International Residency Training Programme in Internal Medicine

DEVELOP YOUR SPECIALIST SKILLS IN IRELAND

Our International Residency Training Programme in Internal Medicine is now fully approved and recognised by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), bringing it further in line with the Irish Basic Specialist Training (BST) programme.

This three to four-year postgraduate specialist training programme gives nominated graduates of approved medical colleges, the opportunity to undertake Residency training with one of the world’s leading postgraduate medical training bodies. Training is delivered and certified by RCPI.

The three-year Programme is designed to ensure that graduates will be eligible to be registered as a Senior Registrar in Internal Medicine, as if they had completed the Saudi Board Residency Programme and associated examinations in Internal Medicine.

Doctors recruited in the upcoming intake will be joining a three-year Residency Programme, delivered fully in Ireland.

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Entry requirements for the International Residency Training Programme in Internal Medicine

To apply for the International Residency Training Programme in Internal Medicine:

You must have completed your primary medical degree through English in a SCFHS recognised centre
You must have completed a structured internship
You must be a National of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
You must have provisional sponsorship to cover your fees, salary and living expenses for the duration of your programme
You must have two letters of recommendation from senior supervisors within your University or Hospital
You must not currently hold a position on a Residency Programme in Saudi Arabia

Following acceptance into the programme, you must:

Achieve an Academic IELTS score of overall 7.0 (with no one domain less than 6.5) or an overall OET score of B (with a minimum score of B in each domain)
Complete all requirements for registration with the Irish Medical Council

In order to train in Ireland, the Irish Medical Council requires that you possess one of the following qualifications to exempt you from their Pre-Registration Examination System (PRES) Level 2:

Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) Part 1
United States Medical Licencing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 and 2
Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE)
Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I
Australian Medical Council MCQ (AMC)

To view a full list of exempting qualifications from PRES Level 2, visit the Irish Medical Council website.

Candidates that possess MRCPI/UK, the required IELTS/OET and/or one of the above-mentioned qualifications for Irish Medical Council registration may be given priority at interview.

Practicing medicine in Ireland is a rich experience on both the professional and personal levels. As I progressed during my medical training with RCPI, I got the privilege of observing and working with great teachers and capable specialists in their field. Being involved in providing interdisciplinary medical care to patients with evidence based approach is a cornerstone in how medicine is practiced in Ireland. That taught me to get to know my patients personally and have a holistic approach in addressing their medical needs. I’m happy that I got the opportunity to come to Ireland and being challenged to achieve the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. This has helped consolidate my medical knowledge and evolve as a capable physician.

Dr Husam Alzayer
Trainee on the Joint Residency Training Programme in Internal Medicine

Proposed three-year International Residency Training Programme in Internal Medicine: What to expect

Year 1 in Ireland

Your first year of training in Ireland will build your core skills in Medicine, including exposure to the following key health areas such as Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Medicine for the Elderly and Respiratory Medicine.

You will complete this year of training in an approved training post in Ireland under the supervision of the RCPI
You will be required to attempt the MRCPI Part 1 Written examination in General Internal Medicine
You may elect to sit the MRCPI Part 2 Written examination in General Internal Medicine
You will be required to pass an end of year evaluation in Ireland

Year 2 in Ireland

Your second year of training will include rotations specialties such as General Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Emergency Medicine and Nephrology.

You will complete this year of training in an approved training post in Ireland under the supervision of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
If not achieved in Year 1, you will be required to pass the MRCPI Part 1 & 2 Written examination in General Internal Medicine
You will be required to pass the MRCPI Part 2 Clinical examination in General Internal Medicine
You will be required to pass an end of year evaluation in Ireland

Year 3 in Ireland

Final mandatory rotations will be completed in your final year of training such as ICU/Critical Care and Neurology, with the option to gain exposure to areas such as Dermatology, Haematology, etc.

Further to completion of the MRCPI in General Internal medicine, your third and final year of training in Ireland will be spent at the Senior Resident level, during which time you will have the opportunity to develop your clinical independence and decision-making skills. You will also have the opportunity to select an elective area of practice that interests you and focus on this sub-specialty for a number of months.

You will be required to complete all requirements for training and to pass your Final Year Evaluation

SUPPORTING YOUR MOVE TO IRELAND

Making sure everything is in place before you start

At RCPI, we know that moving to another country involves a lot of preparation and paperwork.

We are committed to making this process as easy as possible for all doctors who are accepted onto our international training programmes.

The support we offer in association with Castel Education, an agency that specialises in supporting international students coming to Ireland, includes:

English language tutoring in preparation for taking the IELTS/OET and achieving the required score
Visa and immigration assistance, including liaising with the Irish Embassy on your behalf
Helping you apply for registration with the Irish Medical Council
Helping you make travel arrangements
Collecting you at the airport in Ireland
Helping you find suitable accommodation
Helping your family members move to Ireland, e.g. finding suitable schools
Assistance with setting up banking and mobile phone accounts
Emergency telephone support

"Once accepted onto the programme, RCPI have a dedicated team to help me with the registration process step-by-step, until you’re completely settled in Ireland. They were fantastic, and were available for queries throughout the entire fellowship."

Dr Fatima Al Washahi
Clinical Fellowship Trainee in Maternal Medicine

John Magner

Head of International Affairs

Tel: +353 1 863 9700

John Magner has overall responsibility for our international medical graduate training programmes.

Colm Small

Interim Head of Training and Education

Tel: 353 1 8639 611

Colm has overall responsibility for our Training and Education departments. He joined the College in November 2019. Colm graduated from UCD with a B. Comm in 1992 and in 1993 with a Masters in Business from the UCD Smurfit School of Business. He spent a number of years in UCD in various senior managerial roles before joining the RCPI. The most recent of these being Head of UCD Smurfit’s student recruitment and admissions.

Jack O'Flanagan

Manager, IMG Training Programmes

Tel: +353 (0)1 863 9715

Jack manages all matters relating to the International Clinical Fellowship Programme and the Joint Residency Training Programme.

Lauren Dolphin

Programme Coordinator, International Affairs

Tel: 353 1 8639 790

Contact Lauren for information on the Joint Residency Training Programmes. She is responsible for Recruitment to the Joint Residency Training Programmes and Post Interview/ Site Management. She looks after the current JRTP trainees.