Registration

Who is Eligible?

Medical practitioners who do not meet the requirements for recognition of their specialist qualifications under the Directive must submit structured evidence of completion of their specialist training and experience. This will then be referred to the relevant approved postgraduate training body in Ireland for assessment of the equivalence or otherwise of their specialist training and experience to that of a medical practitioner who completes an approved, structured training programme within the State, leading to the award of a CSCST or equivalent certificate.

Application Procedure for First Time Applicants

First time applicants are applicants who do not hold, or have not held, any form of Registration with the Medical Council. First time applicants should submit all the required supporting documentation for Registration

Assessment by an Approved Postgraduate Training Body

On the recommendation of an approved Postgraduate Training Body following assessment of the doctor's training and experience to date a doctor may entered into the Register of Medical Specialists. This assessment is in two parts: a Level 1 assessment and a Level 5 assessment. Take care to study carefully the documentation required for each part.

Level 1 Assessment

This assessment establishes whether you are eligible for applying under Category E. It will examine and verify all the basic parts of the application:

  • Completeness of the application
  • General eligibility
  • Documentation required such as Certificates of Good Standing; IELTS etc


Level 5 Assessment

When the applicant's eligibility under Level 1 has been assessed the applicant will then be referred for a Level 5 assessment. A Level 5 assessment constitutes a referral of the specialist training and experience part of the application to an approved Postgraduate Training Body for assessment. When an applicant is not eligible to apply under the other Categories for Specialist Registration, they may instead apply to have their application assessed by a recognised Training Body. The Training Body will then advise the Medical Council on the applicant's eligibility for specialist registration. The assessment of the applicant's training and experience will measure their competencies in each area of their chosen specialty against the competencies set out for graduates of structured training programmes in Ireland. Where the results of the assessment are positive, the Training Body will recommend the applicant for entry into the Specialist Division of the Register. Where the results of the assessment identify deficits in training and experience, the applicant will be advised by the Training Body and / or the Medical Council on how the identified deficits may be addressed.

Stages of Assessment

This broadly outlines the stages of assessment that an application will go through. It is important that the applicant responds promptly to requests for information at each stage in order to facilitate the assessment process. This outlines the typical process. Training Bodies may vary in their own individual application of the process.

  • Upon successful completion of a Level 1 assessment the application is referred to an approved Postgraduate Training Body for assessment
  • The Training Body typically contacts the applicant directly requesting further information and its own assessment fee.
  • Upon receipt of the above documentation the Training Body contacts the applicant's referees. Note: Applications frequently become delayed at this stage if referees do not respond. The responsibility is on the applicant to ensure the timely and effective response of referees in the format (i.e. structured references etc) required by the Training Body.
  • The completed application is referred to Medical Assessors for full assessment.
  • The results of the assessment are submitted to the Medical Council for consideration and where appropriate a final decision.

Competencies Set out by Training Bodies

'Competencies' typically outline in depth both the medical and non-medical competencies that a doctor needs to attain in order to meet the requirements for specialist registration. Competencies differ from entry criteria because entry criteria set out the requirements that a doctor must have in order to be assessed by the relevant Training Body. Competencies set out the typical set of skills that the doctor must attain in each specialty area in order to be recognised as a specialist. For further information on competencies in general, and on competencies in your chosen specialist area, see below for the list of recognised specialties and associated training bodies.

Note: Before applying, applicants are advised to take time to study criteria the training curricula and the training programmes / competency documents for their chosen specialty, accessible below. Applicants are advised to consider their training and experience to date in the light of the competencies set out before proceeding further.

Additional Information

  • Each Training Body is entitled to charge a fee as part of its assessment of an application for entry into the Specialist Division of the Register should the application be referred to the Training Body for assessment and advice. This fee is separate to the Medical Council's fee. The fee is requested directly by the Training Body and should not be sent to the Medical Council. The fee for assessment typically ranges from 500 - 1000 per specialty.
  • In relation to each recognised specialty, the Medical Council currently approves the Postgraduate Training Bodies in Ireland for the purpose of granting evidence of satisfactory completion of specialist training. Click Here to view the Training Bodies who supervise the postgraduate training for each Specialty
  • Please click here to study a flowchart which outlines in graphic form the Level 5 assessment process.pdf