BST Applications Cycle Opens 2nd September 2025 and Closes 29th September 2025

The entry requirements for BST programmes are:

• You must have completed your internship by the start date of the programme 
• You must submit documentation that clearly demonstrates your eligibility for registration with the Irish Medical Council (IMC).
  The specific documents needed will vary depending on individual circumstances.
  Please refer to the section below for detailed guidance.
• You must have proof of competency in the English language in line with HSE specifications (PDF, 506KB)
• You must be eligible to work in Ireland at the time of application. Proof of eligibility must be provided during the application process. Documents submitted after the application deadline will not be accepted.

Under current legislation, candidates are divided into two groups for the purpose of ranking and allocation.

Group 1 includes: Irish, UK, EU nationals, and holders of Stamp 4 or Stamp 4 EUFAM.
These candidates must be treated equally in the ranking and allocation process, as required by EU law.

Group 2 includes: holders of Stamp 1G and Stamp 1H (typically associated with medical posts or education provisions).

Places in BST are allocated in the first instance to applicants who, at the time of application, are considered Group 1 and must be treated equally in the ranking and allocation process under EU legislation. Offers may only be made to candidates in Group 2 once the pool of qualified candidates in Group 1 has been fully considered and exhausted, based on ranking.

Read more about the Allocation of Places on Specialist Training Programmes (PDF, 623KB)

In addition, to be eligible for a place on the BST General Internal Medicine programme, you must be competent in:

• intravenous cannulation
• phlebotomy
• nasogastric tube placement

Application Form Links have now been closed. 

**PLEASE NOTE ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION.

PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE ALL DOCUMENTS BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR APPLICATION. LATE DOCUMENT SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED***

• IMC Registration / Proof of Eligibility
• Academic Transcript and Medical Degree Certificate
• Proof of English language competency
• Passport identity page or National ID card for EU citizens
• Visa (if applicable): Copy of either Stamp 4, Stamp 4 EUFAM, Stamp 1G, or Stamp 1H. Documentation must be submitted at the time of application. Changes in immigration status after submission will not be considered. Only documents submitted with the application will be reviewed.

The Irish Medical Council criteria for entry to the trainee specialist register has been revised to only include applicants that meet one of the following at application stage:

Please note that RCPI is a separate institution and cannot provide advice or assistance regarding the IMC registration process.

For detailed information on how to register, please contact the Irish Medical Council directly.

You can find more information and apply via the IMC website at the link below:

Irish Medical Council

Please follow this link to review the Application Guidance and Frequently asked Questions https://www.rcpi.ie/Learn-and-Develop/Training-Programmes/Basic-Specialist-Training/Application-Guidance-and-Frequently-Asked-Questions

BST Pathway/Application Information Session

Each applicant accepted for interview must demonstrate the following in their submitted application:  

1. The candidate must demonstrate a clear understanding of the specialty of GIM. Candidates must outline what GIM entails and explain its role within the context of a clinical site and how the training programme is structured, OR
   
   
2. The candidate must demonstrate evidence of an interest in GIM beyond what would be expected as normal exposure during medical school training or clinical duties. Examples here include medical student electives or observerships in hospital.  

BST GIM Shortlisting Scoring Criteria 

In order to be considered appointable, candidates must fulfill all three of the requirements listed below: 

• Minimum overall score of 50 

• Minimum score of 17 on Clinical Acumen Questions Combined 

• Minimum score of 7 on Clinical Acumen Question 2 

Maximum 5 marks available. 

Centile should be provided as an official document from the university – either on university letterhead or in an email from the university clearly showing university return address and contact. 

An RCPI Centile Template is available for guidance here:

Centiles should be presented on the official headed document of the awarding institution.   

If the candidate does not supply a centile/decile ranking, they will be awarded 0 marks. 

If applicant can provide evidence that they are in top 10% they get 5 marks 

Each applicant accepted for interview must demonstrate the following in their submitted application:  

The candidate must demonstrate a clear understanding of the specialty of General Paediatrics. Candidates must outline what the specialty of General Paediatrics entails and explain its role within the context of a clinical site and how the training programme is structured
                                   

OR

The candidate must demonstrate evidence of an interest in General Paediatrics beyond what would be expected as normal exposure during medical school training or clinical duties. Examples here include medical student elective/observership in hospital Paediatric departments. 

Maximum 6 marks available. 

Centile should be provided as an official document from the university – either on a university letterhead or in an email from the university clearly showing university return address and contact. 

An RCPI Centile Template is available for guidance here:   

If the candidate does not supply a centile/decile ranking, they will be awarded 0 marks. 

