• 1 External credit per hour of learning activity up to a maximum of 8 External CPD credits per day may be claimed for attendance at meetings / conferences / courses run by the approved organisations. A maximum of 15 External CPD credits overall may be claimed for meetings / courses / events centred on a single topic running over a number of days. Further hours can be logged as Personal CPD credits.
• Certificates of attendance must be retained as evidence of participation.
• External CPD credits cannot be claimed for any sessions or satellite symposia with pharma sponsorship. Attendances at any such sessions can be claimed as personal CPD credits.
• External CPD activities should be related to the doctor’s scope of practice.
• It is recommended that doctors make a reflective note indicating the learning achieved, when logging CPD credits. Reflective notes can be made on the online CPD Diary (click the icon beside where the number of credits is entered) or as a physical note to be kept with CPD records.

If you attended an educational event which was not approved for CPD and is not included in (1), (2), or (3) above, and you wish to apply for external CPD credits, please complete and submit the Application Form for External CPD Approval – Individual Psychiatrist. The application will be reviewed and if approved, you will be issued with a CPD certificate.

Psychiatrists are required to maintain basic medical skills and also engage in the training required by employers and the Mental Health Commission. Some required training has little or no psychiatric content and can often be refresher training. Whilst recognising the importance of this training, it must be remembered that activities approved for CPD credits should be primarily focused on education relevant to the role of a consultant psychiatrist and consistent with standards expected thereof.
It is in this context that we have restricted the number of credits to be logged for some mandatory courses psychiatrists undertake on a yearly or two-yearly basis. The aim is to encourage a wide range of educational CPD activities appropriate to the scope of practice for psychiatrists at consultant level.
– BLS (Basic Life Support): maximum 2 Internal CPD credits to be logged per course.
– ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support): maximum 2 Internal CPD credits to be logged per course.
– MAPA (Management of Actual or Potential Aggression) – or equivalent training: maximum 2 Internal CPD credits to be logged per course.
– Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults – or equivalent training: maximum 2 Internal CPD credits to be logged per course.
– Fire Training: max. 1 Internal CPD credit per course
– Children First: max. 1 Internal CPD credit per course

Psychiatrists attending quality improvement and similar training (e.g. HSE Best Practice Guidance courses, other employer organised quality improvement initiatives) should apply for CPD approval by completing the Application Form for External CPD Approval – Individual Psychiatrist. While such initiatives are important in the context of optimum service provision; in the context of CPD for psychiatrists these type of events are often delivered by non-clinical teams of presenters, they frequently do not have a clinical or psychiatric focus and are concerned mainly with management / operations. The Professional Competence Committee has agreed that courses and initiatives such as Quality Improvement training courses, Train the Trainer courses etc., should be reviewed on an individual basis for CPD. This type of training would normally be approved for 1 External CPD credit per day, with the remainder of hours to be logged as Personal CPD.

This type of regular meeting does not accrue CPD credits – these meetings are primarily focused on service delivery and operations whereas CPD should primarily focus on education and learning appropriate to a consultant psychiatrist.