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About BST in Histopathology
What to expect
Four hubs to choose from
Histopathology BST curriculum
Programme Requirements
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Basic Specialist Training (BST) in Histopathology is the first step towards specialisation.
Basic Specialist Training (BST) is a hospital-based training programme completed in Senior House Officer (SHO) posts. It prepares you for Higher Specialist Training (HST), which is the final stage of training.
Completion of the intern year is an essential entry requirement.
BST is structured so that you rotate to a different post every three or six months, letting you experience different subspecialties and clinical teams. All posts approved for BST in Ireland are full-time and salaried.
In addition to supervised clinical training in the hospital, you will need to complete exams and courses designed to help you to develop professionally and acquire the skills and knowledge needed to provide excellent patient care.
BST in Histopathology is a two-year programme administered by the Faculty of Pathology at RCPI. It is an essential prerequisite course before Higher Specialist Training in Pathology.
Basic Specialist Training in Histopathology is a two-year programme completed in Senior House Officer (SHO) posts.
You will be placed on a two-year rotation so you will know in advance what posts you will be working in. Your rotation will incorporate 24 months in pure Histopathology.
In addition to supervised training in the hospital, you are required to attend a number of mandatory courses that will help you to develop professionally and acquire the non-clinical skills and knowledge needed to provide excellent patient care.
In your second year of BST, you will be required to attend an aptitude assessment. The purpose of this second assessment is to make sure you have an aptitude for Histopathology before you have committed too much time to training.
There are four training hubs in BST in Histopathology, which you can rank in order of preference during the application process.
The two-year programme involves one year each in different hubs, usually a combination of North/South Dublin and/or Munster/Galway. A combination of North Dublin and South Dublin may also be a possibility. Combinations available may vary depending on availability and number of applicants.
The four hubs are:
Use this curriculum if you are in Year 1 of BST in 2023/2024
In addition to supervised clinical training, you will either participate in the BST Taught Programme or attend a number of mandatory courses depending on your year of training in 2023/2024. Please see details in the links below. You are not required to pass any exams.
Trainees in BST Histopathology Year 1 can access the BST Taught Programme anytime by logging into the RCPI Website and clicking the link to Brightspace in your Digital Hub.
Trainees in BST Histopathology Year 2 will attend Mandatory Courses. These courses are outlined in the BST Histopathology Curriculum (PDF, 757KB)
We have a dedicated administrative team to support Trainees in Basic Specialist Training. They are happy to deal with any questions you have about BST. Contact the team on helpdesk@rcpi.ie
How to apply
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The Faculty of Pathology at the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland is the national professional and training body for pathology in Ireland, working to ensure the highest standards in laboratory medicine.