Medical Council complaint · Professional conduct, written to the Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Doctors for doctors facing a Medical Council complaint or fitness to practise inquiry about their conduct

The complaint is about how you behaved: towards a patient, a colleague, a record or online.

Boundaries — a boundaries breach with a patient or a colleague, or a dual relationship
Dishonesty — a falsified note, a false medical certificate, altered audit data or a claim for work not done
Disrespect — a dismissive or condescending remark to a patient, or discrimination
Behaviour at work — shouting at or belittling colleagues, disruptive behaviour on a ward round
Records — notes backdated, altered or missing
Prescribing and competence — unsafe prescribing, or guidelines not kept up to date
Online conduct — a social media post, patient details shared online, a video consultation that was not private
Any other concern — an allegation of unprofessional conduct

Facing an allegation of unprofessional behaviour or professional misconduct like these — from the Medical Council, its Preliminary Proceedings Committee or the Fitness to Practise Committee?

This course is for a doctor facing a Medical Council complaint or fitness to practise inquiry about professional conduct. It helps you remediate — and show the remediation, with a dated certificate for your written response, your reflection, an undertaking or an inquiry.

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Immediate access · certificate on completion · twelve months' access

2 CPD hours
Self-paced
Written for Ireland
CPD certificate
From €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)

Our team

Dr Shehzad IqbalFounder, course author and facilitatorMBBS, MRCS, MRCGP
Dr Mo MirzaCourse facilitatorMedically trained, UCL London
Ludmila UpenieceBusiness development and supportPsychology, UEL London

At a glance

Who it is for: Any doctor facing a Medical Council complaint, a request from an Authorised Officer, a Preliminary Proceedings Committee decision or a fitness to practise inquiry about professional behaviour or conduct — an allegation of unprofessional behaviour, disrespect, dishonesty or a boundaries breach
Regulator covered: The Medical Council of Ireland, its Preliminary Proceedings Committee and its Fitness to Practise Committee, under the Medical Practitioners Act 2007
Length: 10 sections, 54 lessons, 2 CPD hours
Format: Self-paced, online, immediate access, twelve months from purchase
Certificate: Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses on completion, dated, with the course title and 2 CPD hours
Price: €100 · from €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)

Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics CoursesRemediation courses for regulatory processes.

2CPD hours, issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses

10Sections, nine closing with a reflective quiz

54Lessons, plus a post-course assessment

€100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)One off. Twelve months' access

The certificate you will receive

Sample certificate of continuing professional development for Professionalism and Professional Standards for Doctors, issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses, showing the name John Smith, 2 CPD hours and a date of completion, marked SAMPLE — Sample. Your certificate carries your name, the course title and the date you complete the course.

How doctors use it

With a written response to an Authorised Officer or the Preliminary Proceedings Committee, alongside a reflection
When an undertaking is discussed, or in your evidence to the Fitness to Practise Committee
As a dated record of remediation for the Council when sanction is considered

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Who this course is for

Facing an allegation of unprofessional behaviour or professional misconduct

The letter describes how you spoke to a patient, treated a colleague, kept a record or behaved online. This course is how you account for it against the professional duties in the Guide — and show you have remediated.

Dealing with a Medical Council complaint about your conduct

A patient, a relative, a colleague, an employer or the Council itself has complained, and the Council has written to tell you. Your written response is the first place your insight can be read; this course gives it a structure.

Asked to respond to an Authorised Officer

The chief executive officer has assigned an Authorised Officer, who may obtain your records and an expert opinion and asks for information within a period set in the notice. Remediation you start now carries an earlier date.

Before the Preliminary Proceedings Committee

The committee decides whether there is enough cause to take further action, and may ask you to undertake not to repeat the conduct. The Council’s undertakings guidance weighs the level of insight you have shown.

Facing a fitness to practise inquiry

The complaint has been referred to the Fitness to Practise Committee. Remediation completed before the hearing, dated and documented, is evidence you can put before the committee and the Council.

Raised by your employer, your team or a colleague

A concern about your behaviour towards staff, your communication or your records started at work and has reached the Council. The course covers conduct towards colleagues as well as patients, and what a credible change in behaviour looks like.

