Engaging in CPD Activity

The Medical Council requires that doctors retain evidence for the activities they record for PCS for the current year and the previous five years. You should keep your own copies of evidence as well as submit them through the ePortfolio. The ePortfolio has a function to allow you to download all your recorded activity and evidence for a given year in one go; click here for step-by-step instructions..

Accredited CE: You must submit a certificate or other proof of attendance. This document must include a statement about the event’s accreditation on it. If you are recording using a CPDR code, the certificate will automatically be generated in the system, and you can download it from the ePortfolio for your own records. Click here for step-by-step instructions.

Work-based Learning: your evidence will depend on the type of activity being recorded. Here are some examples of the minimum information you might record as evidence:

·       Title, source, date published, and date accessed of written or recorded material, along with topic(s) of material.

·       Date, time, location, and number of people in attendance for a meeting or discussion, along with topic(s) discussed.

You can upload a document, such as a meeting record or reading notes, as well, but this is optional. We have templates for common types of meeting records here. Note that uploading any document in this category is optional; we do not recommend uploading copies of reading material as this will cut into your storage allowance. Entering citation details into the textbox is sufficient.

Practice Review: you must upload a summary report outlining your project. See our Practice Review resources for templates and samples.

Please ensure that there is no identifying patient information in anything you are adding to your ePortfolio.

Yes, the ePortfolio has been optimised for mobile access. You can save a bookmark/shortcut to the site to your device’s homepage for more convenient access.

On an Android phone or tablet, open the ePortfolio in your preferred web browser. Tap the three dots in the corner of the screen to open the menu. Look for an option like ‘Create shortcut’ or ‘Add to home screen’ - the wording may differ depending on your device and browser.

On an iPhone or iPad, open the ePortfolio in your preferred web browser. Tap the share icon in the menu bar and tap ‘Add to home screen’.

Under the new framework, doctors must address each of the Eight Domains of Professional Practice in their CPD at least once over a three-year period. The Eight Domains are

• Patient safety and quality of care

• Relating to patients

• Communication and interpersonal skills

• Collaboration and teamwork

• Management (including self-management)

• Scholarship

• Professionalism

• Clinical skills

When recording CPD in your ePortfolio, you will have the opportunity to record which of the Eight Domains the activity was relevant to. For activities added with a CPDR code or via the ‘Search recognised events’ function, the Eight Domains will pre-populate, together with the details of the event and credits. You will be able to see your progress on the Eight Domains requirement on the ePortfolio dashboard below the “Add Activities”/”Quick Access” links. 

We anticipate that this requirement will be easy for GPs to meet given the breadth of activities they engage in day to day. Learn more about the Eight Domains here.

For an activity to count toward the Accredited CE category, it must be accredited in one of the following ways and be considered acceptable as meeting international standards:

• Accredited for CPD by the Irish College of GPs or another Irish Postgraduate Training Body such as the Royal College of Physicians Ireland or the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland
• Accredited for CPD by an equivalent international body such as the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), Royal College of GPs (RCGP), etc.

Please contact professional.competence@icgp.ie if you are unsure if a particular event or course would qualify for this category. Unaccredited events that are relevant to your scope of practice can be recorded under the Work-based Learning category as personal learning instead.

Yes, the Irish College of GPs PCS committee has agreed that committee participation in the following activities can be recorded under Work-based Learning for 1 CPD credit per meeting (to a maximum of 6 per year):

• Irish College of GPs Executive/Council
• Irish College of GPs standing committees
• GP trainers
• Irish College of GPs assessors/visits
• Irish College of GPs examiners
• GP training programme directors
• Academics
• Irish College of GPs project directors
• Representing general practice on committees
• GP co-op committees.

NB: A maximum of six Work-based Learning CPD credits per year can be recorded for committee participation.
Work-based Learning credits can also be recorded for any research or preparation work you engage in through your role in these activities.

You can record a postgraduate medical course for a maximum of 40 CPD credits per PCS year (1 May-30 April). This was agreed by the PCS Committee as a fair reflection of the amount of time spent undertaking the course.

This applies to courses which are relevant to your practice and which have been accredited by a recognised Postgraduate Medical Training Body or Third Level Institution. You will need to record your credits in the appropriate categories, e.g. lectures and workshops under Accredited CE, and reading, research, or study under Work-based Learning. In general 1 hour of activity = 1 CPD credit.

Your annual CPD should represent a mix of activity that reflects your full scope of practice. While a postgraduate course may fulfill your PCS minimum requirements for a particular year we encourage you to continue to record any additional CPD you engage in, and keep in mind the need for variety in subsequent years.

Professional competence is intended as a flexible, self-directed and practice-based process and it is the responsibility of each individual GP to ensure that their activities reflect all aspects of their own practice. It is beneficial for you to engage in a variety of professional competence activities that allow you to reflect on and evaluate different elements of your practice from internal quality checks through to your communication with your patients and colleagues.

Your CPD must reflect each of the 8 Domains of Good Professional Practice in your recorded CPD activity at least once over a three-year cycle.

