Basic Specialist Training (BST) is a two-year postgraduate training programme accredited by the RCPI.
BST is undertaken by Senior House Officers who have completed their internship and wish to specialise in hospital-based medicine.
There are four BST programmes accredited by the RCPI:
General Internal Medicine
Paediatrics
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Histopathology
Completion of BST is a requirement for entry into Higher Specialist Training (HST) in most specialties.
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The BST Programme – An Overview
BST consists of two educational elements:
1. Two years of supervised clinical training in approved SHO posts, during which certain skills must be acquired. These skills are listed in the relevant BST curriculum, available only to registered trainees.
2. 4-6 short educational courses, depending on the specialty. For information on BST Mandatory Programmes please contact our Courses Department on courses@rcpi.ie.
Registered BST trainees are also required to complete BST Logbooks as a record of their progress through the two-year programme and are the supporting documentation for certification of BST.
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Entry Requirements
For a trainee to be eligible for entry onto the BST programme there are two mandatory requirements:
Registration with the Medical Council of Ireland on the General Division or Trianee Specialist Division.
Completion of internship/pre-registration year (this cannot be done in Ireland if your medical school was overseas).
Medical Council Registration
Trainees undertaking Basic Specialist Training must be registered on the General Division or Trainee Specialist Division with the Medical Council of Ireland.
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How to register on the BST Programme
BST cannot be accredited unless the doctor is registered on the BST Programme. Once you register with RCPI, you are registered for the full two years and do not need to re-register again.
Official start date for BST in General Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Histopathology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology is July. In some circumstances registration may be received at other times in GIM and Paediatrics.
Why should I register for Basic Specialist Training?
You should register if you wish to have your training accredited. BST registration is mandatory for accreditation of trianing in General Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Histopathology. Registration ensures that your training is properly monitored and accredited by a recognised training body.
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BST Certificate of Completion
BST Certificate of Completion
A BST Certificate of Completion is a valuable document. It is an internationally recognised postgraduate qualification and a requirement for entry to Higher Specialist Training (HST).
How to Apply for a Certificate of Completion
Trainees registered for BST training should submit completed BST Logbooks covering 24 months in approved posts to the BST Department at RCPI. Trainees must ensure that the 24 months of training recorded in their logbooks meet the requirements for BST and that all mandatory courses have been completed. All documentation should be submitted to the BST Department at RCPI within 6 months of completing BST. Trainees who apply after this time will be charged a late certification fee of €250.
Provisional approval
Registered trainees may apply for provisional approval of BST. This can be done before BST has been completed. To apply for provisional approval trainees should apply in writing to the BST Department at bst@rcpi.ie, listing all SHO posts held or to be held, including specialty, hospital and dates (applications by email are accepted). If the applicant’s training meets the requirements for BST their application is provisionally approved and they will be asked to submit supporting documentation and attend any outstanding mandatory courses. Formal approval of BST is based on a review of this documentation. Applicants should note that provisional approval alone does not count as an application for a Certificate of Completion, only applications with a full set of supporting documents will be considered for formal approval.
Please note – Trainees who are due to complete BST in July of next year and who wish to apply to Higher Specialist Training this November will be required to submit a letter of provisional approval of BST. Trainees in this position are advised to apply for provisional approval well in advance of the closing date for Higher Specialist Training applications, due to the large volume of applications received at this time of year.
Retrospective Recognition of BST
Retrospective recognition of BST can only be given if the training was completed before it became mandatory to register on the BST programme. It has been mandatory for doctors to register with RCPI for BST since July 2001 for General Internal Medicine, 2003 for Paediatrics and 2008 for Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Histopathology. For doctors who commenced some or all of their training before these dates, retrospective recognition may be given for General Internal Medicine, Paediatrics and Histopathology. Retrospective recognition for Obstetrics and Gynaecology is no longer given. Applications for retrospective recognition should be made in writing to the BST Department at bst@rcpi.ie.
