April 2016

Professional Competence

Information on our Professional Competence Scheme (PCS) and Continuous Professional Development Support Scheme (CPD-SS) for NCHDs in Non-Training Posts.

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PCS News April 2016

Practising What We Preach:

Self-Care & Self-Management for Psychiatrists.

Download PDF version with foreword from Dr Miriam Kennedy, PCS Director

Workshop with Dr Barry O’Donnell
Thursday 7TH April, 14:15 – 15:30 hrs
@ Spring Conference, Carton House.

We are delighted to welcome Dr Barry O’Donnell, Director of the School of Psychotherapy, St Vincent’s University Hospital, to explore the integration of self-care and self-management into our lifelong learning and professional competence.
Dr O’Donnell will look at how mental health professionals need to be equipped to handle unpredictable phenomena and their effects on their person. Dr Miriam Kennedy will chair the workshop and facilitate discussion around this theme which is so important for psychiatrists.

Hot Topics In Psychiatry

Two Speakers, Two CPD Credits, One Thursday per month

The ever-popular Hot Topics meetings are a great way to hear topical presentations from peers and experts; engage in lively discussion on the subject; gather CPD credits; and meet colleagues. The final meeting in our current Hot Topics series has been extended to 2.5 hours to welcome three speakers on the subject of Gender Dysphoria. A new series of meetings will commence in September 2016 – dates will be circulated soon.

Thursday 28TH April:
Dublin – 2.5 External Credits Extended meeting: 6.30–9.00pm Ashling Hotel, Dublin 8
GENDER DYSPHORIA – PSYCHIATRY & ENDOCRINOLOGY

Speakers:
– Dr Aileen Murtagh, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services
– Prof Donal O’Shea, Consultant Endocrinologist, St Vincent’s University & St Columcille’s Hospitals
– Dr Paul Moran, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, St Columcille’s & St Michael’s Hospitals

Full details of this meeting on irishpsychiatry.ie. Bookings: email louise@irishpsychiatry.ie or ring 01 661 8450.
See the Meetings & Events list on www.irishpsychiatry.ie for full details of these and all meetings with CPD credits.

Managing Patients’ Health Anxiety

1 day workshop with Prof Peter & Dr Helen Tyrer
Hilton Hotel, Charlemont, Dublin 6
Friday 27TH May 2016, 09:00-17:00 hrs

We are delighted to welcome Professor and Dr Tyrer to Dublin. With a special interest in Health Anxiety, they have kindly offered to run their workshop on 26th May for junior psychiatrists and clinicians, and on 27th May for senior psychiatrists and clinicians.

**Limited places – book early** 6 CPD credits

Full details of this meeting on irishpsychiatry.ie.
To book your place, email: mona@irishpsychiatry.ie or ring 01 634 4378.

Prof Peter Tyrer is Professor of Community Psychiatry in the Centre of Mental Health at Imperial College. He has been interested in the most common mental disorders ever since medical student days and has been particularly interested in anxiety, depression and personality disorder in terms of classification and treatment ever since.

Dr Helen Tyrer is a Senior Clinical Research Fellow at Imperial College, London, and a former general practitioner and specialist doctor in genito-urinary medicine. She now concentrates her work on the psychological treatment of anxiety and related disorders. Her book, Tackling Health Anxiety: a CBT Handbook, is published by RCPsych Press.

Complexity of Post-Traumatic Reactions

Prof Tanja Frančišković – Dept. of Psychiatry & Psychological Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia An EPA Academia CME Course

Friday 14TH Ooctober 2016
[Venue, time, other speakers & CPD to be confirmed]

As a National Member of the European Psychiatric Association, we have the opportunity each year to apply for a speaker from its “EPA Itinerant Course Programme”. We have just had confirmation that Prof Frančišković, who has worked in the field of psychotraumatology for more than two decades, will travel to Dublin to present on Post-Traumatic Reactions on Friday 14th October. Topics will include : How to understand Complex PTSD; Role of traumatic experience in Psychotic Disorders; Family & PTSD; Facing PTSD and Complex PTSD – what can be done in therapy. A full programme with venue, speakers and times will be circulated shortly.