The concerns this course speaks to

Professional boundaries

A friendship with a patient, personal texts, a social invitation accepted, a relationship with a colleague that went beyond a working one, a dual relationship. A boundaries breach can involve a patient or a colleague. Section 2 has a lesson on professional boundaries, Section 4 one on boundary violations, and Section 6 compares a weak and a strong response to a friendship with a patient.

Dishonesty and probity

Notes altered to cover a missed check, a false medical certificate, audit data falsified to make results look stronger, a claim for services not provided. Honesty and probity open Section 2, dishonesty opens Section 4, and Sections 6 and 7 compare weak and strong responses to dishonest documentation, billing misconduct and falsified audit data.

Disrespect and how you spoke to a patient

A patient in pain told they were overreacting, a concern dismissed, a patient treated differently because of their background. Section 4 covers poor communication and disrespect, Section 6 sets a weak and a strong response to a dismissive remark side by side, and Section 8 covers professional communication.

Behaviour towards colleagues

Shouting at junior staff on a ward round, belittling a colleague, a working relationship that has broken down. Respect and dignity apply to colleagues as well as patients (Section 2), and Section 7 works through a case of disruptive behaviour in a hospital and the response that shows change.

Records that do not say what happened

An entry backdated, a note changed after the event, a check not recorded. A record changed after you learn of a complaint, without saying so, raises a question of honesty as well as of care. Section 8 covers professional documentation, including the difference between backdating an entry and a late entry with an explanation.

Unsafe prescribing and keeping up to date

Opioids prescribed without proper monitoring, antibiotic guidelines not followed, knowledge allowed to fall behind. Clinical competence is one of the core attributes (Section 2), failure to maintain competence is covered in Section 4, and Section 7 has an emergency department case on unsafe prescribing.

Confidentiality, social media and telemedicine

A patient discussed with a colleague in a café, identifiable details posted online, a video consultation held where others could hear. Section 4 covers digital misconduct, Section 7 a confidentiality breach in general practice and a telemedicine case, and Section 8 digital professionalism.

Conflicts of interest and fees

Patients referred to a clinic in which you hold shares without saying so, a fee claimed for work that was not done. Section 4 covers conflicts of interest, and Section 6 compares a weak and a strong response to billing misconduct, with repayment and safeguards that can be checked.

Facing a Medical Council complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

What the course covers

Ten sections and 54 lessons, with a reflective quiz closing each of the first nine and a post-course assessment at the end.

Section 01

Introduction — Why Professionalism Matters in Irish Medicine

Five lessons

Section 02

Core Attributes of Medical Professionalism

Eight lessons

Section 03

Regulator Perspectives — Medical Council of Ireland Standards

Five lessons

Section 04

Lapses in Professionalism and Their Consequences

Seven lessons

Section 05

Reflection, Insight, and Remediation in Professionalism Cases

Five lessons

Section 06

Weak vs Strong Demonstrations of Professionalism

Six lessons

Section 07

Case Studies — Professionalism Across Clinical Contexts in Ireland

Six lessons

Section 08

Professionalism in Communication, Documentation, and Digital Practice

Four lessons

Section 09

Embedding Professionalism into Identity and Resilience

Six lessons

Section 10

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Two lessons, Conclusion and Key Takeaways, and the post-course assessment

