2012 SHO Matching Scheme

The SHO Matching Scheme is the process whereby RCPI matches applicants to one and two-year rotation programmes in General Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Histopathology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

All rotation programmes commence 9 July 2012 and consist of Senior House Officer (SHO) positions that have been approved for Basic Specialist Training (BST) by RCPI.

BST is a two-year postgraduate medical training programme which is offered (separately) in General Internal Medicine, Histopathology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, or Paediatrics. Completion of Basic Specialist Training is an entry requirement for Higher Specialist Training in these specialties.

Doctors are eligible for entry to BST on completion of their Intern year. 

Applications are currently being accepted. The closing date for applications is Friday 13th January 2012 at 5pm.

How to Apply

Please read the Conditions of Participation for Candidates (available below) before you apply. The application process for all specialties is completed in four steps:

1. Complete the 2012 Application Form (Word document available below). The same form is used for all specialties.

2. Save the Application Form to your computer 

3. Submit your completed Application Form to the RCPI by clicking on the link below. Indicate what programmes you are applying to. Do NOT email your Application Form to RCPI.

4. Print your Application Form (one copy per specialty), sign it and post it to RCPI along with one full set of supporting documents per specialty (listed below). You must submit one printed and signed Application Form and one full set of supporting documents per specialty.

The deadline for receipt of both posted and online Application Forms is 5.00pm sharp, Friday 13 January 2012. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Original documents will not be returned, and RCPI does not accept responsibility for their loss or damage. 

You must have a secure, reliable email account before applying, as all correspondence from the RCPI in relation to the SHO matching scheme is sent by email. RCPI will not send large attachments or a large volume of emails, however you must ensure there is enough room for new messages in your account.

You must also arrange for two of your supervising consultants (one current, one previous) to complete Appraisal Forms, which you must bring to your interview, along with your exam transcript from medical school, if you are short-listed. Please see below for more information.

Please read conditions of Participation for Candidates

Supporting Documentation to be Submitted with Each Application

You are required to submit one full application per specialty.

1 certified copy of current Medical Council (Ireland) Certificate of Registration, or alternative documentation as specified below.

1 certified copy of transcript of exam results (1st year – final year) from Medical School/University. Your transcript should give an indication of your academic performance (i.e. actual exam results/grades). If your medical school cannot supply this information, please submit evidence of your overall place in class in your graduating year.  Please do not submit a transcript that only lists the number of hours spent in each subject, as this information is not relevant. If your transcript is not in English, you must submit an official English translation.
1 certified copy of other degrees/diplomas (if applicable). You are not required to submit a copy of your primary degree.

Application Fee of €100 (non refundable) per rotation programme, up to a maximum of €400 in total. There is no limit on the number of rotation programmes you can apply for. One- and two- year options for the same rotation programmes are not charged separately. When you apply online, you will receive automatic notification of the total application fee due.

2 passport-sized photographs

Certified Documents: Documents can be certified in a Garda/Police Station, by a Commissioner for Oaths, a Notary Public or Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (FRCPI). The person certifying your document must be able to see the original and must write on the photocopy 'I (Name) hereby certify that this is a true copy of an original document that I have seen'. It must then be signed, stamped and dated. If it is certified by an FRCPI it must be stamped with an official hospital stamp.

Supporting Documents are to be submitted along with your printed application form (by the closing date of 13 January 2012)

Appraisal Forms
You are required to obtain two Candidate Appraisal Forms per specialty: one from your current supervising consultant and one from another consultant with whom you have worked.

If you are applying to more than one specialty, you must ask your supervising consultants to complete the relevant form for each specialty (they are different forms). You cannot submit an Appraisal Form covering a period spent in a supernumerary post or clinical attachment.

You are then required to bring a copy of both appraisal forms to each interview for which you have been short-listed. You should photocopy the original appraisal forms returned to you by your supervising consultants and keep the original copies in a safe place. Once you give your appraisal forms to your interview panel, they will not be returned and you will not be able to request them for subsequent interviews.

You are also required to send a copy of your appraisal forms to RCPI. Your Appraisal Forms must reach RCPI by Friday 9 March 2012. Appraisal Forms may be faxed to 00353 (0)1 672 4707 or posted to RCPI, Frederick House, 19 South Frederick Street, Dublin 2.