You can use the Professional Development Plan (PDP) template in your ePortfolio to assist in planning your learning for the PCS year. This PDP is a mandatory exercise and counts for up to 5 CPD credits.

These may be claimed under Work-based Learning, with 1 hour of activity = 1 CPD credit. Keep in mind that a medical practitioner's PCS activity must be balanced and mirror his/her clinical practice and activity, and reflect his/her scope of practice across all domains of practice. It is mandatory for Medical Practitioners to maintain competence in all the areas of practice and medicine in which they engage, including involvement on an occasional or infrequent basis.

The Medical Council defines Work-based Learning as ‘activities that promote a registered medical practitioner’s learning at or through work and which are reflective in nature.’ This category roughly corresponds to the internal, personal learning, and research and teaching categories under previous frameworks. Medical practitioners are required to record a minimum of 15 Work-based Learning credits per PCS year. These can be recorded with 1 hour of activity = 1 CPD credit. 

Activities which can be recorded include (but are not limited to):

• CME small group meeting: CME participation earns 2 Work-based Learning credits as well as 2 Accredited CE credits.
• Clinical case discussion: where a discussion takes place with another healthcare professional regarding clinical issues and approaches to a patient's treatment and care. Could also take the form of a case presentation, presenting particular patient scenarios as a way of informing others about approaches to care/treatment, or a clinical club of GPs in a locality who meet for regular clinical case discussions.
• Chart review
• Clinical risk meeting: for example, where a GP/GP practice develop a plan to deal with seasonal epidemics (e.g. influenza).
• College roles and committee participation: the ICGP PCS committee has agreed that committee, board, and council participation can be recorded for 1 CPD credit per meeting (to a maximum of 6 per year).
• Grand rounds
• Teaching: including giving presentations or talks, undergraduate teaching or in-practice tutorials.
• Locum handover: discussing patient cases, files and updates on the practice.
• Mentoring: credit can be recorded by both the mentor and the mentee.
• Non-clinical training relevant to practice such as communications training.
• Peer review group: where patient cases/issues/practice issues are presented to peers who provide comments and advice and suggest alternative approaches to care and treatment. CME small groups act as a peer support/review group.
• Personal learning: such as reading articles, watching recorded lectures or webinars, listening to podcasts.
• External meetings: including PCT or HSE meetings.
• Practice meeting: practices often hold regular meetings to discuss patient issues, attendance at courses & how to implement findings to improve patient care. Our Template Section can help you.
• Research and scholarly activity: including such activities as participation in research, teaching, and peer review.
• Accreditation Visits
• Standards Development

Remember! If you take learning back from a meeting and make subsequent changes to your practice as a result, you can record this as Work-based Learning.

If you have engaged with a course or event that does not qualify for Accredited CE, or if you have completed more than one Practice Review activity in a year, these can be recorded as Work-Based Learning.

NB: When recording Work-based Learning CPD to your ePortfolio, you will need to enter details into the description box.

Evidence includes, at a minimum, the topics reviewed/discussed, the number of people in attendance (where relevant) and any practice changes made as a result of the activity. You can also upload documentation, such as minutes. Be sure that nothing you add to the ePortfolio contains identifiable patient information.

Educational activities that are accredited by Postgraduate Training Bodies will generate Accredited CE CPD credits. These include courses, webinars, CME small group meetings, examinations, Faculty meetings, Forum distance learning, seminars, higher degrees, regional and national scientific meetings, conferences and workshops.

Per the Medical Council, an activity must be Accredited in one of the following ways in order to be recognised as Accredited CE. The accreditation statement, including the body doing the accrediting, must appear on the certificate.

1. Accredited for CPD by the Irish College of GPs or another Irish Postgraduate Training Body such as the Royal College of Physicians Ireland or the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland
2. Accredited for CPD by an equivalent international body such as the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), Royal College of GPs (RCGP), Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), College of Family Physicians Canada (CFPC)

GPs engage in learning every day in their efforts to provide their patients with the best possible care. Many of the activities you are already engaging in can be recorded, such as reading journal articles or discussing cases with other health professionals. The Medical Council has specified that your CPD should be relevant to your day-to-day scope of practice, so you have the flexibility to pursue the learning opportunities that speak to your own needs.

The College offers a wide range of educational opportunities to support you in your life-long learning. The list below is not exhaustive. Non-members enrolled on the College professional competence scheme are able to register for some webinars, conferences, and courses.

Accredited CE offered by the College includes:

·       Modular courses

·       GP Leadership Academy

·       Annual Conferences

·       Monthly webinars

·       E-Learning modules

·       Forum distance learning programme (MCQs)

·       CME small group meetings (2 Accredited CE + 2 Work-based Learning credits)

·       IMG Rural GP Programme

You can find the full list of activities accredited by the College on our website here.

Work-based Learning opportunities from the College include:

·       The GP Podcast

·       General Practice Updates (GPUs)

·       Forum journal

·       Evidence-based resources and monthly recommended readings

·       Recorded past webinars and conference talks

·       CME small group meetings (2 Accredited CE + 2 Work-based Learning credits)

You will also find ideas, samples, and guides for Practice Review here.