise when I recently learned how simple it is.
Since graduating from the Communications program at the University of Calgary nearly 25 years ago, I have been a committed CPRS member; I have sat on the Board in a variety of roles for more years than not, achieved my Accreditation nearly 20 years ago, have been an Accreditation grader and an awards judge, and have been publicly vocal about the importance of giving back to a profession that has given me so much. I have been involved in helping set curriculum in the continuing education programs at both UofC as well as Mount Royal University, and in 2014 I was recognized by Mount Royal for both my long service on the curriculum’s advisory committee and for 10 years of teaching.
But even still, I never took the time to complete my Accreditation Maintenance. Since it’s a voluntary program, I always figured I would get around to it – someday, when I had some free time on my hands. And for some reason, that day never came. Until last year. I had just finished grading a set of APR exams when I received a note of thanks from CPRS National and reminding me that this work qualified for 2.5 maintenance points. I took the opportunity to go onto the CPRS website right then and there to learn about what would be involved to ‘apply’ for Maintenance. In a few simple clicks, I had determined how many units were required (and more importantly, how many points I had accumulated over the last few years), had entered my online maintenance records, and had received notification that I had completed all necessary Maintenance activities – literally within a half hour of having gone onto the site. This year, after grading APR work samples, I received a similar reminder note from CPRS National – and simply went onto the CPRS website and entered this year’s activity.
You may be asking yourself “Why should I bother? Since it’s a voluntary program, why do I need to track Maintenance records?”. I’ll be honest, that was probably one of my initial barriers to completing my own Maintenance records. But public relations, like any other profession, requires a life-long commitment to learning; an ability to incorporate information from a variety of sources so we can identify those best practices that will work in our given situations. For me, whether I am attending a PD event or judging an awards submission, I am constantly thinking about the issues my own clients are facing and drawing upon elements of what others are doing in my own planning. I am learning about new technologies and their impact on our field. And I am sharpening my saw by challenging myself and playing the role of devil’s advocate with respect to my own work. By tracking my Maintenance activity, I am also able to see which areas I am spending more time on (Professional Activities and Community Service), and which areas I need to spend some focused time (Training). It goes along with the old adage – the moment you write something down, you become more accountable to its achievement. With Accreditation Maintenance, the simple act of tracking my activities each year means that I make a personal commitment to my own professional development journey.
As we come to the end of the 2017/18 program year, I hope you will spend a few minutes on the CPRS National website and log your own PD activities.
*Shawn Davies isCPRS Calgary Past President and Acting Treasurer