Frequently Asked Questions

All registered pharmacists are required to engage in ePortfolio Review on an annual basis. However, pharmacists who are on the register less than one year at the time of ePortfolio Review will not be required to submit extracts of their ePortfolio for review until the following year.  

All pharmacists who registered with the PSI before 1 January 2026 are eligible and expected to participate in ePortfolio Review 2026/27 by submitting an extract of their ePortfolio for review through the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP) portal in January 2027 and on an annual basis thereafter. This includes pharmacists who participated in (or had an approved extenuating circumstance for) ePortfolio Review 2025/26. 

Pharmacists who have joined the register during 2026 will be eligible and expected to participate from ePortfolio Review 2027/28 onwards.   

You must use the online ePortfolio tool accessible through the IIOP website. This is a requirement under the PSI(Continuing Professional Development) Rules 2015 (SI No 553 of 2015), which came into effect on 1 January 2016. These Rules do not provide for the use of any other CPD tool.

CPD activities include anything which helps improve practice and which will improve the service provided to patients and ultimately patient safety. It is understood that everyone has different learning needs and that people learn in a variety of different ways with their own preferred learning methods, and across a variety of different practice stettings. 

CPD can therefore include a variety of activities including but not limited to:

• knowledge and skills acquired at conferences and courses,
• practice-based learning including feedback from audits, analysis and review of critical incidents (i.e. your own experiences),
•  reading, writing or undertaking research,
•  learning with others, for example talking to colleagues or going to workshops.

CPD activities may include informal “on-the-job” learning as well as formally accredited educational programmes and non-formal learning which includes educational activities which have not been formally accredited.

Please refer to the IIOP website for further information on the ePortfolio system.

Yes. Any relevant course or training programme, or 'on the job' learning that enhances your practice as a pharmacist will be recognised and can be included in your ePortfolio.

The PSI model of CPD is designed to be self-reflective. Pharmacists will naturally identify areas within their practice that may need improvement and/or development. The important part of this process is that you address these areas to ensure that you are practising in a safe manner.

It should be noted that pharmacists are required to declare that they are competent to practice at the time of annual continued registration. The ePortfolio review process has been developed to ensure that pharmacists can demonstrate that they are adequately engaging with CPD, which is appropriate for their particular type of practice as a pharmacist.

In the event that a pharmacist fails to meet the standard at the end of the ePortfolio Review process, they will receive support and guidance from the IIOP on how to address their development needs, including the next steps for their review. However, if following repeated opportunities to meet the standards for review, a pharmacist has not demonstrated that they are appropriately engaging in CPD, the IIOP has a statutory obligation to notify the PSI.

The PSI regards an extenuating circumstance as a circumstance beyond the control of the individual, which has had and/or will have an impact on the pharmacist’s ability to submit an extract of their CPD activities for review and/or their ability to comply with CPD requirements.

Because of their exceptional nature, it is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of scenarios that would fall into the category of extenuating circumstances. However, for the purpose of illustration, examples of circumstances where an exemption from participation in ePortfolio Review could apply, along with examples of the evidence required to support such an application, are available in the PSI ePortfolio Review Exemption Policy. 

Extenuating circumstances involve, by definition, exceptional situations. The general assumption of the PSI is that all pharmacists who have been on the register a year or more at the time of ePortfolio Review will be in a position to submit an extract of their ePortfolio for review each year. 

A policy is in place to support pharmacists who are unable to submit extracts of their ePortfolio due to extenuating circumstances that affect their ability to participate in the review process, which can include various parental, pregnancy-related, or family leaves such as maternity leave. 

If you believe you may be eligible for an exemption, you should first review the ePortfolio Review Exemption Policy. This will help you determine whether you meet the criteria for an exemption and, where appropriate, arrange for the Exemption Application - Supporting Documentation Form to be completed by your medical practitioner and/or employer in advance of applying. 

Applications for exemption are managed by the PSI on a case-by-case basis in the strictest of confidence. 

Step-by-step instructions on submitting an exemption application are available on this website.

A policy is in place to support pharmacists who are unable to submit ePortfolio extracts for review due to extenuating circumstances. These are circumstances beyond the pharmacist’s control, that affect their ability to participate in the review process.  

If you believe you may be eligible for an exemption due to an extenuating circumstance (such as a serious illness), you should first review the ePortfolio Review Exemption Policy. This will help you determine whether you meet the criteria for an exemption and, where appropriate, arrange for the Exemption Application - Supporting Documentation Form to be completed by your medical practitioner and/or employer in advance of applying. 

Applications for exemption are managed by the PSI on a case-by-case basis in the strictest of confidence. 

Step-by-step instructions on submitting an exemption application are available on our website. 

Yes, an exemption application is valid for one ePortfolio Review period only. Registrants who feel they are eligible for an exemption in consecutive years must submit a new application annually, even if it is for the same reason/circumstance. This includes having an up-to-date Supporting Documentation Form. 

Please note, the Medical Practitioner Certification on page 2 of the Supporting Documentation Form is valid for three months only. If this form expires before your exemption application is submitted, you may be asked to provide an up-to-date copy.  

All registered pharmacists must engage with the CPD system and the ePortfolio Review process. The CPD ePortfolio is an electronic/online system available through the IIOP which can be accessed and submitted remotely. All communication about the ePortfolio Review process is sent by email so you should ensure that the email address associated with your IIOP account is correct and one you access regularly.  

Pharmacists can update their PSI email at any time in the PSI Registration Portal. Guidance on how to check and update your email address with the IIOP is available on the IIOP website. 

Please note that the PSI registration portal and IIOP portal currently maintain separate contact records. Updating your email address in one system will not automatically update it in the other, so any changes should be made in both systems where applicable. 

While the PSI does not hold a non-practising Register, it does operate a system of voluntary cancellation from the Register. Should you wish to voluntarily cancel your registration while you are travelling/not working for an extended period, and if/when you wish to return to practice as a pharmacist having been previously registered with the PSI, you can apply to have your name restored to the register. More information on this can be found in the registration section. 

Yes, once you are a registered pharmacist with the PSI you must engage with the CPD system and the ePortfolio Review process.

While the PSI does not hold a non-practising Register, it does operate a system of voluntary cancellation from the Register. If you wish to return to practice as a pharmacist in the future and you have been previously registered with the PSI, you can apply to have your name restored to the register. More information on this can be found in the registration section.

Under the Pharmacy Act 2007, at the time of applying for annual continued registration, pharmacists are required to make a declaration confirming that they have been maintaining appropriate experience, keeping abreast of continuing education and maintaining CPD and that they are engaging with the IIOP and undertaking the reporting of CPD activities.

Furthermore, beginning in 2027 pharmacists will also be required to indicate compliance with and participation in annual ePortfolio Review as part of their continued registration application.  

A pharmacist who does not engage with ePortfolio Review will be referred by the IIOP to the PSI. Failure to engage in ePortfolio Review, without an approved exemption application, is a serious matter. Following the 2025 amendments to the PSI Registration Rules, engagement in CPD is now directly linked to a pharmacist’s continued registration. Where a pharmacist is eligible to participate in ePortfolio Review but does not do so, and has not been granted an exemption, the PSI Council can propose to refuse their application for continued registration on the grounds of failure to comply with CPD requirements.