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Medical Training in Ireland

The following is intended for very high level information only. Individuals should confirm exact details for their own personal circumstances with the relevant authority in Ireland. The information provided has not been verified by the relevant Irish medical bodies. A list of further contacts and information is provided.

Undergraduate: The medical degree in Ireland typically lasts between 5/6 years. A graduate entry programme of 4 years is available for those with a good honours degree (2:1 and above). For a full list of Irish Institutions offering Medical Undergraduate Degrees please see The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies.

Intern Year: Upon successful completion of your medical studies in Ireland the training pathway for doctors differs from the UK. An Intern Year is taken after completing undergraduate studies and must be completed to gain full registration with the Irish Medical Council.

The Intern Year is recognised as the first year of postgraduate medical training in Ireland. This will be a doctor’s first full time, paid job in a clinical setting and is usually carried out in a teaching/university hospital that is linked to their relevant medical school. The salary for intern posts from January 1^st 2010, based on a basic 39 hour week is €33,619. These areas of training are known as Intern Networks with each Intern Network being led by an Intern Network Coordinator who will be a consultant with a breadth of educational experience. It is the Intern Network Coordinators responsibility to fully oversee the educational programmes in their area.

Intern Networks are grouped on geographical area and by a linked Medical School. These networks are currently:

Training Network Linked Medical School

West/Northwest National University of Ireland, Galway

Dublin/Northeast Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dublin/Mid-Leinster University College Dublin

Dublin/Southeast Trinity College Dublin

South University of Cork

Mid-West University of Limerick

The Medical Council expects that Interns will develop the professional and personal skills throughout this period of training that will result in good patient care and offer an excellent foundation for further postgraduate training. Posts run for a minimum of 12 months which should normally be consecutive to include at least 3 months in medicine in general and 3 months in surgery in general. The Intern Year will also include 2 – 4 months in other specialties recognised by the Medical Council. All intern posts are approved by the Medical Council and are governed by the Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive has detailed information on the Internship application process along with full eligibility criteria. The Irish Medical Council also have further information on Intern Training.

Upon the successful completion of the Intern Year the Certificate of Experience is awarded by the Medical Council. This certificate is a requirement to progress onto further training in Ireland. The Certificate of Experience allows trainees to apply to the trainee specialist division or general division of the Register of Medical Practitioners. The certificate is also generally required for registration in most other countries.

Graduates from UK medical schools can apply for the Intern Training Programme in Ireland and the eligibility criteria can be found in the HSE Medical Education and Training Guide

Graduates from UK medical schools should note that they will have to provide an English Language Proficiency Test. The Intern Training eligibility guidelines state:

“Any applicant who did not complete the entirety of their undergraduate medical degree in the Republic of Ireland must provide an IELTS certificate with a minimum standard of 7.5 in each of the four domains on the academic test” (Ireland’s interns 2011 – a guide to application and Appointment to Intern Training in Ireland 2011, HSE Medical Education and Training.)

If you wish to return to the UK on completion of the Intern year and after successful award of the Certificate of Experience a further year of postgraduate training will have to be carried out in a recognised programme to become eligible for application to UK Specialty Training. In effect this would mean a stand alone F2 year or Locum Appointed to Training (LAT). See our section on locum work for further details as not all LAT posts will enable you to meet the required competencies to gain the FACD on completion. Any LAT posts should be discussed fully with Educational Supervisors and Foundation Programme Directors to ensure the post is approved to enable you to complete the requirements of the Foundation Programme. Due to completing the Intern year in Ireland you will have the equivalent of full registration to the GMC, the UKFPO eligibility criteria does not allow entry to F1. The UKFPO website has further information on eligibility.

On successful completion and registration with The Medical Council of Ireland further training is required toward specialisation which is carried out during Basic Specialist Training (BST) , Basic Surgical Training (BST) or General Professional Training (GPT) which act as a foundation before applying to Higher Medical Training (HMT).

Intern Training – Application

Application for Intern Training is a 2 stage process. Stage 1 determines eligibility and Stage 2 is application for those that have met the requirements in stage 1. Candidates will preference up to 20 Intern Training Networks in rank order and will be allocated dependant on ranking which is based on a centile provided by the appropriate Medical School. All successful applicants will be matched to a single intern post and as there will be no second round of offers there is not an option to reject a matched post in favor of another. If an applicant refuses an allocated post they will be removed from the process for that year and would have to reapply the following year. It is not possible to defer an offer Intern Training.

Applicants who are not matched to an Intern Training place will be placed on a reserve list. All the information around application is available from the Health Service Executive with associated documents and application forms.

There is statistical data available from the 2010 entry process that gives an overview of candidates and the matching process at www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/corporate/etr/

Resources and further information:

Health Service Executive publications on Education, Training and Research:

Health Service Executive jobs

Health Service Executive Learning and Development.