If applicant can provide evidence that their university does not provide Centile Ranking, they will be awarded 2 marks. 

As part of your application to BST, you will be asked to submit evidence of any additional qualifications, publications and presentations you may have. 

Research and Other Qualifications have a maximum of 10 marks available. Marks will be awarded as follows: 

Points to Note 

• As stated in the application form, applicants are required to submit the DOI or the link to the published article. If a DOI or link is not submitted, no marks will be awarded. 
• Only articles that have already been published will be awarded marks. Marks will not be awarded for articles that have not been published yet. Similarly, marks will not be awarded for presentations that have not yet occurred. 
• Marks will be awarded once per publication, so if you have provided the DOI or link to the same publication multiple times in different sections of the application form, it will only be counted once for marking. 
• Medical journals where you have been published must be listed in The SCImago Journal & Country Rank portal for your publication to be considered for marking. Articles from local websites/blogs/etc will not be awarded marks. 
• For presentations at National/International Meetings, a certificate of participation from the meeting organisers is the best thing to submit. Where you have not received a certificate from the meeting organisers, please submit a PDF of your poster/presentation along with a PDF copy of the National/International meeting programme. 
• No marks will be awarded for Abstracts it must be a Journal Article 

Each applicant accepted for interview must demonstrate the following in their submitted application:  

The candidate must demonstrate a clear understanding of the specialty of Histopathology. Candidates must outline what the speciality of Histopathology entails and explain its role within the context of a clinical site and how the training programme is structured

OR

The candidate must demonstrate evidence of an interest in Histopathology beyond what would be expected as normal exposure during medical school training or clinical duties. Examples here include medical student electives or observerships in hospital Histopathology departments. 

Maximum 5 marks available. 

Centile should be provided as an official document from the university – either on university letterhead or in an email from the university clearly showing university return address and contact. 

An RCPI Centile Template is available for guidance here:   

If the candidate does not supply a centile/decile ranking, they will be awarded 0 marks. 

If applicant can provide evidence that they are in top 10% they get 5 marks 

As part of your application to BST, you will be asked to submit evidence of any additional qualifications, publications and presentations you may have. 

Research and Other Qualifications have a maximum of 15 marks available. Marks will be awarded as follows: 

 
Points to Note 

• As stated in the application form, applicants are required to submit the DOI or the link to the published article. If a DOI or link is not submitted, no marks will be awarded. 
• Only articles that have already been published will be awarded marks. Marks will not be awarded for articles that have not been published yet. Similarly, marks will not be awarded for presentations that have not yet occurred.
• Marks will be awarded once per publication, so if you have provided the DOI or link to the same publication multiple times in different sections of the application form, it will only be counted once for marking. 
• Medical journals where you have been published must be listed in The SCImago Journal & Country Rank portal for your publication to be considered for marking. Articles from local websites/blogs/etc will not be awarded marks. 
• For presentations at National/International Meetings, a certificate of participation from the meeting organisers is the best thing to submit. Where you have not received a certificate from the meeting organisers, please submit a PDF of your poster/presentation along with a PDF copy of the National/International meeting programme. 
• No marks will be awarded for Abstracts it must be a Journal Article

Clinical Sourse and Examination Refund Scheme for NCHDs (PDF, 391KB)

NCHD Training Supports Scheme (PDF, 668KB)

If you want to take leave of absence, retain training credit and return to the BST programme, this must be agreed in advance with your programme director and RCPI. Please contact Helpdesk@rcpi.ie for advice.

For further information, please read the Training Handbook for your programme. All BST Training Handbooks are available to download further down this page.

Guide to HSE National Supernumery Flexible Training Scheme (PDF, 948KB)

Application Form (Word, 82KB)

Job Sharing Policy (PDF, 183KB)

Job Sharing Application Form (Word, 27KB)

Post Re-Assignment Policy (PDF, 289KB)

Post Re-Assignment Application Form (Word, 27KB)

Grievance Procedures for Trainees (PDF, 182KB)

Disciplinary Procedures for Trainees (PDF, 232KB)

Equal Opportunity for Trainees (PDF, 182KB)

Appeals Policy: Postgraduate Training  (Word, 1.2MB)

Appeals Policy: Recruitment and Selection (Word, 1.1MB)

Anti-Bullying Policy (PDF, 304KB)      

RCPI Confidentiality Policy (PDF, 281KB)

Referral to the Health and Wellbeing Department (PDF, 322KB)

Remediation Policy (PDF, 309KB)

Returning to Training After a Long Absence Policy (PDF, 347KB)

Reasonable Adjustment (Disability) Policy (PDF, 214KB)