This week, the RCSI 2021/2022 Continuous Professional Development Support Scheme (CPD-SS) opened for non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) working in the fields of both surgery and emergency medicine. All eligible NCHDs have until 30 September to enrol for this programme.

Now entering its 12th year, the CPD-SS helps NCHDs who are not on training schemes to maintain their professional competence in line with Medical Council requirements. The CPD-SS also provides a structured means of achieving 20 external CPD credits.

Over 100 courses will be offered online and face-to-face. For the 2021/2022 programme, RCSI will offer participants an expanded selection of classes in surgical skills and emergency medicine while also providing classes in clinical audit, quality improvement processes, research and ethics, IT skills, social media, personal development and a range of e-learning activities.

Mr Gabriel Osri, a previous participant, said: "The CPD Support Scheme programme made it easy and convenient to access various learning topics of interest to the surgeon. The courses were taught by knowledgeable trainers using state-of-the-art models, allowing for memorable learning experiences that bring more confidence to our everyday practice. The organisation is friendly and holds the learning opportunities as a priority, facilitating any bureaucracy that could otherwise difficult the surgeon's access to the courses."

Mr Kieran Ryan, Managing Director, RCSI Surgical Affairs, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic has, like nothing before, required everyone in Irish surgery to adapt and rethink how they must approach their own safety and the care to their patients. We have seen the adoption of technology in how we run things like outpatients, review visits, meetings and learning. The team in RCSI have had to adapt this year's programme to meet our 'new normal', where we observe proper social distancing, respiratory etiquette and gathering sizes. Our full programme of courses will be launched during August 2021 and those that enrol early will have exclusive access to September 2021 CPD Support Scheme courses."

The CPD-SS 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 the 2010 NCHD contract and be working within the public health service. To successfully enrol in CPD-SS, applicants must have paid the annual Professional Competence Scheme (PCS) fee for 2021/2022.

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

Information on the scheme, including how to enrol, is available here. The scheme runs until May 2022.