General Internal Medicine Appraisal Form

Paediatrics Appraisal Form

The Following is a list of training programmes  

General Internal Medicine

 - Beaumont Hospital rotation programme
 - Cavan/Monaghan rotation programme
 - Connolly Hospital rotation programme
 - Cork University Hospital Rotation Programme
 - Galway University Hospital rotation programme
 - Letterkenny General Hospital rotation programme
 - Louth/Meath rotation programme
 - Mater Misericordiae University Hospital rotation programme
 - Mayo/Roscommon/Galway rotation programme
 - Midland Regional Hospitals rotation programme
 - Mid-Western Regional Hospital Rotation Programme
 - Munster Hospitals rotation programme
 - Sligo General Hospital rotation programme
 - South East Hospitals rotation programme
 - South Infirmary/Victoria University Hospital rotation programme
 - St Columcille's/Wexford rotation programme
 - St Vincent’s University Hospital rotation programme
 - The Trinity Scheme (St James’s Hospital and AMNCH Tallaght)

A more detailed description of these programmes will be available in January 2012.

All trainees in General Internal Medicine must be on a one- or two-year SHO rotation programme in order to receive credit for Basic Specialist Training in this specialty. It is no longer possible to obtain BST credit by working in stand-alone SHO posts or registrar posts.

Paediatrics

There is a single national SHO Rotation Programme in Paediatrics, which involves posts in two, three or four of the following hospitals:

 - Cavan General Hospital
 - Children's University Hospital Temple St
 - Coombe Women's Hospital
 - Cork University Hospital
 - Letterkenny General Hospital
 - Mayo General Hospital
 - Mercy University Hospital, Cork
 - Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar
 - Midwestern Regional Hospital, Limerick
 - National Children's Hospital (AMNCH), Tallaght
 - National Maternity Hospital
 - Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin
 - Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda
 - Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe
 - Rotunda Hospital
 - Sligo General Hospital
 - Galway University Hospital
 - Waterford Regional Hospital

All paediatric rotation programmes include at least 6 months of Neonatology in an approved Neonatal Unit. A more detailed description of the National Paediatric SHO Rotation Programme will be available in January 2012.

Histopathology

There is a single national SHO Rotation Programme in Histopathology, which involves posts in the following hospitals:

 - Beaumont Hospital
 - Cork University Hospital
 - Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
 - St James’s Hospital
 - St Vincent’s University Hospital
 - Galway University Hospital

A more detailed description of the National Histopathology SHO Rotation Programme will be available in February 2012.

  Obstetrics and Gynaecology

The following SHO Rotation Programmes in Obstetrics and Gynaecology are on offer:

 - National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, Dublin
 - Coombe Women’s Hospital, Dublin
 - Rotunda Hospital, Dublin
 - Cork University Hospital, Cork
 - Galway University Hospital, Galway

Each of the above programmes will involve posts in other hospitals. A more detailed description of the SHO Rotation Programmes in Obstetrics and Gynaecology is available here.

From July 2011, all trainees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology must be on a one- or two-year SHO rotation programme in order to receive credit for Basic Specialist Training in this specialty. It is no longer possible to obtain BST credit by working in stand-alone SHO posts or registrar posts.

Entry Requirements

Candidates are eligible for entry on completion of their Intern year. They must possess good undergraduate and/or postgraduate records and references.

Candidates must be eligible for registration on the trainee specialist division of the Irish Medical Council on 9 July 2012.

Registration with the Irish Medical Council – Important Information for Applicants

All applicants must be eligible for registration on the trainee specialist division of the Medical Council of Ireland on 9 July 2012. You must submit your current certificate of registration (a certified copy), or evidence that your application for registration has been processed or is in progress. We will only accept the following documentation as evidence of registration/application in progress:

• A certified copy of your current certificate of registration with the  Medical Council of Ireland. Interns currently working in Ireland should submit their certificate of internship registration.

• OR a certified copy of a letter from the Medical Council stating: The Medical Council has decided that your application and documents permit you to apply for Trainee Specialist registration under the provisions of Section 11 of the Medical Practitioners Act, 2007.

If you are already in possession of this letter, you must submit it along with the rest of your application by Friday 13 January 2012. Otherwise, you are advised to follow up on any outstanding documentation with the Medical Council as a matter of urgency.