Show every lesson title

Section 01 · Introduction — Why Professionalism Matters in Irish Medicine: What Is Professionalism in Medicine?; Why Professionalism Matters for Patients; Why Professionalism Matters for Regulators; Professionalism as Part of Identity; Consequences of Lapses in Professionalism.
Section 02 · Core Attributes of Medical Professionalism: Honesty and Probity; Accountability; Respect and Dignity; Clinical Competence; Professional Boundaries; Communication and Collaboration; Reflection and Insight; Resilience and Professional Identity.
Section 03 · Regulator Perspectives — Medical Council of Ireland Standards: The Medical Council’s Role; Key Professional Duties from the Medical Council Guide; Fitness to Practise and Professionalism; Reflection, Insight, and Remediation in Irish Context; Shared Themes Across Medical Council Guidance.
Section 04 · Lapses in Professionalism and Their Consequences: Dishonesty and Lack of Probity; Poor Communication and Disrespect; Boundary Violations; Failure to Maintain Competence; Conflicts of Interest; Digital Misconduct; Consequences of Professionalism Lapses.
Section 05 · Reflection, Insight, and Remediation in Professionalism Cases: Reflection — Honest Self-Examination; Insight — Recognising Seriousness and Impact; Remediation — Corrective Action and Evidence; Weak vs Strong Responses in Medical Council Proceedings; Integration of Reflection, Insight, and Remediation.
Section 06 · Weak vs Strong Demonstrations of Professionalism: Dishonest Documentation; Consent Failure; Boundary Violation; Billing Misconduct; Disrespectful Communication; Lessons Across Cases.
Section 07 · Case Studies — Professionalism Across Clinical Contexts in Ireland: General Practice — Confidentiality Breach; Hospital Setting — Disruptive Behaviour; Emergency Department — Unsafe Prescribing; Telemedicine — Consent and Privacy; Academic/Research — Data Integrity; Lessons Across Contexts.
Section 08 · Professionalism in Communication, Documentation, and Digital Practice: Professional Communication; Professional Documentation; Digital Professionalism; Integration Across Practice.
Section 09 · Embedding Professionalism into Identity and Resilience: Professionalism as Identity; Daily Habits that Reinforce Professionalism; Reflection and Accountability as Ongoing Practice; Building Resilience to Uphold Professionalism; Mentorship and Role Modelling; Sustaining Professionalism Across a Career.
Section 10 · Conclusion and Key Takeaways: Conclusion; Key Takeaways.

How to respond to a Medical Council complaint about your professional conduct

Whether it goes to an Authorised Officer, the Preliminary Proceedings Committee or the Fitness to Practise Committee, a written response to a complaint about conduct has to show that you see what was wrong and that something has changed. These are the four parts to set out, and what the course gives you for each.

A complaint about conduct is read for two things: what you did, and what you now understand about it.

The standardWhich professional duty the conduct did not meet — honesty, respect, boundaries, competence, communication.Section 2 sets out eight core attributes of professionalism and Section 3 the key professional duties in the Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics, so you can name the one engaged.
OwnershipWhat you did, stated without excuse, and its effect on the patient, on colleagues and on trust in the profession.Section 5 sets out reflection and insight, with a weak and a strong statement for each.
The changeWhat you have done since, and the evidence for it.Section 5 lists the forms of remediation — targeted CPD, audits, mentorship and supervision reports, reflective portfolios, and patient or colleague feedback — and this course is a dated item for it.
ConsistencyHow the change shows in your communication, your records and your conduct online.Sections 6 and 7 set weak and strong responses side by side in ten cases, and Section 8 covers communication, documentation and digital practice.

A response that explains the pressure you were under before it says what you did reads as an excuse, not as insight.

Take advice from Medical Protection, the MDU, your union or a solicitor before you respond to anyone.

Facing a Medical Council complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

How this course helps with a Medical Council complaint about conduct

Insight is weighed at the undertaking stage and at sanction

The course pairs weak and strong responses in ten situations — altered notes, a procedure without valid consent, a friendship with a patient, a claim for services not provided, a dismissive remark, a confidentiality breach in a café, shouting at junior staff, unsafe opioid prescribing, a video consultation in a shared office and falsified audit data — and shows what separates them: an honest admission, the standard named, targeted CPD, and safeguards that can be checked. The Council’s Guidance on Sanctions says a doctor may demonstrate insight by providing evidence of their understanding of the problem, and that “a marked lack of insight and / or contrition” may be an aggravating factor. Its undertakings guidance weighs the level of insight shown.

Remediation you can evidence

Section 5 sets out what remediation evidence looks like: CPD in the area of the concern, audits, reports from a mentor or supervisor, a reflective portfolio, and patient or colleague feedback. Section 8 shows how a late entry with an explanation differs from a backdated one. The Guidance on Sanctions says a doctor may present evidence about how they have addressed concerns, and lists mitigating factors that may reduce a sanction. For the stages from the first letter to the High Court, see the fitness to practise process in Ireland, explained.

Read the primary sources

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Who wrote it

Dr Shehzad Iqbal

Course author and facilitator, Healthcare Ethics Ireland

Dr Iqbal wrote this course. He combines clinical practice with a formal postgraduate qualification in healthcare law and ethics, and has worked with registrants across the regulated health professions, online and face to face, since 2020.

