What is Professional Competence

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is how doctors update, develop and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes throughout their working lives. Professional Competence is a formal way of recording your lifelong learning as a doctor. It demonstrates your commitment to developing and maintaining key skills and competencies throughout your medical career.

If you are registered on the Supervised, General or Specialist Division of the Medical Council Register, you are required to be enrolled on a Professional Competence Scheme. You must be enrolled in order to demonstrate that you are actively maintaining your Professional Competence in a manner recognised by the Medical Council. When you apply to retain your registration with the Medical Council, you are required to declare the name of your Professional Competence Scheme and the date you enrolled or renewed your enrolment.

Failure to make this declaration will place your continuing registration at risk. You only need to enrol on one Professional Competence Scheme, even if you have multiple registered specialties. If you’re not sure what type of registration you hold, you can check this through the Irish Medical Council Search for a Registered Doctor service.

The annual enrolment fee for a Professional Competence Scheme is €250 for CAI Fellows in Good Standing and €290 for all other applicants. This fee structure is agreed and set with the Medical Council. If payment is received before the 31st August 2024 a 5% discount will apply.

The Professional Competence Scheme (PCS) year runs from the 1st of May to 30th of April, in the following year. The Medical Council has requested that all registered medical practitioners enrol on a Professional Competence Scheme for 2024/2025 in advance of completing their annual retention of registration with the Council this year. They have confirmed that this will be an annual requirement going forward. When you are completing your annual registration with the Medical Council, they will ask you to provide the following details:

1. The name of your Professional Competence Scheme
2. The date you paid your 2024/2025 enrolment fee

For advice or information about Professional Competence please contact the PCS Administration Team, on +353 1265 0600 or email professionalcompetence@coa.ie.