FAQs

All doctors and nurses/midwives involved in taking screening tests (sample takers) should complete an accredited evidence-based CSEP.

You must be one of the following registered healthcare professionals to undertake the CSEP:

• a qualified Nurse or Midwife registered in the General or Midwife division of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
• a doctor registered with the Irish Medical Council.

All trainee sample takers are required to have access to a clinical practice area where cervical samples are taken.

A novice sample taker is someone who has limited experience with sample taking, or has not yet conducted a screening test, and has not successfully completed an accredited Cervical Screening Education Programme.

An experienced sample taker is a sample taker who has extensive experience in taking cervical samples and offering a cervical screening service. They may be nurses or doctors working under the supervision of a Clinically Responsible Doctor (CRD), or may be CRDs themselves. It is highly recommended to support clinical practice that all sampletakers undertake a formal CCEP.

Yes, sample taking is an extension to a nurse or midwife’s scope of practice*. Nurses and midwives must be theoretically and clinically competent to expand their scope of practice to provide cervical screening consultations and to provide best practice in sample taking. Please refer to the NMBI Scope of Practice decision-making flow chart (NMBI, 2015).

* Scope of practice is a concept that several professions use in the context of professional regulation. The scope of practice sets out the procedures, actions and processes that the registered or licensed professional is allowed to perform. The individual practitioner’s scope of practice is determined by a range of factors that gives them the authority to perform a particular role or task. Scope of practice for nurses and midwives in Ireland is determined by legislation, European Union (EU) directives, international developments, social policy, national and local guidelines, education, and the individual practitioner’s levels of competence.

The STU offers a free cervical screening education programme which is tailored to both the novice and experienced sample taker.

CervicalCheck Cervical Screening Education Programme (CSEP): This programme is delivered by STU clinical trainers in multiple sites around the country, and the clinical component is delivered on a one to one basis. The CSEP is available to all eligible sample takers free of charge. The novice programme offers 30 Continuing Professional Development (CPD)/ Continuing Education Units (CEU) points, and the experienced programme offers 27 CPD/CEU points. On completion of the CervicalCheck CSEP novice programme, you will receive 30 Continuing Education Units (category 1 accreditation) from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), or 30 CPD points as recognised by the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP).

You must ensure you have access to a clinical setting that offers cervical screening consultations.

Create an account in CervicalCheck’s e-learning portal www.nssresources.ie and undertake an introductory online Clinical Update called ‘CervicalCheck in Practice’ in either primary care or non-primary care, depending on your work setting.

The Clinically Responsible Doctor (CRD) holding a contract with CervicalCheck must sign the application form as part of the online application process.
Return the form to stu@cervicalcheck.ie

For CervicalCheck CSEP, completion time depends on the experience level:

• Novice sample takers: no shorter than two months from the date of the face to face workshop.
• Experienced sample takers: no shorter than one month from the date of completion of the online modules.
• Duration should not exceed 12 months.

It's important to note that regardless of your experience level, the programme's duration should not exceed 12 months. This flexibility ensures that you can tailor your education timeline to suit your needs and commitments. If you have specific questions about programme durations, please feel free to email STU@CervicalCheck.ie for more information.

To apply to the novice education programme:

1. Create an Account: To begin your educational journey, please create an account on our e-learning portal, which can be found on www.nssresources.ie. It's crucial to use your correct NMBI (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland) or MCRN (Medical Council Registration Number) PIN as this will serve as your unique identifier within CervicalCheck.
2. Complete the mandatory introductory module “CervicalCheck in Practice” on www.nssresources.ie and download the certificate of completion.
3. Complete the application form for novice sample takers application form for nocice sample taker course indicating the workshop location you wish to attend. Workshop locations are available at the top of this page.
4. Email your application form and certificate of completion to stu@cervicalcheck.ie

CervicalCheck CSEP is free of charge.

Sample taking is an extension to a nurse or midwife’s scope of practice*. Nurses and midwives must be theoretically and clinically competent to expand their scope of practice to provide cervical screening consultations and to provide best practice in sample taking. Please refer to the NMBI Scope of Practice decision-making flow chart (NMBI, 2015).

