Practitioners on the Specialist and General Divisions of the Register will now be legally obliged to demonstrate that they are maintaining their professional competence.  In practice this means that practitioners must register with an accredited Professional Competence Scheme and begin a process of engagement in Professional Competence activities including Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Clinical Audit.  Practitioners must be registered onto a Scheme by 1st May 2011.

RCPI and its constituent Faculties and Institute will administer Professional Competence Schemes in the following specialties:-

 General Medicine
 Obstetrics & Gynaecology
 Occupational Medicine
 Paediatrics
 Pathology
 Public Health Medicine

The Professional Competence Schemes for the above specialties are currently under development in accordance with the guidelines approved by the Irish Medical Council.

RCPI will shortly provide an Online Application/Registration System whereby practitioners can make an initial application to participate in a Professional Competence Scheme and once the Schemes have been approved by the Medical Council, the registration process can be finalised.

 Please view this FAQ Document which is available also on on the Irish Medical Council Website in relation to registration on a Professional Competence Scheme.

Queries relating to Professional Competence in RCPI can be sent via email to professionalcompetence@rcpi.ie