Overseas Experience
Overseas credit is not normally available to trainees on the BST programme. In some instances, the Associate Dean may agree to prospectively approve 12 months of training in a recognised zone (see below), so that the trainee is only required to complete a one-year rotation on their return to Ireland. This approval must be sought prospectively and is dependent on satisfactory evidence that the post(s) to be occupied overseas are equivalent in structure and content to an approved one-year rotation in Ireland, in the same specialty. If 12 months overseas credit is agreed, the trainee will be required to register on the BST programme.
While training overseas, the trainee will be required to maintain their BST logbook and arrange regular appraisals with their supervising consultant.
The trainee will be expected to apply for a one-year SHO rotation programme and may be required to travel home for an interview in March.
On return to Ireland, the trainee will be expected to complete an approved one-year rotation, the required mandatory courses and attend an annual review.
Recognised Zones:
• EU – Posts Approved by the recognised training body in that country
• UK – Posts Approved by The Royal College of Physicians
• Australia and New Zealand – Posts Approved by The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
• US – ACGME Approved Residency Programmes
• Canada – Posts Approved by The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
BST Undertaken Overseas/Equivalency of BST
Applications for the assessment of overseas training as equivalent to Irish BST are considered on a case-by-case basis by the BST Committee and the Associate Dean of BST. Full details of the content and duration of the training, confirmation of its supervision and approval by the relevant training body, and of the attainment of an equivalent standard to Irish BST must be provided, together with confirmation of the acquisition of any specified diploma.
As a general rule American Board Certification in any specialty is not equivalent to satisfactory completion of either BST or HST in the clinical specialties. Only the Certification of the American Board for Internal Medicine is an acceptable alternative for BST and is equivalent to MRCPI for adult medicine.
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Posts approved for BST
Doctors who wish to be registered on the BST programme should apply through the RCPI SHO Matching Scheme.
How long can I stay in one post?
SHO posts are approved for a maximum of 6 months training. From July 2011 trainees on a two year rotation must train in at least two hospitals with a minimum of 18 months in one hospital.
Stand Alone Posts
The term ‘stand-alone posts’ refers to SHO posts that are filled directly by hospitals every 6 months. Stand alone posts are not recognised for General Internal Medicine from 1st July 2010. Stand alone posts for Obstetrics and Gynacology are not recognised from July 2011. Stand alone posts generally run from July to December and January to July. Irish medical posts are advertised approximately four months in advance in the Irish Independent (Thursdays), Sunday Independent, Irish Medical News and Irish Medical Times. See also www.publicjobs.ie and www.hospitaljobs.ie. Hospitals are required to indicate in the advert if a post is approved for training.
Supernumerary Posts
Unpaid or observer posts are not approved for BST.
Registrar Posts
Registrar posts are no longer approved for BST in General Internal Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Please see information on our Registrar Training Programme.
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SHO Matching Scheme
SHO Rotation Programmes – Introduction
One- and two-year SHO rotation programmes (also called ‘training schemes’ and ‘SHO schemes’) are run by teaching/university hospitals and by some of the larger regional hospitals. SHO rotation programmes consist of a series of pre-arranged SHO posts, or ‘rotations’. Doctors rotate through different (sub) specialties every three, four or six months, completion of which ensures the doctor’s training meets the requirements for BST.
While programmes tend to be based in large tertiary general hospitals, most involve a period of three to tsix months in a smaller general hospital, which in the case of General Internal Medicine, provides excellent exposure to acute general medicine. Some programmes also involve posts in specialist clinical centres, such as rehabilitation hospitals or hospices. Paediatric programmes all involve at least six months in a Neonatal unit or maternity hospital. Entry onto these programmes is very competetive but has the advantage of ensuring a doctor's training meets the requirements for BST. SHO rotations programmes commence in July each year and are advertised in December/January, with interviews normally taking place in February or March. SHO rotation programmes are advertised in the Sunday independent and the Irish Medical Times.
Applications for 2012 ‘Matching Scheme’
Applications for SHO Rotation Programmes in General Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Histopathology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology commencing July 2012 will open on Wednesday 14 December 2011. Interviews are expected to be held during the last two weeks in February and the first week in March 2012. Please note an online application form will be available from 9am Wednesday 14 December 2011. The closing date for online applications is Friday 13 January 2012.