He founded Probity & Ethics in the United Kingdom in 2020 and Healthcare Ethics Courses, which issues the certificates, in 2025. More about us.

MBBS · MRCS · MRCGP · Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics, University of Dundee

Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

In short

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Doctors is a two-hour, self-paced remediation course for doctors registered with the Medical Council of Ireland who face a complaint, a request from an Authorised Officer, a Preliminary Proceedings Committee decision or a fitness to practise inquiry about their conduct, written to the Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners (9th edition). It covers eight core attributes of professionalism, from honesty and probity to boundaries and resilience; the Council’s role and the key professional duties in the Guide; dishonesty, disrespect, boundary violations, failure to maintain competence, conflicts of interest and digital misconduct; reflection, insight and remediation; ten weak and strong responses compared, across general practice, hospital, emergency, telemedicine and research settings; and professionalism in communication, documentation and digital practice. Ten sections, the first nine closing with a reflective quiz, a post-course assessment, and a dated certificate from Healthcare Ethics Courses. It is remediation and dated evidence of it; it decides no complaint, and it is not a substitute for advice from Medical Protection, the MDU, your union or a solicitor.

Professional conduct is judged apart from clinical skill

A complaint about professionalism need not question whether you are a good clinician. It asks how you behaved. A doctor can make the right diagnosis and still face a complaint about a dismissive remark, a note changed after the event, a post online or the way a colleague was spoken to. The course treats dishonesty as a breach of probity whether or not a patient came to harm, and the question afterwards is whether the doctor sees why.

The course takes the attributes the Guide expects — honesty, accountability, respect, competence, boundaries, communication — and the ways each can be breached, in the consulting room, on the ward, in the record and online. It then shows the difference between a response that explains the conduct away and one that owns it and evidences change.

In a written response, name the professional duty the conduct did not meet, say what you did without qualifying it, and say what has changed, with dates.

What these words mean

The terms that decide where a complaint goes, and the words the course is built on.

Preliminary Proceedings Committee: The Medical Council committee that decides whether there is enough cause to take further action on a complaint: no further action, mediation, an undertaking or a consent, referral to the performance assessment scheme, or referral to the Fitness to Practise Committee. In 2023 it made 286 decisions and referred 61.
Professional misconduct: The first ground of complaint in section 57 of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007. Under section 57(2) it can relate to conduct outside the State.
Fitness to practise inquiry: A referred complaint is heard by the Fitness to Practise Committee at an inquiry, in public unless the Council decides otherwise. The Council decides any sanction under section 71. The High Court confirms any sanction heavier than an advice, admonishment or censure; those three take effect on confirmation or when the 21-day appeal window passes.
Undertakings and consents: A way of concluding a complaint at the Preliminary Proceedings Committee stage, such as an undertaking not to repeat the conduct or a consent to censure. Breaching an undertaking is itself a ground of complaint.

The attributes of professionalism and other terms used on this page

Professionalism: Honesty, probity, accountability, competence and respect shown in every part of practice: clinical care, communication, records, teamwork and conduct online.
Probity: Honesty and integrity in records, billing, certificates, research and communication. The course treats dishonesty as a breach of probity whether or not a patient came to harm.
Accountability: Taking responsibility for actions, omissions and outcomes: disclosing an error, cooperating with an investigation and putting corrective action in place.
Professional boundaries: The separation between the professional role and a personal one, with a patient or a colleague. The course covers sexual, financial, emotional and digital boundary breaches.
Dual relationship: A second relationship with a patient or a colleague alongside the professional one, such as a personal, financial, emotional or sexual one.
Conflict of interest: A financial, personal or institutional interest that could influence care, such as a referral to a clinic in which the doctor holds shares. The course covers declaring and managing them.
Digital professionalism: The same standards of confidentiality, respect and honesty applied to social media, messaging, electronic records and telemedicine.
Reflection: An account of what happened, why, which standard was breached, and its effect on the patient, colleagues and the public, linked to safeguards for the future.
Insight: Recognising the seriousness of the conduct, accepting responsibility without excuses, and understanding its actual or potential effect on patients, colleagues and trust in the profession.
Remediation: Targeted, practical steps to correct the conduct and reduce the risk of repetition, evidenced by documents such as CPD certificates, audits, supervisor reports and feedback.