• OR a printed copy of an email from the Registration section in the Medical Council of Ireland acknowledging receipt of your application for trainee specialist registration. Your printed copy must not be altered in any way and must include the email address from which it was sent. The Medical Council has agreed to acknowledge applications by email, however you are advised to state on your application if you need this email.

If you submit this email, instead of the above documents, your application for registration must be approved/confirmed by 5.00pm Friday 2 March 2012. (It should be noted that first time applications for trainee specialist registration will take between four to six weeks to be processed.) Please bear this date in mind if you have any exams to sit in relation to your application.  If you cannot submit evidence that you are permitted to apply for Trainee Specialist registration by 5.00pm Friday 2 March 2012, you will not go forward to the first round of matching

If your qualifications are not recognised under EU Directive 2005/36/EC, please note that first-time registration with the Medical Council of Ireland can take up to a year, if you are required to pass the PRES. If your application for registration is not already in progress or complete, you may not be able to apply to the SHO Matching Scheme this year. Please see the Medical Council of Ireland website for more information - http://www.medicalcouncil.ie/Registration/First-Time-Applicants/

• Applicants who are currently in their F1 year in the UK may submit a certified copy of their General Medical Council certificate of registration. All other UK graduates, who have completed their internship/F1 year, must be registered with the Medical Council of Ireland. If you are not currently working in the Republic of Ireland, you must submit a certified copy of a letter from the Medical Council stating: The Medical Council has decided that your application and documents permit you to apply for Trainee Specialist registration under the provisions of Section 11 of the Medical Practitioners Act, 2007.

All queries regarding registration with the Medical Council of Ireland should be directed to the registration section in the Medical Council of Ireland at registration@mcirl.ie.

Overview of Application and Matching Process

Applications are checked and verified by RCPI, then circulated to the participating programmes (hospitals) for short-listing. Programmes award marks to applicants for academic achievements, as indicated on the application form. The results of the short-listing process will be circulated to applicants by email on Wednesday 8 February 2012.

Interviews for short-listed applicants will take place on separate dates between 25 February and 13 March 2012.

Short-listed candidates will be required to complete a preference form, on which they rank rotation programmes in order of their preference. There is a separate preference form for each specialty. The preference forms will be available on this website from Wednesday 8 February 2012.

Following interviews, candidates will be informed if they have been matched to a rotation programme on Friday 23 March 2012. Candidates can receive an offer from all four specialties, however they can only accept one. There are two rounds of offers.

Any offers rejected by candidates in the first round are available to unmatched candidates in the second round. Second round offers will be emailed to candidates on Wednesday 4 April 2012.

Candidates who receive a first round offer can choose to be included in the second round, to see if they can be matched to a higher preference.

The process concludes after the second round of offers.

In general internal medicine, rotation programmes (i.e. hospitals) are responsible for placing successful candidates in specific rotations, so if you are matched to a rotation programme in general internal medicine you will not know the exact content of your rotation until it is confirmed by your programme director.

 Important Dates for 2012

 - Online application form available to candidates - Wednesday 14 December 2011 from 10am
 - Closing date for applications - Friday 13 January 2012 at 5pm
 - Short listing results emailed to candidates - Wednesday 8 February 2012
 - Preference Form available to candidates - Wednesday 8 February 2012
 - Interviews – 25 February to 13 March 2012
 - Deadline for submitting Preference Forms – Monday 13 March 2012
 - First round offers emailed to candidates - Friday 23 March 2012
 - Deadline for accepting first round offer – Wednesday 28 March 2012
 - Second round offers emailed to candidates – Wednesday 4 April 2012
 - Deadline for accepting second round offer – Monday 9 April 2012

How can I prepare now?

You cannot apply until applications open on 14 December 2011, however you can start preparing now for your application.

Request your exam transcript from your medical school or university. Irish medical schools are inundated with requests for exam transcripts in January every year, due to the SHO matching scheme, leading to delays. If you graduated outside Ireland, please note you will be required to submit an official English translation if your transcript is not in English.

If you have any degrees or diplomas other than Medicine, you should have your degree/diploma certified. Please see above for how to have documents properly certified.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the 2012 SHO matching scheme please email SHOmatch@rcpi.ie or phone Ciara Hynes on 01 8639 711 or Jennifer Tutty on 01 8639 715 or Brian Costelloe on 01 863 9710.  Fax: 01 672 4707

Our Postal Address

BST Office
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
Frederick House
19 South Frederick Street
Dublin 2
Ireland