Histopathology

Overview

The three main aspects of this specialty are diagnostic histopathology, cytopathology and autopsies.

Diagnostic histopathology involves making diagnoses based on the microscopic examination of tissues removed during various operative interventions and procedures such as endoscopy, biopsy or resections. The biopsy or surgical specimen is processed, and histological sections are placed onto glass slides.

Cytopathology deals with diseases on the cellular level. A common application of cytopathology is the smear test, used to detect precancerous cervical lesions and prevent cervical cancer.

A histopathologist also conducts postmortem examination of the body to determine the cause of death (autopsy).

Training in histopathology is completed in two stages:

  • Basic Specialist Training in Histopathology (or an equivalent programme) – Two years
  • Higher Specialist Training in Histopathology – Four to five years

BST in Histopathology is a two-year programme administered by the Faculty of Pathology at RCPI. It is an essential prerequisite course before Higher Specialist Training in Pathology.

Basic Specialist Training (BST) is a hospital-based training programme completed in Senior House Officer (SHO) posts. It prepares you for Higher Specialist Training (HST), which is the final stage of training. Completion of the intern year is an essential entry requirement.

BST is structured so that you rotate to a different post every three or six months, letting you experience different subspecialties and clinical teams. All posts approved for BST in Ireland are full-time and salaried. In addition to supervised clinical training in the hospital, you will need to complete exams and courses designed to help you to develop
professionally and acquire the skills and knowledge needed to provide excellent patient care.

Basic Specialist Training (BST)

Requirements

The entry requirements for BST programmes are:

  • You must have completed your internship by the start date of the
    programme.
  • You must be currently or previously registered on one of the divisions of the Irish Medical Council, or provide proof of eligibility for registration.
  • You must have proof of competency in the English language in line with HSE specifications.

Places in BST are allocated in the first instance to applicants who, at the time of application, are citizens of Ireland or nationals of another Member State of the European Union, Stamp 4 Visa Holders and UK nationals.

BST FAQ's

How does the application process work?

You can apply to Basic Specialist Training programmes in four
specialties:

  • General Internal Medicine
  • General Paediatrics
  • Histopathology
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology

You can apply to more than one specialty, although very few candidates will apply to more than two specialties.
The first step is to complete the online application for the relevant training programme and submit the required supporting documentation.

Following the applications deadline, the verification process will commence where your eligibility and application are checked and
verified. You will be informed if your application has been verified or not.

Interviews will take place a few months later; if you are invited to
interview stage, you will be sent details in advance.
You will receive marks for your academic achievements, performance at interview, clinical acumen, general suitability for the specialty and your appraisal forms. You will be matched to your highest possible
preference based on your total marks.

First round offers will be made within a couple of weeks of the interviews. There are usually three rounds of matching and offers.

You can only be matched to one preference in each specialty. You can be offered a place in more than one specialty, but you can only accept one offer.

What is the application from like?

The application form is an online form. You will need to upload the
required documents to the online form. You may start your form, leave it
and come back to complete it at a later stage if needed. Forms left in
draft form will not be considered.

What documents do I need to supply with my application?

  • Academic transcripts
  • Decile/centile place
  • Proof of Irish Medical Council registration / eligibility for registration
  • Proof of English language competency
  • Two appraisal forms
  • Passport identity page
  • Stamp 4 Residency Permit (if applicable to you – other types of residency permits do not need to be submitted)
  • A passport-style photo of yourself

What are the requirements for registering with the Irish Medical Council (IMC)?

There are three ways to confirm your eligibility for Irish Medical Council
(IMC) registration:

  • Submit your certificate of current or previous registration on one of the divisions of the IMC.
  • If you are not currently and have never been registered on one of the divisions of the IMC, you may be considered automatically eligible for registration if you completed your medical degree in one of a list of EU countries. A list of eligible countries is available in our Entry Guidance and Advice section. If your country is listed, your academic transcript which you are required to submit will confirm your medical degree was completed in that country.
  • If you do not fall into either category 1 or 2 above, please contact the IMC and ask them to provide a letter confirming your eligibility for registration and submit this with your application.

What other documents can I supply to strengthen my application?

You may wish to support your application and gain additional marks by including evidence of some of the following:

  • Professional qualifications/ education
  • Audit experience
  • Presentations
  • Publications
  • Abstract publications

How will my application be scored?

Please visit this Entry Guidance and Advice section for information on how scores are allocated for your application and interview.

Where can I get further information?

