Menopause Care Professional Certificate (MCPC)

Menopause Care logoOur Menopause Care Professional Certificate (MCPC) aims to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge, clinical skills, and experience to provide high quality menopause care.

It will allow health professionals to assess and manage individuals presenting for routine menopause care. It can act as both a standalone qualification for primary care providers and as the starting point for those who wish to progress to more advanced study or lead a menopause service. 

Our advanced training programme, the Menopause Care Professional Diploma (MCPD), is for those aiming to lead a menopause service and receive complex referrals. The MCPD builds on the content of the MCPC and so all candidates who wish to undertake the advanced training on the MCPD are expected to first complete the MCPC (or a recognised alternative programme).

Who can apply for the MCPC?

The MCPC is for healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland who work regularly in the field of menopause care. 

For the MCPC, the essential entry requirements are: 

  • Fully registered with a relevant professional body (see list below)
  • Work in SRH, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, primary care or any other speciality related to women’s health care, and see patients presenting for routine menopause care 

Healthcare professionals from the UK or the Republic of Ireland who wish to undertake any FSRH training that does not involve direct contact with or treatment of patients in a UK health facility, will be required to be licenced and in good standing with the relevant UK or Irish regulatory body. For example, doctors wishing to undertake the MCPC with remote assessments will need to be registered with the General Medical Council or the Irish Medical Council.  

Healthcare professionals from the UK or the Republic of Ireland who wish to undertake any FSRH training that involves direct contact with or treatment of patients in a UK health facility, will be required to be licenced and in good standing with the relevant UK regulatory body. For example, doctors from the UK or the Republic of Ireland wishing to undertake the MCPC in a UK health facility will need to be registered with the General Medical Council.  

The FSRH currently recognises the following regulatory bodies:   

  • The General Medical Council (UK) 
  • Irish Medical Council
  • The Nursing & Midwifery Council (UK) 
  • Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland 
  • General Pharmaceutical Council (UK) 
  • The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland 
  • Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register (UK) 
  • Health and Care Professions Council (UK) 

If you have little experience of menopause care, you may wish to consider attending our Essentials of Menopause Care course before applying for the MCPC. 

How do I apply for the MCPC?

Before you apply... 

You will need to secure a Principal Trainer before you formally apply. If you have not already identified a trainer in your place of work, please use our Find-a-Trainer platform to connect with a trainer who is suitably located to you or can provide remote training and assessment.

More information about our Find-a-Trainer platform can be found here.

Training may require you to travel to a Principal Trainer if one is not available to you locally. Please take the time, distance and costs associated with this travel into account before agreeing on where to do your training with your Principal Trainer. Alternatively, you might agree to remote training and assessment with your Principal Trainer.

How to apply

Once you have secured a Principal Trainer you will need to formally apply to FSRH and pay an application fee of £450 (which includes a non-refundable application fee of £75).

To view the application form, you will need to have a MyFSRH account. You can register for free or login to your existing account.

Apply for the Menopause Care Professional Certificate (MCPC)

What happens next?

Once you have applied, we will let you know by email within 21 working days whether you have been accepted. You may be contacted by a member of the team within this time if additional information or evidence is required.

If you are not accepted, you will receive an email and a refund on your payment (minus the £75 application fee).

If you are accepted, you will receive an acceptance email to provide you with the next steps. You will need to inform your Principal Trainer that you have been accepted and can proceed with training and assessment.

What does MCPC training and assessment involve?

The curriculum for the MCPC details the required Capability in Practice (CiP) and 10 associated key skills required for the successful completion of the certificate.  

The CiP for the MCPC is: The healthcare professional is able to use their knowledge, clinical skills, and experience to assess and manage individuals presenting for routine menopause care. 

The MCPC includes the following topics: 

  1. Consultation skills in menopause (Key skills 1-4) 
  2. Risk/benefit analysis (Key skill 5) 
  3. Diagnosis, management options and treatment choices (Key skills 6-8) 
  4. Follow-up and referral (Key skills 9-10) 

You must have a Principal Trainer who oversees all training and assessment aspects. Your learning and assessments are captured in an online portfolio that is accessible via the FSRH Training Hub. This portfolio is submitted when all required components have been evidenced by yourself and approved by your Principal Trainer. 

For more specific information, please explore the ‘Learning’ and ‘Assessment’ tabs below. Please note that both learning and assessment activities may be carried out in person or remotely.  


Interested in becoming a Menopause Care Principal Trainer to help deliver this exciting qualification? Find out how to apply. 

Learning

It is recognised that candidates might have different preferred learning styles and that knowledge may be acquired from a variety of activities. The MCPC Syllabus details recommended courses and resources that should be discussed with your Principal Trainer.

Attending a theory course is not a compulsory part of the MCPC, but you must meet the Knowledge Criteria (detailed in the MCPC Curriculum) during the Learning Journey before the certificate can be awarded, and a theory course is an excellent way to gain the knowledge needed. In addition, you are required to attend four structured facilitated workshops that each last 2 hours that will help you gain and test your knowledge.  

Other learning you must undertake will be captured in an Independent Learning Portfolio. While these entries are formative, together they will create a summative assessment, and the completion of the portfolio should take you approximately 12-15 hours.  

Assessment

Your online FSRH Training Hub portfolio will outline all the assessments that you must complete to gain the MCPC. You will be able to access the portfolio and all the necessary materials when your MCPC application is accepted. 

The three key areas of assessment are listed below. Assessment templates, where applicable, are available on the FSRH Training Hub, within each assessment area.  

  1. Independent Learning Portfolio (ILP) 
  2. Summative Clinical Assessments (SCAs) 
  3. Completion Review Meeting (CRM) 

All training and assessments must be completed within two years of the date you receive the email from the FSRH accepting you on to the MCPC.  

Principal Trainer

The Principal Trainer will be your primary contact throughout your MCPC journey, and is responsible for most assessments, as well as the final sign-off for the certificate.  

Where there is delegation of teaching or assessment to another suitable professional, it is the Principal Trainer’s duty to ensure that the delegated professional is sufficiently competent, willing, and able to train and assess you. 


If you are interested in becoming a Principal Trainer, please read our Menopause Care Principal Trainer Guide for more information. 

Fees

The MCPC requires payment of a £450.00 application fee which includes a £75 non-refundable administration fee. This is payable when you apply. Please ensure you meet all the entry requirements before you make an application. Any agreed extensions will incur a fee of £50. 

You should discuss fees that are payable to your Principal Trainers and others as part of the pre-application conversation. These fees would need to be agreed with them and are set at their discretion. 

Further support

Please explore our Support Portal and FAQs, where you will be able to search for the main questions and topics related to the MCPC.

If you still cannot find an answer to your query, you can use the Support Portal to submit a ticket which can be addressed by our Support Team.