A. If you've been conducting screening tests for years, you might wonder why you should enrol in a Cervical Screening Education Programme. Here's why the experienced cervical screening programme is gaining popularity among experienced sample takers. Completing the experienced education programme will ensure you:

• Stay Updated: The field of cervical screening is constantly evolving. By taking the experienced cervical screening programme, you ensure that your knowledge is up to date with the latest advancements and guidelines.
• Comprehensive Information: Even if you have years of experience, this programme offers a wealth of additional information and insights about cervical screening that can enhance your practice. The landscape of cervical screening has changed significantly over the years. This programme equips you with the tools and knowledge needed to adapt to these changes effectively.
• Accreditation: Perhaps you never completed an accredited programme before, or it was done prior to the introduction of HPV screening. Accreditation is valuable and can demonstrate your commitment to excellence in providing cervical screening services.

A. As per the 2022 national contract for delivery of a cervical screening service, all sample takers must maintain continuous professional development by completing a CervicalCheck clinical update at least once every three years.

The contract (section 4.2.29) states: "Ensure that the Contractor and Qualified Persons participate in a CervicalCheck clinical update at least once every three (3) years. Clinical updates may be delivered through face-to-face meetings (National, Regional, Continuing Medical Education [CME] or CervicalCheck-led) or through the National Screening Service Learning Portal (online)."

There is a suite of clinical updates available on CervicalCheck’s online e-learning portal www.nssresources.ie that are available to maintain continuous professional development:

To access these clinical updates you must

Log on to www.nssresources.ie

1. Create an Account: To begin your educational journey, please create an accountIt's crucial to use your correct NMBI (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland) or MCRN (Medical Council Registration Number) PIN as this will serve as your unique identifier within CervicalCheck.
2. Log in and Explore: Once you have your account set up, log in and navigate to the ‘Clinical update’ section, which provides an overview of your available options.

The programme will start auditing against this CPD requirement over the term of this contract.

All new sample takers and new contract holders must now complete a mandatory introductory module CervicalCheck in Practice to register as a sample taker:

• CervicalCheck in Practice for primary care services
• CervicalCheck in Practice for Non-Primary Care settings

A. To access the online courses, follow these steps:

• Visit the NSS resources website at www.nssresources.ie.
• Create a new account by clicking on ‘Create New Account’.
• Provide your applicable credentials, including your MCRN or NMBI (whichever is applicable), a unique email address, and your title.

Once your account is set up, you can access the online courses and resources.

The Screening Training Unit (STU) hosts regular webinars covering a range of topics related to cervical screening. It is important to note that these webinars, while valuable for staying informed and engaged, do not replace the full clinical update requirement.

CervicalCheck will also host CervicalCheck in Practice webinars which will count as your CPD requirements. These webinars will be clearly advertised as clinical updates and offer flexibility to sample takers in completing their required clinical updates.

We encourage you to make the most of our webinars to complement your learning journey and stay current with the latest advancements in cervical screening. However, to fulfil your contract of completing a clinical update every three years, please ensure you complete the formal clinical update on our e-learning platform, www.nssresources.ie.

The webinars are recognised by the ICGP and NMBI for CPD points.

At CervicalCheck, we remain committed to supporting your professional growth and development, and we're here to assist you every step of the way.

To register for upcoming webinars please visit Upcoming Webinars

Please note

All webinars will be live and interactive with time allocated to answer questions. All events will be recorded. If you are unable to attend the live event, once you have registered, you will be sent a link to access the recording of the webinar at your convenience. CPD/CEU credits can only be awarded if you attend the entire live webinar. Webinars that are CervicalCheck Updates will be documented as one of the mandatory clinical updates that sample takers must complete and will be documented as an update on your profile with CervicalCheck.

This is the CervicalCheck Screening Training Unit’s (STU) strategic plan for the development of high-quality and accessible education for all healthcare professionals involved in delivering a cervical screening service for the period 2022 to 2025.

An integral component of this work is the development of comprehensive education standards and requirements that will ensure a consistent level of education for both novice and experienced sample takers, so that they can provide safe, effective, and person-centred care.

You can read the NSS CervicalCheck Education Strategy 2022-2025 report by clicking here.

CervicalCheck Education Strategy	CervicalCheck Education Standards and Requirements