Deferrals & Overseas Experience
Trainees who are allowed to defer a two-year rotation programme for one year should note that any overseas training obtained before returning to Ireland cannot be accredited for BST. If you are deferring please ensure you are registered with RCPI when you begin your training. Trainees who defer are not automatically registered for BST.
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Registration Process – Trainees who are not recruited through the SHO Matching Scheme
For SHO trainees who are in recognised training posts in recognised rotations and who have not been recruited through the SHO Matching Scheme, registration with RCPI is mandatory and the responsibility of the trainee. Registration forms are available here and must be submitted within one month of commencing your training. The registration process is as follows:
Submit your completed registration form to the BST Department, RCPI. The BST Department will then confirm with your employer and BST Programme Director in the region that you have been recruited locally into a post approved for BST training, using the same criteria applied to the SHO Matching Scheme.
You will be sent a training agreement in the post
Submit the signed training agreement to the BST Department
You will receive a welcome pack with an RCPI training card followed by a password for the Online Medical Education Centre and ePortfolio.
Follow the instructions to register with the RCPI Online Medical Education Centre and to activate your @physicians E-mail account
Please note - it is the responsibility of doctors to arrange their recruitment into approved SHO posts. Certain registrar posts may also be approved for BST in Paediatrics and Histopathology. Registrar posts are not recognised for training purposes for General Internal Medicine or Obstetrics and Gynaecology from 1st July 2010.
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Further Information
Undergraduate Medical Training in Ireland
I wish to study medicine in Ireland, please send me a prospectus on your College?
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is a postgraduate training College only. For details on undergraduate medical training please contact the following medical schools directly:
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Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland,
Admissions Office, 123, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Telephone: (01) 4022 100 Fax: (01) 4022 344
E-Mail: admissions@rcsi.ie Website: www.rcsi.ie
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Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland,
Admissions Office, 123, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Telephone: (01) 4022 100 Fax: (01) 4022 344
E-Mail: admissions@rcsi.ie Website: www.rcsi.ie
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University College Cork - Faculty of Medicine,
Admissions Office, College Road, Cork, Ireland.
Telephone: (021) 4902 455 Fax: (021) 4270 339
E-Mail: medschool@ucc.ie Website: www.ucc.ie
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University College Dublin - Faculty of Medicine,
Central Admissions Office, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Telephone: (01) 706 7440 Fax: (01) 706 7454
E-Mail: healthscience@ucd.ie Website: www.ucd.ie
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University College Galway (N.U.I.) - Faculty of Medicine,
Admissions Office, NUI, Galway.
Telephone: (091) 524 411 Fax: (091) 750 436
E-Mail: medfaculty@nuigalway.ie Website: www.nuigalway.ie
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University of Limerick - Medical School,
Graduate Medical School Office, E1025, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Telephone: (061) 233 740 or (061) 233 756 Fax: (061) 233 778
E-Mail: lynnodoherty@ul.ie Website: http://www.ul.ie/medicalschool
Registrar Training Programme
It is possible to progress directly from BST into HST once an applicant has completed their membership examination however, for many an additional period of training and experience in their chosen specialty is necessary. This experience is achieved by spending time in a registrar post. The Registrar Training Programme has been introduced from July 2010 to allow for this additional training. Entry to this programme is on a competitive basis.
Applicants are assesed for their suitability and in particular how the programme could help them become successful applicants to Higher Specialist Trianing. Partial credit for this programme may be applied to Higher Specialist Training. Please contact Lisa Walsh at rtp@rcpi.ie for more information.
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BST – Who to contact
The BST programme is administered by Ciara Hynes, Brian Costelloe and Jennifer Tutty at RCPI. They can be contacted at the following:
Email: bst@rcpi.ie
Phone: (9am to 5pm)
00 353 (0)1 863 9711 (Ciara Hynes)
00 353 (0)1 863 9715 (Brian Costelloe)
00 353 (0)1 863 9710 (Jennifer Tutty)
Fax: 00 353 (0)1 672 4707
Postal Address:
BST Section
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
Frederick House
19 South Frederick Street
Dublin 2
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