Medical Council:

International English Language Testing System: http://www.ielts.org/

Postgraduate Training in Ireland:

The 2006 Buttimer Report carried out a full review on Postgraduate Training for doctors in Ireland and recommended that formal training should remain under the relevant 13 Postgraduate Medical Education bodies. These are:

The College of Anaesthetists

The Irish Committee on Higher Education

The Irish College of General Practitioners

The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

The Faculty of Occupational Medicine

The Irish College of Ophthalmologists

The Faculty of Paeditatrics

The Faculty of Pathology

The Faculty of Public Health Medicine

The Irish Psychiatric Training Committee

The Faculty of Radiologists

The Royal College of surgeons of Ireland

The Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine

Postgraduate Medical education is a mixture of formal education, under the auspices of the 13 bodies mentioned above and vocational training. The first phase of this training varies dependant on chosen careers path but comprises between 2 or 3 years of :

General Professional Training (GPT)

Basic Surgical Training (BST)

Basic Specialist Training. (BST)

On successful completion of the phases above doctors will be awarded a certificate of completion and then compete for selection into Higher Specialist Training (HST) in their area of interest and this phase of training will last for between 4 – 6 years dependant on the chosen career path and specialty. On successful completion of HST with progression through programmes achieved then the Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of specialist Training (CSCST) is awarded and a doctor is able to apply to the Medical Council of Ireland for entry onto the Register of Medical Specialists. For further detailed information on Postgraduate Medical Training in Ireland please visit the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies Home page

The following section provides an overview of the length of training required at Basic Specialist Training (BST), Basic Surgical Training (BST), General Professional Training and Higher Specialist Training (HST) to achieve entry onto the Register of Medical Specialists which enables application for a consultant post in a specialty. You should check with the relevant training body for the exact length of training required as this can vary between 4 – 7 years.

Medicine – A 2 year Basic Specialist Training postgraduate programme accredited by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. There are 4 programmes available at Basic Specialist Training level:

General Internal medicine
Paediatrics
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Histopathology.

To progress onto Higher Medical Training in the following specialties completion of BST is required:

Cardiology

Chemical Pathology

Clinical Microbiology

Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Dermatology

Endocrinology

Gastroenterology

General Paediatrics

General internal medicine

Genito-Urinary Medicine

Geriatric Medicine

Haematology

Immunology

Infectious disease

Medical Oncology

Microbiology

Nephrology

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Occupational medicine

Palliative Medicine

Public Health medicine

Rheumatology

Further details available at: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies

Surgery: A 2 year Basic Surgical Training postgraduate programme accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. To progress onto Higher Medical Training in the following specialties completion of BST is required:

Cardiothoracic Surgery

General Surgery

Neurosurgery

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery

Pediatric Surgery

Plastic Surgery

Trauma & Orthopedic Surgery

Urology

Further details available at: Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland

Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies Surgery

General Professional Training: A 2/3 year postgraduate training programme accredited by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. To progress onto Higher Medical Training in the following specialties completion of GPT is required:

For further details on General Professional Training please visit the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland GPT

Anaesthesia: 2 years Basic Specialist Training , 5 years Higher Specialist Training.

Further details available at: The Royal College of Anaesthetists of Ireland

Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies (Anaesthesia)

Emergency Medicine: 3 years General Professional Training and a relevant Postgraduate Diploma. 5 years Higher Specialist Training

Further details available at The Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland

Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies Emergency Medicine

General Practice: 4 years specialist training. Apply via Irish College of General Practitioners. 2 years will be spent in Hospital Specialties including – Medicine, Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Psychiatry, A&E and ENT. 2 years will be in a General Practice setting.

Further details available at The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies GP

The Irish College of Ophthalmologists is responsible for providing Basic Specialist training (BST) and Higher Specialist Training (HST). BST is a 3 year programme after which trainees apply to Higher Specialist Training.

Further information is available at The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies Opthalmology

Psychiatry: 3/4 years General Professional Training. Higher Specialist Training lasts 3/4 years.

Further information is available form the Irish Psychiatric Training Committee

Further information is available at The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies Psychiatry

Rehabilitation Medicine: General Professional training for 2 years which should include patient contact in all rotations, 3 should offer exposure to acute problems and 2 should involve acute unselected medical intake.

Higher Specialist Training has a minimum duration of 4 years.

Further information is available at The College of Physicians of Ireland website

Further information is available at The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies Rehabilitation Medicine

Radiology: 4 years of Basic Radiology Training. A 5^th year of training is usually undertaken in a subspecialty area such as:

Interventional Radiology
Breast Radiology
Nuclear Medicine
Cross Sectional Imaging
Paediatric Radiology

The Faculty of Radiologists in Ireland has further details.

Further information is available at The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies Radiology

Sports & Exercise Medicine: At present there is no Higher Specialist Training scheme available and this is something that is being addressed. There will be limited posts available once the training has been approved. Further information can be found at the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine

Information for UK doctors considering medical Training in Ireland.

If you are considering carrying out your Postgraduate training in Ireland you are advised to discuss this with your Medical School Dean or Educational Supervisor.

The system of postgraduate training in Ireland differs from that of the UK with the Internship year being the first stage of postgraduate training after graduation from medical school. In the UK the 2 year Foundation Programme is in place to act as the bridge from Medical School into your first job as a doctor. It is possible for UK/EEU medical school graduates to apply to the Internship Year.

The successful completion of the internship year in Ireland allows doctors to move onto the next stage of training which is divided into Basic Medical Training, Basic Surgical Training or General Professional Training depending on the branch of medicine that you are interested in following as a career. This stage broadly echoes the 2 years Foundation doctors spend in training in the UK prior to applying to specialty or GP training.

UK/EEU candidates that have successfully completed the Foundation Programme in the UK and successfully achieved the Foundation Achievement Competencies Document can in some cases apply directly into Basic Specialist Training in Ireland if they meet the required entry requirements to do so. The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies has good information and further links and contacts if you are considering this. You are advised to seek definitive advice on this from the Irish Training body that oversees the training programme you are interested in. These are: