The Medical Council of Ireland established a new Register of Medical Practitioners on 16th March 2009.
The new Register consists of 4 divisions:
- Trainee Specialist Division
- Specialist Division
- General Division
- Visiting EEA Practitioners Division

To have a name listed on the Specialist Division of the Register (SDR) a doctor must apply directly to the Medical Council.
A specialist is a doctor who has completed his/her training and requires no further training or supervision to practise independently in the specialty of his/her choice.

Categories for entry into the Specialist Division of the Register:
A. Completion of Specialist Training in Ireland leading to award of a ‘Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training’ (CSCST)
B. Graduated from Higher Specialist Training Programme in an EU Member State
C. Hold ‘Acquired Rights’ from an EU Member State
D. Trained in Third Country and Established/Recognised as Specialist in an EU Member State
E. Assessment by an approved Postgraduate Training Body

Applications that are referred to the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
Applicants are referred under Category E above. Depending on the relevant specialty the application will be sent to one of the RCPI’s six training bodies:
- Faculty of Paediatrics
- Faculty of Pathology
- Faculty of Occupational Medicine
- Faculty of Public Health Medicine
- Institute of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists
- Irish Committee on Higher Medical Training (ICHMT)

Applications for all specialties are administered by the Medical Training Department of the RCPI, under the supervision of the Dean of Higher Medical Training on behalf of the six training bodies.

The RCPI have been delegated by the Medical Council the responsibility of recommending to the Council whether or not a doctors training and experience would merit their inclusion of the Specialist Division of the Register. A recommendation for entry onto the SDR implies that a doctor is fully trained in their chosen specialty, and can practice at Specialist (Consultant) level independently and without supervision.

When assessing an applicant’s credentials the assessors are guided by the approved Curriculum of Training in the relevant specialty currently in use by the Training Body. Each applicant must prove that their training and experience is no less than the minimum standard as set out in these documents. Applicants who have not completed structured training programmes must demonstrate equivalence to a graduate of the training programmes. The Curriculum of Training in each specialty can be found here.

Documentation

When an application is referred to the RCPI, detailed documentary evidence needs to be provided by the applicant before any assessment process can begin. The submitted documents must address the following:
 
1. Duration of Training & Experience
Evidence is required that the duration of training and experience followed was no less than that set out in the curriculum approved by the training body. The curriculum for each specialty is available for download from the RCPI website here.
2. Content of Training & Experience
This must equate to the training and experience in terms of clinical and theoretical content required for recognition as a Specialist in Ireland.  It will be judged on the basis of its equivalence to the Curriculum both in the content of General Professional Training and Higher Medical Training.
 
Documentation required to support the application includes:
(A) A full Curriculum Vitae. CVs must be very detailed with full details of all postgraduate qualifications obtained, training and specialist posts held, courses attended, and lists of publications, audits, CME etc. CVs should also detail fully clinical commitments in each post including details of on-call, details of ‘take’, numbers of patients seen, variety of case exposure etc. CVs will be scrutinised and any perceived inconsistencies will be identified and require clarification. Poorly presented CVs or CVs with spelling errors will not be accepted.

(B) Certified copies of primary and postgraduate qualifications diplomas. Please note applications are not considered complete until all documents are properly certified.  See below for instructions on how to properly certify a document.

(C) If applicable: original or certified copies of documentation from a national training authority together with supporting information which sets out
- The training programme followed with an indication of its clinical content
- The assessment process used, and
- Details of an exit examination

(D) Detailed references are to be provided by supervising trainers. References are to be provided from all major training and specialist posts held. Should these prove difficult to obtain references will be accepted from colleagues or other appropriate people who can attest to the applicants current level of practice.
References should attest to elements of training in detail and NOT just statements as to employment at any given institution. Ideally, for references to carry any weight they need to attest to evidence of on-call/on-take experience; number of new patients seen; post-take ward rounds; assessment and management of patients; medical consultations, evidence of clinics conducted or attended, CME, grand rounds, journal club, management courses, clinical audit and research. 
(E) Payment in euro of the relevant fee (currently €1015 per specialty).

When the assessment is complete, a recommendation will be forwarded by the Dean to Board of the Training Body (which meets quarterly), and subsequently, the decision of the Board will be forwarded to the Medical Council. The advice of the Training Body is a recommendation only and it is the Medical Council who makes all decisions regarding entry to the Specialist Division. The Medical Council will notify the candidate as to whether the candidate’s application has been successful or not. It should be noted that the Training Body is not allowed to notify the applicant of the outcome of the assessment process.

It is appreciated that this process is lengthy and complex. Most delays are caused by incomplete documentation. Where the required documentation has not been received within three months of the date of issue of the initial correspondence the application will be returned to the Medical Council unassessed.

How to Certify a Document
Applicants are asked to provide certified copies of the documents submitted as part of their application. To have a copy certified, the original document and the photocopy must be presented to one of the following:
• A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (please note that Fellows may not certify their own documents)
• A member of the Garda Síochána at a police station
• A Commissioner for Oaths
• A Notary Public
 
The copy must be certified with the following words or an appropriate equivalent (BLOCK CAPITALS, please)
I (NAME) certify that this is a true and faithful copy of an original document which I have seen.
It must then be signed, officially stamped and dated.  In the case of a document being certified by a Fellow of the College, the stamp of the hospital must accompany the signature.
Do not send the original documents.  The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland will not take responsibility for their loss or damage.  
 

Should you have further queries in regards to an application that has been referred to the ICHMT for assessment, please contact:
Mr. Colm Carney
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland,
Frederick House, 19 South Frederick Street, Dublin 2
colmcarney@rcpi.ie