FAQs

All registered medical practitioners (General, Supervised and Specialist Divisions) have a legal duty to maintain professional competence and were required to enrol on a PCS beginning 1st May 2011 (Ms Mary Harney T.D., Part 11 of the Medical Practitioners Act, 2007 – Maintenance of Professional Competence, 2010).

Trainees, including interns, registered on the Trainee Specialist Division are NOT required to be enrolled on a Professional Competence Scheme.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is any activity that develops or maintains a doctor’s knowledge, skills, and professional competence. It ensures safe, effective patient care and supports a culture of lifelong learning.

PCS is run on a not-for-profit basis.

The annual fee, like other postgraduate training bodies, is necessary to meet the cost of investment by the college in software, manpower/administration and database management. The annual fee approved by the Medical Council is reviewed annually as part of the Medical Council accreditation process and adjusted as appropriate

From 1 May 2025, a revised MPC Framework will come into effect, with updated CPD categories, requirements, and clearer guidance. Key changes include:

• Mandatory Professional Development Plan (PDP)
• 50 hours of CPD annually (inclusive of practice review)
• New CPD categories including Work-Based Learning and Practice Review
• Pro-rata requirements for doctors joining mid-year
• Clear provisions for doctors on leave
• Evidence retention required for 6 years

Distinction between doctors engaged in the practice of medicine vs not engaged

Engagement in the practice of medicine by a registered medical practitioner includes any of the following activities:

• Involvement in the act of diagnosing, treating or managing illnesses and medical conditions, including telemedicine consultations
• Provision of medical advice or education
• Prescription of medications
• Performing medical procedures
• Development of preventative programmes
• Conducting relevant medical research
• Taking any other actions which require medical knowledge and skills

All doctors must complete 50 hours of CPD annually. For doctors practising medicine, this must include:

• A Professional Development Plan (up to 5 hours)
• A Practice Review activity (minimum 10 hours)
• Work-Based Learning (minimum 15 hours)
• Accredited CPD (minimum 20 hours)

Doctors who are not engaged in the practice of medicine have slightly different requirements, with greater flexibility between Practice Review and Work-Based Learning – (If not engaged in medical practice: at least 25 credits combined from Practice Review and Work-Based Learning).

Yes. Doctors who are not engaged in the practice of medicine must still complete 50 hours of CPD but have more flexibility:

• PDP (up to 5 hours)
• Minimum 25 hours of Practice Review or Work-Based Learning
• Minimum 20 hours of Accredited CPD

Doctors must complete a Professional Development Plan (PDP). A PDP is a useful tool for doctors to reflect and capture their CPD needs and objectives for the coming scheme year. It is important to note that PDPs are a tool for professional development and not for performance management.

• You must update your PDP every year.
• A PDP form is available in your e-portfolio (Risr/Advance) and will guide you through what information to include.
• The Medical Council encourages doctors to engage in peer review and review their plan at the end of every year
• You can claim up to 5 credits for this activity. Creating a plan (3 points) engage in peer review (1 point) and review their plan at the end of the PCS Year (1 point).

Completing a PDP is mandatory for all doctors, regardless of whether they are currently engaged in practice.

Practice Review includes:

• Clinical audits
• Quality improvement projects
• Practice evaluations
  These activities aim to assess and improve your clinical or professional practice and are required for doctors engaged in practice.

This refers to reflective learning that takes place during routine clinical or non-clinical work, such as:

• Grand Rounds
• Multi-disciplinary clinical activities (MDTs, MDMs)
• Research and scholarly activity
• Education, teaching, training, mentoring and supervision
• Organised learning activities (including journal clubs)
• Internal teaching session
• Examining candidates for college examinations
• Research, publication and peer review for journals and texts

Some Learning Activities Relevant to Retired Doctors

• Health and clinical service policy
• Clinical leadership, management
• Teaching, Examiner, Mentoring, SDR assessment
• CPD verification
• Patient incident assessment
• Medico-legal work, Professional Advisor, Voluntary, Others

These are structured, pre-approved learning activities such as:

• Educational courses, workshops, or webinars
• National or international conferences
• Simulation-based training
• Relevant academic qualifications
  Minimum 20 hours per year is required.

