Find your medical specialty
There are 57 specialties currently recognised by the Medical Council of Ireland, with stand-alone or streamlined training programmes in place for 50 of these specialties.
Training pathways may comprise of Basic Specialist Training, Core Surgical Training, Higher Specialist Training, or Streamlined Specialist Training. The duration of some pathways could be affected by training you have already undertaken or through the practice of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
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Trainees in BST complete a 2-4 year programme at Senior House Officer (SHO) or Registrar level. Training takes place in accredited training sites, involving rotations at intervals ranging from 3-12 months.
Trainees in HST complete a 2-6 year programme generally at Specialist Registrar (SpR) or Senior Registrar (SR) level. Training takes place in accredited training sites and is the final step on the path to specialisation. Some HST programmes e.g. Public Health do not have a bespoke BST programme but instead specify the training requirements for entry.
SST programmes enable trainees who consistently meet their required educational milestones to progress along the continuum of their training pathway from the initial entry point (BST) to the final exit point as a certified specialist. SST is currently available in a small number of specialties.
The Specialist Anaesthesiology Training (SAT) programme develops world-class anaesthesiologists with specialist clinical knowledge, technical and communication skills, and a focus on patient safety and care. Training is structured to maximise the opportunities for learning and provide a broad range of experiences in different types of hospitals and various sub-specialties within anaesthesiology.
The National Emergency Medicine Training Programme is a seven-year programme that takes doctors from internship (or later) through to Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Emergency Medicine.
The National Specialist Training Programme in General Practice is typically four years in duration. The first two years are spent primarily in hospital settings, with the third and fourth years spent in supervised general practice.
You must complete Basic Specialist Training in General Medicine to apply for Higher Specialist Training for any speciality in medicine.
The training programme offered will provide opportunities to fulfil all the requirements of the curriculum of training for obstetrics and gynaecology. Programmes include posts in both general hospitals and maternity hospitals, all of which are teaching hospitals.
The duration of HST in occupational medicine is a four-year full-time equivalent. Up to one year of research, or time spent in academic training, may be a constituent part of the four-year programme, provided that the content is relevant to occupational medicine.
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and disease of the eye and visual system. Ophthalmologists diagnose, medically treat and perform surgery to preserve vision and prevent sight loss in patients. The Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO) is responsible for the delivery of Specialist Training in Ophthalmology and offers two training pathways: Medical Ophthalmology (5-year programme) and Surgical Ophthalmology (7 year programme).
You must complete Basic Specialist Training in General Paediatrics to apply for Higher Specialist Training for any speciality in Paediatrics.
You must complete Basic Specialist Training in Histopathology to apply for Higher Specialist Training for any speciality in Pathology.
You must complete Basic Specialist Training in Psychiatry to apply for Higher Specialist Training for any speciality in Psychiatry.
Higher Specialist Training (HST) in Public Health Medicine is a four-year programme completed in specialist registrar (SpR) posts.
Radiology is a field of medicine that involves reading and interpreting imaging scans to help diagnose injuries and disease. Radiation oncology or radiation therapy is the treatment of cancer and other diseases with radiation.
For Radiation Oncology HST, all applicants must have, as a minimum, at least 3 years clinical experience. 1 year as an intern and 2 years as an SHO is the minimum acceptable Radiation Oncology training.
For Radiation Oncology HST, all applicants must have, as a minimum, at least 3 years clinical experience. 1 year as an intern and 2 years as an SHO is the minimum acceptable Radiation Oncology training.
For Radiology HST, all applicants must have, as a minimum, at least 2 years clinical experience. 1 year as an intern and 1 years as an SHO is the minimum acceptable pre-Radiology training.
For Radiology HST, all applicants must have, as a minimum, at least 2 years clinical experience. 1 year as an intern and 1 years as an SHO is the minimum acceptable pre-Radiology training.
In Surgery, the initial training (equivalent to BST) is called Core Surgical Training (CST). It lasts two years (known as ST1 and ST2) and must completed before applying for HST in the relevant surgical specialty, which will last up to 6 years (known as ST3 to ST8). CST is included in the *General Surgery page but also applies to the other surgical specialties.