Specialist Registration

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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Specialist Registration

The Psychiatric Specialties

The psychiatry specialties recognised for the purposes of specialist registration in Ireland are:
– Psychiatry (general adult psychiatry)
– Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
– Learning Disability Psychiatry
– Old Age Psychiatry

Specialist Registration

Registration to practice in Ireland lies solely with the Medical Council – it is the body to whom all doctors must apply for registration to practice.

Under Section 47(1)(f) of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, applications for registration by medical practitioners which do not benefit from automatic recognition, must undergo a process of assessment, to determine whether the training and experience of the Applicant is of a standard to be considered by the Medical Council to be adequate for the purposes of registration in the specialist division of the Register of Medical Practitioners.

The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland is the body which the Medical Council may request to review applications for the Specialist Register and to provide a recommendation to the Medical Council; but the Medical Council is the registration body and the final decision regarding registration lies with it.

Doctors who wish to find out more about Specialist Registration in Ireland, request application packs, or make an application must refer to the Specialist Registration section of the Medical Council website.

Application Routes for Specialist Registration via Medical Council:

1. Completed higher specialist training in Ireland – Doctors who have completed specialist training programmes in Ireland will either transfer to this type of registration or restore their name to the register.

2. Trained and/or recognised as a specialist in an European Union State – Automatic recognition of qualifications

3. Completed higher specialist training or equivalent and not automatically recognised – Evaluation of existing training and experience