Update your online CPD Diary this month

It’s that time of the year again …! Please ensure you update your online CPD diary by 30th April 2016. We will leave the 2015/16 PCS year open on your diary until 5pm, Wednesday 11th May.
The 2015/16 PCS year will then be locked and you will no longer be able to add or edit data. Please make sure you have good evidence to support the external, internal and research /
examining / teaching credits you log.
– Don’t forget to confirm Clinical (Practice) Audit on your diary!
– Reflective notes can be saved for all categories of CPD if you wish, and the Clinical (Practice) Audit title can also be saved on your diary.
– Contact us in the PCS office if you need advice, assistance with logging, or if you are having particular difficulties with accruing CPD credits or Clinical (Practice) Audit.

Internal CPD credits for College Faculty, Committee, Working Group and Special Interest Group meeting attendance

Psychiatrists participating in these college meetings can claim a maximum of five Internal CPD credits per year (1 credit per meeting attended, up to a maximum of 5 in the year across all committees) for attendance or dialling in. College administrators will email individual summaries of attendance at qualifying meetings to all concerned before 30th April.

CPD for Online Learning

Some websites (listed below) are approved by this College for online CPD. Credits are usually allocated by the host organisation per completed module. Where the organisation doesn’t indicate the credits for the module, the general rule is 1 CPD credit per hour of learning activity.

If you wish to claim online learning from one of the above websites for CPD, you should ensure you complete any tests at the end of a module and then print off your certificate for the
module. You may claim up to 10 External CPD credits per year for online learning, plus a maximum of 5 Internal CPD credits per year.

Automatic Recognition of some events for External CPD.

(A) External CPD credits approved by the medical training bodies in Ireland (Royal College of Surgeons, Royal College of Physicians, College of Anaesthetists, Irish College of General Practitioners) are automatically recognised by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland. Ensure you receive a Certificate of Attendance stating the External CPD credits awarded. You do not need to apply to the CPsychI for CPD approval or a CPD certificate. External CPD credits can be claimed subject to our Guidelines*.
(B) EACCME accredited meetings – if you receive a certificate of attendance which enumerates EACCME credits, you do not need to apply to the CPsychI for CPD approval or a CPD
certificate. EACCME credits can be claimed as External CPD credits subject to our Guidelines*.
(C) Some established psychiatric conferences / international meetings are recognised by the CPsychI for external CPD, subject to our guidelines*. You do not need to apply to the CPsychI for approval or a CPD certificate for these meetings.

* GUIDELINES for automatic recognition of CPD
* RECOGNITION OF OTHER EVENTS for External CPD

Annotation on PCS Statement to indicate certified sick leave / maternity leave

Periods of certified illness >3 months and certified maternity leave can impact on a doctor’s ability to meet the requirements of PCS in a particular PCS year. From the current PCS year onwards, if these circumstances cause a psychiatrist difficulty in meeting the annual requirements of the scheme, the psychiatrist should inform the college’s PCS office. We can then confidentially note the circumstance on your file and have it indicated on your Statement of Participation (by way of a † symbol). This way, where there is a shortfall, there will be an indication of a period of certified leave on your Statement for the year concerned. The doctor should ensure (s)he has the relevant documentation or certification to provide to the  edical Council if audited.

Medical Council guidance: where PCS annual minimum requirements are not met

The Medical Council has stated that: “Doctors should always be advised and supported to achieve the minimum targets for accrual of maintenance of competence activities each year owever, where annual minimum targets have not been achieved, in reviewing a doctor’s Statement of Participation, the Medical Council will also take account of the average accrual of redits across a 5 year period before any decision is made regarding further action. It also takes into account any particular circumstances which may be relevant.
This guidance is welcome and should be of reassurance to doctors who normally meet or exceed the minimum requirements of the PCS, but have difficulties in a particular year.

Download PDF version with foreword from Dr Miriam Kennedy, PCS Director