Pharmacist CPD requirements
All registered pharmacists are required to undertake CPD.
No fixed traditional points or contact-hours target.
Portfolio-based, self-reflective and shaped around individual learning needs and scope of practice.
Maintain CPD in the online ePortfolio provided through the Irish Institute of Pharmacy.
ePortfolio Review moves to annual participation from January 2027.
PSI sets/oversees the requirements; IIOP manages the ePortfolio and review process.
Who must undertake pharmacist CPD?
The Pharmacy Act 2007 requires pharmacists to undertake continuing professional development. PSI's current guidance says all registered pharmacists must maintain a record of their CPD in the online ePortfolio and demonstrate evidence of engagement when required.
Under the revised ePortfolio Review arrangements, pharmacists generally enter annual review once they have been on the Register for the relevant period. For the 2026/27 review, PSI says a pharmacist registered as of 1 January 2026 is eligible and required to submit an extract in January 2027 unless an approved exemption applies.
Pharmacists who joined the Register during 2026 are expected to enter the annual review process from 2027/28.
How much CPD does a pharmacist need?
PSI expressly states that the pharmacist CPD system is not based on a traditional CPD-points system or the accumulation of contact hours.
Instead, it is a portfolio-based reflective model. Pharmacists identify their own learning and development needs, use a range of learning methods and record evidence of professional development in their ePortfolio.
There is no responsible way to summarise the PSI model as “pharmacists need X CPD hours per year”. The regulatory requirement is ongoing engagement with CPD and the ePortfolio/review model.
What counts as pharmacist CPD?
PSI describes a flexible model that allows pharmacists to employ a wide range of learning methods to meet individual learning needs. The emphasis is on reflection, implementation of learning in professional practice and maintaining the capacity to practise safely, effectively and legally within an evolving role and scope of practice.
The IIOP supports the system with the ePortfolio, ePortfolio Review and developmental resources. It also accredits some formal courses and programmes and provides access to non-accredited learning opportunities.
How is pharmacist CPD recorded and reviewed?
Pharmacists must maintain their CPD record in the IIOP online ePortfolio. During ePortfolio Review, pharmacists submit an extract from that ePortfolio to the IIOP for review.
Following the 2025 rule changes, PSI says ePortfolio Review becomes annual from January 2027, replacing the previous once-every-five-years submission model.
PSI states that the 2025 changes also create a direct link between engagement with ePortfolio Review and continued registration, allowing the Council to propose refusal of continued registration where a pharmacist has failed to comply with CPD requirements.
An exemption policy remains available for circumstances where a pharmacist is unable to undertake the review. Pharmacists should use PSI's current exemption process rather than assuming an absence automatically removes the requirement.
Does pharmacist CPD have to be accredited?
The PSI model is broader than accredited courses. PSI says the IIOP accredits a range of formal courses and programmes, while also providing non-accredited learning opportunities. The overall model is based on appropriate reflective professional development rather than a fixed total of accredited hours.
A CPD Ireland accreditation demonstrates independent review against the CPD Ireland Accreditation Standard. It is separate from PSI/IIOP course accreditation and does not by itself establish that a pharmacist has satisfied the PSI CPD model or ePortfolio Review standards.
Can pharmacists use CPD Ireland MyCPD?
Yes, as a supplementary personal record. MyCPD can keep CPD Ireland Verified certificates and self-recorded activities together with optional supporting evidence.
The IIOP ePortfolio is the official record within the PSI CPD model. CPD Ireland MyCPD does not replace it, submit an ePortfolio Review extract or determine whether the PSI/IIOP review standard has been met.
Pharmacist CPD questions
Official sources
Requirements in this guide were checked against current material published by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI). Always use PSI and IIOP guidance for the definitive current CPD and ePortfolio Review requirements.