The Medical Council has changed Professional Competence requirements for the 2020-2021 year. You can read the full announcement from the Medical Council here (PDF)
The Medical Council has stated that for the 2020-2021 Professional Competence year, the following will apply:
The requirements outlined above will be kept under review in light of a protracted pandemic and the Medical Council will keep the COVID-19 section of their website updated with the latest information
External CPD relates to educational activities that take place outside your workplace where you can interact with and learn from others.
You can claim 1 CPD credit for each hour spent on activities such as the examples listed below:
Evidence of your participation is required. See: Evidence for External CPD and Example Template for External CPD
Internal CPD activities take place alongside your colleagues and teams within your workplace on topics related to your practice that help improve the standards of your own practice and that of your team.
You can claim 1 CPD credit for each hour spent on activities such as the examples below:
Example meeting types
Example Courses:
Example Online Educational Activities
Evidence of your participation is required. See: Evidence for Internal CPD and Example Template for Internal CPD
Forum of Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies - Verification of Internal CPD
You only need to record five hours of Personal Learning each year, but one of the most common mistakes we see is doctors forgetting to record it.
Here are some everyday examples of Personal Learning
No evidence is required for this category
Research and teaching are essential in order to improve patient care. Sharing your knowledge with others will help you to consolidate your own learning as well as providing a valuable education opportunity for your colleagues and peers
While you are not required to record these activities it is highly desirable to claim your credit in ePortfolio.
Examples of Research or Teaching activities include:
Teaching/Examining/Supervision
1 credit per hour for:
5 credits for:
Research and Publishing
1 credit per hour for:
Evidence of your participation is required. See: Evidence for Research or Teaching
You must record a total of 50 CPD credits every year. The 50 credits must include the minimum requirements from the External, Internal and Personal Learning categories.
Supporting Evidence is required for the External, Internal and Research or Teaching categories
Examples of appropriate types of evidence:
Read:
Not acceptable
GDPR for doctors
When adding evidence documents to your ePortfolio for Professional Competence, be sure they are in line with General Data Protection Regulations. You can find out more about this in our General Data Protection Guideline
CPD credit for External, Internal and Personal Learning activities is calculated as 1 learning hour = 1 CPD credit.
You should claim credit for the number of hours you spent engaged in the activity.
This HSE scheme is open to all NCHDs. There is an approved list of clinical courses & examinations qualifying for this refund scheme contained in the HSE guidance document. Commencing 8th July 2019 the full cost of an approved examination/course taken on or after this date is eligible to be refunded for the first sitting of the exam.
This scheme is open to all NCHDs. Funding is allocated based on Grade and the table below indicates the amount available under the TSS for each registration training year, July – July. Funding is available pro-rata for doctors employed on shorter contract durations.
Grade | Amount per Registration Year |
Intern | €750 |
SHOs and Registrars | €1250 |
SPRs/GP Registrars/Psychiatry SRs on a training scheme | €2000 |
A list of approved clinical courses, conferences and examinations that can be claimed for under the TSS are listed on the HSE website here
The HSE NCHD Training Supports Scheme (TSS) Guidance Document for Employers & NCHDs cab be found here which contains a detailed explanation of the Scheme.
This scheme is open to Consultants employed in the public service. It allows Consultants claim a maximum of €3,000 pa towards courses and conference, reference materials and professional fees.
Further information is available in the following HSE documents:
Continuous Professional Development Support Schemes are funded by National Doctors Training and Planning, via the various training bodies and have been developed with a view to providing NCHDs who are not engaged in specialist training i.e. doctors in non-training posts, with a suite of professional educational activities which will assist you in fulfilling some of the requirements of the Professional Competence Scheme.
More information about CPDSS:
We offer a diverse range of educational opportunities and we are continuing to develop new and innovative lifelong learning and professional development opportunities for healthcare professionals.
Whether you are looking for a practical workshop on how to conduct a clinical audit, guidance on how to mentor doctors in training, technical training on endoscopy, or are considering a more long-term undertaking such as our highly popular Diploma in Leadership and Quality in Healthcare, we think you will find something worthwhile on our website.
We have a highly experienced Professional Competence support team in our Dublin headquarters. They are always happy to answer your questions and advise you on how to maintain Professional Competence. Please note, at present the fastest way to contact this department is by logging in to our support desk here
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