General Practice Training in Ireland
Introduction
4 Year GP Training Programme.
Read the latest blog on GP Training in Ireland: The Recruitment Process for GP Training 2024
| Training Year | Training Programme | Job Title | Training Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 & 2 | BST
Basic Speciality Training |
Senior House Officer | Hospital-based in posts such as Paediatrics, A&E, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Medicine, and Medicine of the Elderly. Trainees have a half-day of teaching facilitated by the training scheme each week. |
| 3 & 4 | HST
Higher Speciality Training |
GP Registrar | Based on supervised general practices with a nominated GP trainer, training is experiential with the trainees’ practice supervised to competent independent unsupervised practice. Trainees have two hours dedicated teaching with their trainer plus a full-day teaching with the training scheme weekly*. |
Application Process
The process of recruiting candidates for general practice training in Ireland is highly competitive and overseen by the ICGP. Due to the high number of applicants, not all candidates will secure a training place on their first attempt. The selection process is divided into three stages:
- Application: Candidates are required to complete an online application form and provide evidence of meeting certain criteria, including HSE English language competency requirements, IMC trainee specialist register eligibility, and at least nine months of paid full-time postgraduate acute hospital-based clinical experience. The clinical experience must be a minimum of three months’ duration, except where part of a structured intern programme.
- Shortlisting: Candidates are shortlisted based on their performance in online testing (SJT and CPST) and their completion of at least nine months of paid acute clinical hospital experience by the start of GP training.
- Interview: Candidates who meet the requirements of the application and shortlisting stages will be invited to attend an online interview.
The scores from the application form, SJT, and interview are combined to provide an overall candidate score. Offers for training places are made in rank order, taking into account candidates’ scheme preference(s) and the HSE’s policy on the allocation of training places.
Step by Step guidelines:
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Online application opens mid-October each year and remains open for approximately 5 weeks. Applicants complete a detailed application form, pay an application fee and submit all relevant supporting documentation by the closing date (including supporting documentation for IMC and HSE eligibility). |
| Step 2 | Applications are reviewed to ensure the appropriate supporting documentation confirming that requirements for HSE English language competency and eligibility for the trainee specialist register are met. |
| Step 3 | Shortlisting is based on performance at SJT and CPST tests and applicants having completed a minimum of nine months of clinical experience. The clinical experience must be paid full-time (or equivalent), postgraduate acute hospital-based, either as an intern or SHO by the time of starting GP training in July every year. Applicants are required to provide details of hospital experience on the application form. |
| Step 4 | Candidates invited to interview are required to complete an online validation and consent process before the interview. This includes uploading BST references x 2, ID and declaration form. |
| Step 5 | Candidates will be assessed on several core competencies during the interview process. |
| Step 6 | Following the interview, candidates will be required to select training scheme preferences (online). |
| Step 7 | A rank and match are undertaken, taking into account the number of available places on schemes, HSE national policy on the allocation of training places, and candidates’ total overall score and training scheme preferences. |
| Step 8 | Offers are made in rank order by the national allocation policy. A candidate may either accept the offer, reject it, or withdraw from the process. |
Note: This table outlines the process for applying to a GP training programme in Ireland. The steps and details may vary depending on the specific programme and year.
Situation Judgemental Test (SJT)
The Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is an important part of the selection process for trainee hospital doctors. The test consists of questions that describe situations that applicants are likely to encounter in their work as a hospital doctor. These questions may ask applicants to rank several possible responses or to choose the three most appropriate responses from a set of eight options. Following the SJT, there will be a clinical knowledge test.
Clinical Knowledge Test (CPST)
The questions may include investigation, diagnosis, emergencies, prescribing and other areas of patient management. Applicants will be required to select the most appropriate of several possible responses to each situation.
you will be tested on
- Cardiovascular
- Respiratory
- Dermatology/ENT/Eyes
- Musculoskeletal
- Endocrinology/metabolic
- Gastroenterology/Nutrition
- Pharmacology/therapeutics
- Renal/urology
- Neurology
- Infectious disease/haematology/immunology/allergies
- Paediatrics.