From 1 May 2025, the Irish Medical Council introduced an updated framework for Professional Competence. This framework outlines the annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements for doctors enrolled on a Professional Competence Scheme (PCS).
What has changed?
Under the updated framework, doctors must record a specified number of CPD credits across different categories, depending on their type of practice.
Further information on each requirement is available in the Related Articles section below.
Type of Practice
Your type of practice is determined by whether you have informed the Irish Medical Council that you are:
Engaged in the Practice of Medicine: Doctors who are actively practising medicine.
Not Engaged in the Practice of Medicine: Doctors who are registered with the Medical Council but are not currently practising medicine.
Your declared type of practice determines how your annual CPD requirements are structured and how credits must be recorded across the relevant categories.
Doctors should ensure that their Type of practice is accurately recorded with the Irish Medical Council to reflect their current professional circumstances.
New Category Names
The types of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities you are required to complete remain unchanged. However, the categories have been renamed and reorganised to provide a clearer and more meaningful structure for recording your Professional Competence activities.
The updated CPD categories are:
Work-Based Learning: Learning activities undertaken as part of your day-to-day medical practice.
Accredited Continuing Education: Formal educational activities, such as conferences, courses, workshops and webinars.
Practice Review: Activities that involve evaluating and improving your professional practice, such as clinical audits and quality improvement projects.
Professional Development Plan (PDP): Developing and reviewing your annual learning objectives and professional development goals.
Doctors should ensure that their CPD activities are recorded under the appropriate categories in MyCPD, in accordance with the Medical Council's annual Professional Competence requirements.
Related articles:
What constitutes Engaged in the Practice of Medicine?
I am engaged in the practice of medicine, what must I do every year?
I am not engaged in the practice of medicine, what must I do every year?
New Framework information video
Related articles:
Domains of Good Professional Practice recording cycle
The recording cycle for the 8 Domains of Good Professional Practice is now across 3 years instead of 5
Related articles:
What are the 8 Domains of Good Professional Practice?
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