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RCSI announces professional development programme for NCHDs
18 Aug 2014
The 2014/2015 Professional Development Programme (PDP) for NCHDs working in the fields of surgery and emergency medicine, taking place at the RCSI, has been announced.
This year’s programme is offering a newly expanded choice of technical skills and human factors modules and eligible NCHDs have until Friday 26 September to enrol on the programme.
Now in its fourth year, the PDP is commissioned and funded by the HSE to facilitate NCHDs not on training schemes to maintain their professional competence in line with Medical Council requirements and provides a structured means of achieving 20 external CPD credits. Approximately 500 NCHDs in the public health service are eligible for enrolment and the HSE will cover the cost of participation for NCHDs meeting the criteria and enrolling by the deadline.
The programme includes technical skills modules as well as training in human factors and patient safety. Newly added to the technical skills suite of classes are modules on Medicine in Surgery and Chest and Abdomen Trauma. Additional technical skills modules include basic and advanced surgical skills courses aimed at SHOs, while advanced courses in endoscopy and laparoscopic surgery are targeted at senior Registrars.
In Emergency Medicine, two new courses dedicated to Emergency Radiology and Safe Sedation in the Emergency Department have been added. In Human Factors and Patient Safety, a new course titled Professional Competence in a Multicultural Workplace has been included.
Prof Oscar Traynor, Director, National Surgical Training Centre, RCSI, said: “The RCSI Professional Development Programme assists NCHDs to satisfy their professional competence requirement. The programme provides highly relevant courses for emergency medicine and surgery NCHDs at both SHO and Registrar level, to equip them with invaluable skills and technical expertise needed in order to excel in their speciality.”
Prof Eilis McGovern, National Programme Director for Medical Training, HSE, added: “The Professional Development Programme provides a structured curriculum for NCHDs to achieve up to 20 CPD credits per annum, with a choice of modules tailored for both surgery and emergency medicine now available. We strongly encourage all eligible NCHDs who are not currently on a training scheme to enrol on the programme by 26 September in order to avail of the educational activities which the HSE is supporting.”
The PDP is open to NCHDs 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 on the PDP, applicants must also have paid the annual Professional Competence Scheme (PCS) fee for 2014/2015.
Since 1 May 2011, it has been mandatory for all doctors to register with a PCS operated by one of the postgraduate training bodies. RCSI has been designated by the Irish Medical Council to run PCS for Surgery and Emergency Medicine.
For further information on the PDP delivered by RCSI, visit The Programme runs until June 2015 and details of classes are available on