In order to be appointed as a consultant, you must have first completed Specialist Training and be registered on the Specialist Division of the Irish Medical Council Register. A Consultant is a senior clinician who can practice medicine without supervision and can provide clinical supervision to Training and Non-Training NCHDs. There are currently over 4,000 HSE-funded approved consultant posts. With effect from March 2023, all appointments to the post of Consultant will be on the Public Only Consultant Contract, see link HR Circular 008 2023 Public Only Consultant Contract 2023 - HSE.ie .
Applying For A Consultant Post
Consultant posts can be advertised on various platforms, some of which are outlined below:
1. Consultant Recruitment Hub
This is a dedicated online hub where you can view and apply for medical consultant roles. Publicjobs.ie manages an independent recruitment and selection process for permanent medical consultant roles on behalf of the HSE. There are twelve area specialities that are recruited for on the hub currently: surgery, psychiatry, paediatrics, anaesthesiology, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, general internal medicine, pathology, radiology, public health, orthodontics, and ophthalmology. The hub also details requirements for working in the Irish healthcare system, as well as information on housing, taxation, banking, driving, and education. All vacancies are easily searchable by speciality, county, or keyword.
Learn more about the hub and search open vacancies: www.publicjobs.ie/en/medical-consultants/
2. Hospital Websites
Individual hospital websites will advertise consultant posts. You should check their websites regularly for updates on vacancies.
3. CAAC Approvals
All new and replacement consultant posts must be recommended for approval by the Consultant Applications Advisory Committee (CAAC). The role of CAAC is to provide independent and objective advice to the HSE on applications and the qualifications required for consultant posts. The recommendations of CAAC are then submitted to the National Director of Human Resources and, if a post is approved, the hospital is then authorised to advertise the post. All posts approved at the CAAC are listed centrally on the HSE’s website. While there is a slight delay between recommendation for approval by the CAAC and advertisement of the job, this list is a useful resource for anyone interested in applying to work as a consultant in Ireland.
Learn more about the CAAC and see approved posts: www.hse.ie/eng/staff/leadership-education-development/met/consultantapplications/consultant-jobs-approved/