The standards and provisions a complaint about a doctor engages

The Medical Council publishes the Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics, and a complaint about a doctor is made and decided under the Medical Practitioners Act 2007. These are the Guide, the stages that decide a complaint and the sections of the Act behind them.

Medical Council — Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics, 9th edition

The Council’s Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners. The guidance in the 9th edition is effective from 1 January 2024, and it includes the duty to raise concerns where patient safety or care is being compromised by the practice of colleagues (paragraph 3.1). Read it.

For this course: Section 3 sets out the key professional duties in the Guide — patient care first, honesty, respect for dignity and autonomy, competence, communication, boundaries, confidentiality and conflicts of interest — so that a response can name the duty engaged.

Section 57 — the grounds of complaint

Any person, including the Council, may complain to the chief executive officer. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, a relevant medical disability, a failure to comply with a condition, an undertaking or a consent, a prohibition or restriction on practising elsewhere, and a conviction for an offence triable on indictment. Misconduct and poor performance can relate to conduct outside the State. Read it.

For this course: Professional misconduct and poor professional performance are the grounds a complaint about conduct is framed in; the conduct itself — dishonesty, disrespect, a boundary, a record — is the subject of Sections 2 to 8.

The Preliminary Proceedings Committee — undertakings and consents

Under the Council’s 2025 CEO and PPC Procedures the committee may ask a doctor to undertake not to repeat the conduct, to undertake to be referred to a professional competence scheme, to consent to medical treatment or to consent to being censured; if the doctor agrees, the investigation of the complaint is completed. Where there is a prima facie case it refers the complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee. Read it.

For this course: An undertaking not to repeat the conduct asks what has changed; Section 5 covers remediation evidence and Sections 6 and 7 the difference between a weak and a strong response.

Sections 71 and 74 — sanctions and High Court confirmation

After an inquiry the Council may impose an advice, admonishment or censure; censure with a fine of up to €5,000; conditions; transfer to another division of the register; suspension; cancellation; or a bar on applying for restoration. Every sanction other than an advice, admonishment or censure takes effect only when the High Court confirms it. Read it.

For this course: Insight and remediation are weighed when the sanction is decided, and the course is dated evidence of remediation completed before that decision.

Also engaged: Sections 74 and 75 — an advice, admonishment or censure takes effect when the Court confirms it or the 21 days to appeal pass without an appeal · Section 60 — interim suspension, which the Council says is possible under this section · S.I. 151/2025 — the commencement on 6 May 2025 of the complaint screening by the chief executive officer.

What happens after a complaint about a doctor reaches the Medical Council

The stages of a complaint made from 6 May 2025. At each of them three things are worth showing in writing: that you see what was wrong, that you understand why it was serious, and what has changed since, with dated evidence.

The chief executive officer looks at the complaint
Any person, including the Council, may complain. The chief executive officer looks at the complaint first and may reject one that is frivolous or vexatious. The Council tells the doctor of the complaint in writing.
An Authorised Officer gathers the facts
The CEO may assign an Authorised Officer, who gives you notice in writing, may obtain records and an expert opinion, and asks for information within a period set in the notice. You then have not less than two weeks to respond to the Investigation Report (2025 CEO and PPC Procedures). No fixed deadline is published for your first reply.
The Preliminary Proceedings Committee decides
The Council says the PPC will decide if there is “enough cause to take further action”. It may ask for more information, suggest informal resolution or mediation, take no further action, refer the doctor to the performance assessment scheme, request an undertaking or a consent, or refer the complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee. The Council says the decision at the investigation stage cannot be appealed.
Undertakings and consents
The committee may ask a doctor to undertake not to repeat the conduct or to be referred to a professional competence scheme, or to consent to medical treatment or to censure. If the doctor agrees, the investigation of the complaint is treated as completed. The Council’s undertakings guidance weighs the level of insight the practitioner has shown.
The fitness to practise inquiry
A referred complaint is heard by the Fitness to Practise Committee at an inquiry, in public unless the Council decides the hearing is to be held in private or part private. In 2023 there were 23 inquiry hearings, 12 in public and 11 in private (Annual Report 2023). The Council decides any sanction under section 71.
The Council’s sanction and the High Court
The Council decides the sanction under section 71. Every sanction other than an advice, admonishment or censure takes effect only when the High Court confirms it; the lighter three take effect once the Court confirms them or the 21 days to appeal pass without an appeal (section 74). Interim suspension is possible under section 60.

