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Higher Specialist Training
 

Internal Medicine

 

Overview

 

About HST in Internal Medicine

Completing your Higher Specialist Training (HST) in one of our 18 internal medicine specialties is your final step towards becoming a specialist.

Higher Specialist Training (HST) is a four- to six-year training programme, depending on your specialty, which is completed in Specialist Registrar (SpR) posts. 

Our HST programmes are designed to produce doctors who are leaders in their fields. We will help you develop the advanced skills and knowledge required for practising independently as a specialist, leading a clinical team and managing the everyday challenges of our health service.

On successful completion of HST, you will receive a CSCST (Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training). You will then be eligible to register with the Medical Council of Ireland as a specialist.

Entry to HST is competitive. Completion of Basic Specialist Training, or an equivalent programme, is an essential entry requirement for HST.

The Institute of Medicine offers HST programmes in the following 18 specialties:

  • Cardiology
  • Clinical Genetics
  • Clinical Neurophysiology
  • Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics & General Internal Medicine
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus & General Internal Medicine
  • Gastroenterology and General Internal Medicine
  • Genitourinary Medicine
  • Geriatric and General Internal Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine
  • Medical Oncology
  • Nephrology and General Internal Medicine
  • Neurology
  • Palliative Medicine
  • Pharmaceutical Medicine
  • Rehabilitation Medicine
  • Respiratory and General Internal Medicine
  • Rheumatology and General Internal Medicine

Read more about our HST Internal Medicine Specialties

 

What to Expect

Your first two years of HST will be spent in full-time clinical SpR posts in Ireland. You can then continue to train in full-time posts in Ireland, or you can start a period of full-time research or develop a subspecialty interest.

You can apply for up to 12 months’ credit towards your Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) for research undertaken during HST.

During the annual allocation of SpR posts, we will endeavor to be as flexible as possible, within the confines of your specialty requirements, to allow you to develop a subspecialty interest.

Depending on your specialty, you will need to see a set number of emergencies and complicated cases, attend a certain number of outpatient clinics, and demonstrate competence in certain procedures and practical skills during HST.

Dual Training

As a specialist in internal medicine, you will need expert knowledge of a wide range of common acute disorders due to the nature of your specialty and the patients you will encounter.

Some specialties have developed Dual Training (additional training in general internal medicine), whereby you receive a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) in both your main specialty and in general internal medicine.

The following specialties offer Dual Training:

  • Cardiology
  • Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
  • Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus
  • Gastroenterology
  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Nephrology
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Rheumatology

For further information about Dual Training please refer to the HST Institute of Medicine Handbook, available to download below. 

In addition to supervised clinical training in the hospital, you will attend a number of mandatory courses and study days designed to help you develop professionally and acquire the non-clinical skills and knowledge needed to provide excellent patient care.

Depending on your specialty, you may be required to attend more mandatory courses in addition to the ones listed below. To see what’s required for your specialty, check the relevant HST curriculum on the Specialties page.

 

Mandatory Courses

Depending on your specialty, there will be a range of mandatory courses that you must complete as part of your training course. Please download your chosen specialty's curriculum for more details, and click through to our course provider for details of upcoming courses through the link below.

 

Contact Us

We have a dedicated team to help you through your Higher Specialist Training, available to deal with any questions you may have.  Contact us on helpdesk@rcpi.ie

 

Institute of Medicine

The Institute of Medicine is accredited by the Medical Council of Ireland and is proud to meet the strict standards required to deliver postgraduate specialist training in 18 clinical medicine specialties in Ireland.

Institute of Medicine Members with Prof Anthony O'Regan