Professional Competence

All doctors registered in Ireland are legally required to maintain their professional competence (MPC) through engaging in lifelong learning to keep knowledge and skills up to date.

For the majority of doctors, this entails annual enrolment on a Professional Competence Scheme (PCS) and following annual requirements set by the Medical Council.

Schemes are operated by postgraduate training bodies and have been developed to drive good professional practice which is centred on patient safety and the quality of patient care.

Professional Competence Requirements for Doctors

The annual requirements are defined in the MPC Framework, which in turn is underpinned by the MPC Rules.

The Professional Competence year runs from 1 May to 30 April. During this 12-month period, doctors must:

• Be enrolled on a Professional Competence Scheme with an accredited Professional Training Scheme Provider
• Engage in and record a minimum 50 hours of CPD activity annually, made up as follows:
  o Planning CPD – minimum 5 CPD credits per year
  o Practice Review – minimum 10 CPD credits per year
  o Work-based Learning – minimum 15 CPD credits per year
  o Accredited Continuing Education – minimum 20 CPD credits per year
  o Assign all eight Domains of Good Professional Practice at least once in every 3 years
• At the end of each 12 month period, professional competence schemes will issue a Statement of Participation to all enrolled doctors. Find out more about Statements of Participation here.

The above requirements relate to doctors engaged in the practice of medicine. If a doctor believes they may fall into the category of not engaged in the practice of medicine, they are advised to contact the Postgraduate Training Body operating their Scheme for guidance as to which CPD activity to undertake.

Professional Competence Guidelines

The Medical Council produced Professional Competence Guidelines to support doctors in understanding requirements for both doctors and the Postgraduate Training Bodies.
Read the Maintenance of Professional Competence Guidelines here.

These Guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Medical Council’s Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Professionals (9th Edition).

Role of the Medical Council

As the regulator of doctors registered in Ireland, the Medical Council is responsible for protecting the public through ensuring high standards of professional conduct and professional education and competence among doctors.

Maintenance of professional competence (MPC) is a key aspect of driving good professional practice, with all doctors registered in Ireland required to maintain their professional competence to keep knowledge and skills up to date.

• Performance Assessment: The Medical Council has established procedures and activities to assist it in performing this duty. These procedures include the Performance Assessment process which, while referred to as a professional competence scheme, is separate from the schemes established with the postgraduate training bodies. Find out more about performance assessment and what it entails here.
• Patient Leaflet: To download the professional competence information leaflet for patients please click here.

Professional Competence FAQ’s

We have prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help doctors understand what is expected of them in relation to Professional Competence. You can view the full list of FAQ's here or choose the option that best suits your query below.

1. Enrolling in a professional competence scheme
2. Professional competence requirements
3. Monitoring and audit
4. Doctors practising outside the State
5. Doctors with flexible and diverse working arrangements
6. Retired doctors who continue the practice of medicine on an ad-hoc basis
7. Doctors without day-to-day contact with patients

Informational Videos on Professional Competence

The Medical Council have prepared a series of support videos providing more information on professional competence. You can view all of these informational videos by clicking here or clicking the appropriate video link below.

1. Professional Development Plans as part of the MPC framework
2. Provisions for Pro-Rata CPD requirements
3. Audit requirements within the new MPC Framework
4. Categories of Continuing Professional Development within the new MPC framework
5. MPC Framework changes overview
6. Enrolment on a Professional Competence Scheme

Monitoring and Audit

The Medical Council oversees doctors to ensure that they are observing their legal duty to maintain professional competence by implementing monitoring and audit procedures.

The audit process is designed to be straightforward and support the confidence of the public, the profession and other stakeholders in professional competence arrangements.

As part of the process for the annual retention of registration, doctors make a declaration regarding maintenance of professional competence. The submission of this declaration is a requirement under Rules for the Maintenance of Professional Competence.pdf.

Having considered these professional competence declarations, the Medical Council contacts a sample of doctors to participate in an audit of their professional competence activities, where they must supply documentation to support their declaration.

Find out more about monitoring and audits here.

General Resources & Support

• Overseas Doctors: If you plan to work overseas, Postgraduate training bodies will offer support and guidance on maintaining professional competence requirements. The Medical Council also provide more information and support for overseas doctors here.
• Doctors not in Active Practice: All doctors must keep their skills up to date, regardless of how frequently they practise medicine. Postgraduate training bodies will offer support and guidance on maintaining professional competence requirements. The Medical Council also provide more information and support for doctors not in active practice here.
• Research Studies: The Medical Council conducted a number of research studies in 2010 to inform the details of professional competence schemes. More information on these studies is available here.
• Information for Health Managers: Doctors working in your healthcare organisation are subject to a statutory obligation to maintain professional competence. Employers are legally obliged to facilitate doctors’ pursuit of professional competence requirements. More support and information for Health Managers is available here.