Facing a Medical Council complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Not a doctor? Each Irish regulator has its own Act and its own process — courses for nurses and midwives, dentists, pharmacists and all other healthcare professionals, or every course →

Frequently asked questions

What should a response to a Medical Council complaint about my conduct contain?

The professional duty the conduct did not meet, named before the Council names it; an account of what you did, without excuses; its effect on the patient, colleagues and trust in the profession; and what you have changed, with dated evidence. Leave out anything that reads as blaming workload or the patient. Have Medical Protection, the MDU, your union or a solicitor read it before it is sent.

Should I take advice before I respond to the Council?

Yes — before anything is written to the Council, an Authorised Officer, the Preliminary Proceedings Committee or your employer. The Clinical Indemnity Scheme says it does not provide representation before professional regulatory bodies; Medical Protection offers advice and representation for Medical Council fitness to practise proceedings, and the MDU says it can support issues the scheme does not cover. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

How is this course different from Ethics and Ethical Standards for Doctors?

This course is about conduct and behaviour: honesty, respect, boundaries, competence, communication, records and conduct online, and how to show a change in behaviour. The Ethics course is about the reasoning behind a decision: the four principles, the conflicts between them and how you account for them. A complaint that describes how you behaved fits this course; one that says a decision was wrong fits the Ethics course; some complaints need both.

Can this course be used as evidence of remediation in a Medical Council complaint?

It can be part of the evidence, but no course decides a complaint. The Council’s Guidance on Sanctions says a doctor may demonstrate insight by providing evidence of their understanding of the problem, and may present evidence about how concerns have been addressed. This course gives you a dated certificate and the material for a reflection that names the standard. Check the wording of any undertaking or condition with your adviser before you rely on a course.

The complaint came from colleagues about how I behave at work. Does the course cover that?

Yes. Respect and dignity in the course apply to colleagues as well as patients, and Section 7 works through a consultant who shouted at junior staff on ward rounds: the weak response, which defends the behaviour as a personal style, and the strong one, with coaching and peer feedback that confirms the change. Section 2 also covers communication and collaboration in the team.

I added to a note after I heard about the complaint. What now?

Tell your adviser before you do anything else, and do not change the record again. A record changed after a complaint is known, without saying so, raises a question of honesty as well as of care. Section 8 of the course shows the difference between backdating an entry and a late entry made openly, with the date and an explanation.

Does the course cover social media and video consultations?

Yes. Section 4 covers digital misconduct, Section 7 a video consultation held in a shared office and a confidentiality breach in general practice, and Section 8 digital professionalism: data protection law and confidentiality in electronic communication, keeping personal and professional accounts separate, and the same privacy safeguards for telemedicine as for a face-to-face consultation.

The Preliminary Proceedings Committee has asked for an undertaking. Can this course be part of my response?

It can be part of the evidence. The Council’s 2025 procedures allow the committee to ask a doctor to undertake not to repeat the conduct or to be referred to a professional competence scheme, and its undertakings guidance weighs the level of insight shown. Whether a course meets a particular undertaking or condition depends on its wording, so read it with your adviser before you enrol.

How long does it take, and how long do I have access?

The course is 2 CPD hours, self-paced, with access for twelve months from purchase. The certificate is issued on completion, dated, with the course title and the CPD hours. Under the Council’s 2025 rules a doctor must undertake a minimum of 50 hours of CPD in each scheme year and enrol with a professional competence scheme; ask your scheme how these hours are recorded.

Can I get a certificate with a later date?

No. The certificate records the date you completed the course, and that date does not change. If the Council, the Fitness to Practise Committee or an employer asks for recent evidence, you buy the course again: half price within twelve months of your original purchase, the full €100 after that.

Will anyone be told that I am taking the course?

No. Nobody is told you are enrolled. We do not share participant details with the Medical Council, an employer, a union or an indemnifier; the certificate reaches them only if you attach it to your own response.

A complaint about conduct can raise more than one issue. These are the courses that pair with this one.

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Doctors

For a Medical Council complaint about a decision: the four principles, the Guide’s key ethical expectations, five dilemmas of Irish clinical practice, and probity and accountability.