Yes. Doctors engaged in practice must complete at least one Practice Review activity (audit, QI, or evaluation) each year, which is now included in the 50-hour total.

No. Surplus CPD credits cannot be carried over into the following scheme year.

Pro-rata CPD requirements now apply for:

• New PCS enrolee’s mid-year
• Doctors on extended sick leave, maternity leave, or other statutory leave

You must notify your Scheme of any such changes.

Doctors must retain evidence of CPD activity for a minimum of 6 years.

Doctors on maternity, parental, carers, or sick leave for over 3 months may be granted reduced requirements. Notify your Scheme Operator with appropriate documentation.

CAI use Risr/Advance (formerly known as ‘Kaizen’), which is an e-portfolio system used to log and track PCS Activity.

You must be enrolled in our Professional Competence Scheme to gain access to the e-portfolio system. Your account will remain ‘PCS Locked’ until your PCS Registration fee has been settled in the ‘Fellows Portal’.

Doctors must align CPD activities with these domains:

1. Patient safety and quality of care
2. Relating to patients
3. Communication and interpersonal skills
4. Collaboration and teamwork
5. Management (including self-management)
6. Scholarship
7. Professionalism
8. Clinical skills

Each domain should be covered at least once every three years.

If based abroad and working less than 30 days per year in Ireland, you must complete CPD in your country of practice and may be exempt from enrolling in an Irish PCS.

This is an annual summary of your CPD activity, issued by your Scheme Operator. You may be required to submit it to the Medical Council on request.

Persistent non-compliance (e.g., failing for 3 consecutive years) may lead to regulatory action, including investigation or complaint by the Medical Council.

Credits are awarded for online courses when the following criteria are fulfilled:

• The course provides for learner interaction or self-assessment
• The course objectives describe what participants learn or achieve by participating in the course
• The course provides access to appropriate bibliographic sources allowing further study
• Bibliographic sources reinforce and clarify specific topics
• The practitioner produces evidence of the activity e.g., a certificate of completion

Remember that you should ensure a balance between CPD credits from online learning and those from attending meetings.

You should use your professional judgement to determine whether the topic is appropriate to your learning needs. (Self-directed learning). If the activity is passive e.g., reading, watching a video, you can claim personal learning credits. If the activity meets the criteria for online courses (above) you can claim credit in the external category, CAI will accept that claim.

CAI encourages you to keep your information as up to date as possible. If you have engaged in activity and have not recorded it on your e-portfolio you will find your Statement of Participation indicates less credits than you have undertaken.

It is possible to retrospectively update the record of activities and the next Statement of Participation, when issued, will show this amended information.

Yes

A CPD certificate of attendance for an event or activity granted by any other PGTB or Faculty, will be accepted by CAI as evidence of a doctor’s participation in that activity.

From time to time, you will engage in activities that have not been approved by a PGTB. You can claim CPD credits. You should satisfy yourself that these activities are relevant to your practice and reflect on the benefit to maintenance of professional competence.

This depends on whether you wish to remain on the Irish Medical Council Register. The length of any leave of absence from the practice of medicine will have an impact on participation in a professional competence scheme.

If you wish to remain on the Irish Medical Council Register, notify CAI that you intend to cease practising medicine for a period with relevant supporting documentation. You should maintain professional competence over the duration of the leave as you are still required to achieve the targets of Professional Competence required by the Medical Council.

If you are planning to cease pactising for a long period, you can withdraw from the register voluntarily. You will have no responsibility to maintain professional competence and you can apply to restore your name to the register at any time in the future.

