A Professional Development Programme for non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) working in the fields of surgery and emergency medicine is currently underway at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). The Programme has been commissioned and funded by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to facilitate NCHDs within the public health service, who are not on training schemes, to maintain their professional competence in line with the Irish Medical Council requirements.

Although it is not mandatory for NCHDs to enrol on the Programme, it provides a structured means of achieving the 20 external CPD credits required under the Professional Competence Scheme. The HSE will cover the cost of participation on the Professional Development Programme for NCHDs who meet the HSE's criteria.

The RCSI Professional Development Programme consists of four major components which are online learning activities; technical skills; personal skills/human factors; and scientific conferences/meetings.

As an additional benefit, NCHDs who achieve 20 external CPD credits within the Professional Development Programme will be eligible to claim back up to 75% of their Professional Competence Fee (€275) from the HSE.

Professor Oscar Traynor, Director, National Surgical Training Centre, RCSI, said: "RCSI is fully committed to delivering a first class programme on behalf of the HSE which will assist NCHDs in satisfying the Professional Competence requirements of the Medical Council. The Programme will give NCHDs the opportunity to build on a range of highly relevant skills and knowledge as part of a quality education programme delivered by senior faculty in the fields of surgery, emergency medicine and psychology and utilising the latest simulators, training models and online learning tools."

The Professional Development Programme is overseen by a steering group which consists of five NCHDs as well as RCSI faculty and staff.

Ciara Mellett, Medical Education and Training, HSE, said: "The Professional Development Programme will provide a structured curriculum for NCHDs to achieve up to 20 CPD credits per annum. We strongly encourage all NCHDs in surgery and emergency medicine who are not currently on a training scheme to enrol on the Professional Development Programme in order to avail of the educational activities which the HSE is supporting."

The Professional Development Programme is open to NCHDs who are registered on the General Division or Supervised Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council. NCHDs must hold a current NCHD contract and be working within the public health service in order to enrol.

Since 1 May 2011, it has been mandatory for all doctors to register with a Professional Competence Scheme run by one of the post graduate training bodies. RCSI has been designated by the Irish Medical Council to run PCS for Surgery and Emergency Medicine.