Click here to access the RCPI Help Centre for more Frequently Asked Questions on applying to BST.

Access downloadable BST Entry Guidance and Advice documents

We also have a dedicated administrative team to support Trainees in Basic Specialist Training. They are happy to deal with any questions you have about BST. Contact the team on helpdesk@rcpi.ie

Higher Specialist Training (HST)

Requirements

Entry requirements for Higher Specialist Training are programme specific. To see the entry requirements for your preferred programme, please check the relevant HST curriculum.

General entry requirements for HST:

  • You must have completed Basic Specialist Training in the relevant specialty (or an equivalent programme) by the start date for HST. Please note that not all BST programmes offer consideration of equivalence.
  • You must have achieved a relevant postgraduate qualification such as MRCPI in General Medicine, General Paediatrics or Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Please note: we have reverted to the previous regulations regarding the examination which were in place before COVID-19. That is, all. HST candidates must have successfully passed their MRCPI Clinical Examination relevant to their speciality before their HST interview date. There are no exceptions to this requirement.
  • You must be currently or previously registered on one of the divisions of the Irish Medical Council, or provide proof of eligibility for registration
  • You must have proof of competency in the English language in line with HSE specifications
  • You must have demonstrated an aptitude for, and an interest in, that specialty.
  • Places in HST are allocated in the first instance to applicants who, at the time of application, are citizens of Ireland or nationals of another Member State of the European Union, Stamp 4 Visa Holders and UK nationals.

HST FAQ's

How does the application process work?

You can apply to Higher Specialist Training in 28 programmes. You can apply to more than one programme, although we advise against applying to more than two programmes.

You must submit a separate application for each programme. The application process is fully online – you don’t need to submit a paper application.

Make sure you read the entry requirements for your chosen programme carefully. The entry requirements are listed in the HST for each programme.

Shortlisting for interviews (where necessary) will take place in December/January. Interviews for shortlisted candidates take place in February.

As there are a limited number of places in HST, entry to each programme is competitive.

What documents do I need to supply with my application?

PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE ALL DOCUMENTS BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR APPLICATION. LATE DOCUMENT SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

  • Certificate of completion of Basic Specialist Training (BST)
  • Evidence of postgraduate qualification such as MRCPI
  • Proof of Irish Medical Council registration / eligibility for registration
  • Proof of English language competency
  • Two Appraisal Forms
  • Passport identity page
  • Stamp 4 Residency Permit (if applicable to you – other types of
    Residency Permits do not need to be submitted)

What are the requirements for registering with the Irish Medical Council (IMC)?

There are three ways to confirm your eligibility for Irish Medical Council (IMC) registration:

  • Submit your certificate of current or previous registration on one of the divisions of the IMC.
  • If you are not currently and have never been registered on one of the divisions of the IMC, you may be considered automatically eligible for registration if you completed your medical degree in one of a list of EU countries. A list of eligible countries is available in the RCPI’s Entry Guidance and Advice section. If your country is listed, your academic transcript which you are required to submit will confirm your medical degree was completed in that country.
  • If you do not fall into either category 1 or 2 above, please contact the IMC and ask them to provide a letter confirming your eligibility for registration and submit this with your application.

What if I have completed BST but I don’t have my BST Certificate?

If you completed BST in July 2021 or earlier but do not yet have your BST Certificate, please apply now by contacting Helpdesk@rcpi.ie.

What other information is collected in the application form?

The online application form will ask you for the following information:

  • employment and training history
  • clinical practice – experience to date
  • academic achievements
  • teaching experience
  • audit experience
  • research experience
  • presentations to date
  • publications to date
  • management and leadership experience
  • career objectives
  • contact details of two references, one of whom must be your most recent supervising consultant (must be same two references who have completed your Appraisal Forms)

Please note you are not required to submit additional documents related to the above. Please be brief in describing only relevant experience under each of the headings on the application form.

Please note that formatting (paragraphs, special characters, bullet points, spacing etc.) will not copy over to your final application. All free text boxes are limited to 500 characters (letters/spaces etc).

When do the interviews take place?

Interview details will be posted in the Current Applications section on the RCPI website.

What are the shortlisting criteria and interview scoring guidelines?

Please visit our Entry Guidance and Advice section for information on how scores are allocated for your application and interview.

Where can I get further information?

Click here to access the RCPI Help Centre for more Frequently Asked Questions on applying to HST. Alternatively, they have a dedicated team to help you through your Higher Specialist Training, available to deal with any questions you may have. Contact RCPI on helpdesk@rcpi.ie.