The following broad guidelines apply:

• One year or less:
  Notify CAI that you intend to cease pactising medicine for a period of e.g., 6 months. CAI will ask you to produce relevant supporting documentation, including a professional development plan. If possible, you should maintain some engagement in the maintenance of professional competence over the duration of the leave as you are still required to achieve the targets of Professional Competence required by the Medical Professional Competence Scheme 9
  Council. There should be a planned return to work with CAI if your absence related to an illness that could have affected cognition or physical ability.
• Between one and three years:
  Notify CAI and the Irish Medical Council that you intend to cease pactising medicine for a planned period. CAI will ask you to produce relevant supporting documentation. If at all possible, you should maintain some engagement in the maintenance of professional competence over the duration of the leave.
• Over three years:
  If you are planning to cease the practice of medicine for more than three years, you are advised to withdraw from the register voluntarily. You will have no responsibility to maintain professional competence during this period. You will not retain the right to practice medicine during this period. You can apply to restore your name to the register at any time in the future. You will be asked to provide a professional development plan on re-registration. This may include provisions for a planned re-entry to practice supported by your employer. The plan may also require engagement with CAI. If voluntary withdrawal is not an option, you should contact the Professional Competence Section of the Medical Council.
• I am taking leave of absence:
  You may consider voluntary withdrawal from the register. You will not have any responsibility to maintain professional competence and you will not retain the right to practice medicine.

You can maintain professional competence activities while pactising overseas by either enrolling on established programmes in another jurisdiction or you can maintain enrolment in CAI PCS. CAI PCS will recognise activities in other jurisdictions that are accredited by equivalent postgraduate training bodies.

• Overseas for a year or less:
  You should maintain enrolment in CAI PCS. A short break is easy to accommodate by continuing to engage in professional competence activities while pactising overseas. Any deficit can be made up on return to practice in Ireland.
• Overseas for more than a year:
  You can maintain professional competence in line with requirements set by the Medical Council in one of two ways:
  1. Doctors pactising medicine in countries with established professional competence programmes e.g., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, USA, can maintain competence using these programmes. Doctors using this approach will find that requirements of the Irish Medical Council are very similar to requirements of these PC programmes.
     A doctor coming/returning to Ireland to practice medicine should enroll in CAI PCS if he/she anticipates pactising in Ireland during that PCS year for more than 30 days.
  2. The doctor can continue his/her enrolment in CAI PCS. CPD activities in another jurisdiction will be recognised and accredited by CAI PCS. As with all doctors enrolled in CAI PCS, doctors may be required to participate in a verification process and asked to provide evidence to support recorded activities.

CAI uses defined process for awarding external credits for external CPD activity based on best international practice. If you are organising an event, you should apply for CPD approval to CAI if relevant to the content of the event or activity. (Refer to CAI website for guidelines and application forms).

CAI accreditation is based on educational content and quality – this may vary from year to year. Organisers of events apply in advance of the event and submit the event programme for recognition by PCS.

It is unnecessary to apply for CPD approval for an event to more than one PGTB. A CPD certificate of attendance for an event or activity granted by any PGTB or Faculty will be automatically accepted by another PGTB.

Yes.

When applying for CPD approval, you should establish a “good faith” estimate on the amount of time a doctor will take to complete the activity and satisfy its purpose and/or learning objectives.

There are 2 processes for PCS monitoring.

1. College of Anaesthesiologists Verification
   Each year, a small number of doctors are randomly selected to verify their CPD records. If documentation supports the credits claimed, no further checks will occur for two years. If not, the Statement is amended, and verification is repeated the next year.
2. Medical Council Audit
   The Medical Council audits 10–15% of doctors annually. If selected, you’ll need to submit your Statement of Participation from CAI.

• €260.00 for CAI Fellows who are in good standing and who pay an annual subscription.
• €300.00 for all other applicants.

PCS subscription should be paid at the beginning of the PCS year (May)

If PCS fees are not paid the e-portfolio cannot be accessed i.e., you will not be able to upload credits.

When renewing your Medical Council registration, you will be asked to declare in good faith that you are enrolled in a professional competence scheme and are maintaining competence in line with requirements.

In addition, the annual IMC audit requests up to 15% of registrants to submit a Statement of Participation. If you do not maintain enrolment with PCS, you will not receive a Statement of Participation for that year.

For further support, you can:

• Contact your Professional Competence Scheme (PCS) operator at professionalcompetence@coa.ie
• Visit the Medical Council website: Medical Council – Professional Competence FAQ
• New PCS Framework: IMC Information Booklet: information-booklet-for-doctors-cpd.pdf

In the rare situation where a doctor fails, refuses or ceases to cooperate with requirements to maintain PC, the doctor will be the subject of follow-up action by the Medical Council.