Medical education in Ireland is the education of medical students and qualified medical doctors across the island of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Medical Schools

There are seven medical schools in Ireland from which students can obtain a

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

, including six schools in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

and one school in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Medical schools in the Republic of Ireland are accredited by the

Medical Council of Ireland The Medical Council ( ga, Comhairle na nDochtúirí Leighis) is the regulator of the medical profession in Ireland. It maintains the register of medical practitioners licensed to practice, and has the power to place restrictions on or revoke suc ...

, while Northern Ireland is regulated by the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...

. All schools except University of Limerick Medical School offer undergraduate courses in medicine.

Republic of Ireland

Northern Ireland

Postgraduate education

Republic of Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland, medical education begins with a medical degree followed by a 12-month internship to achieve a right to practise medicine in Ireland. The National Doctors Training and Planning unit (NDTP) in the Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for the intern scheme. Internships are based with one of the medical schools in the Republic of Ireland and are employed by the HSE. Following the internship, basic specialist training lasts 2-3 years followed by higher specialist training of 4-6 years. Alternatively, streamlined specialist training is a continuous block of training.

Northern Ireland

Foundation school

The Foundation Programme is a two-year generic programme aiming to bridge medical school and Specialist/General Practice Training. It includes a variety of placement specialities and settings. the programme is operated across the UK with a national curriculum and learning portfolio. The Northern Ireland Foundation School offers a programme exclusively within Northern Ireland.

Speciality Training

= General Practice

= To train as a general practitioner (GP), after completing a

Foundation Programme A foundation programme, foundation program, foundation year, foundation year programme or foundation year program is a one-year introductory course to a full multi-year degree curriculum offered by many universities in the Commonwealth and elsewher ...

(not limited to Northern Ireland), a doctor must complete three years of speciality training (ST). This comprises a minimum of 12 to 18 months of posts in a variety of hospital specialities - often including

paediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

geriatrics Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek language, Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατ ...

and

obstetrics & gynaecology Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...

= Hospital Specialty

= After successfully completing a Foundation Programme (not limited to Northern Ireland), doctors can pursue Core Training (CT) that lasts two to three years which depends on the specialty. After completion of CT training, doctors can enter a ST post via open competition. Alternatively, those who complete a Foundation Programme can apply for a run-through programme which lasts five to seven years.

= Certificate of Completion of Training

= A Certificate in Completion of Training (CCT) is a confirmation that a doctor has completed an approved UK training programme and can be entered on the Specialist Register or GP Register. To qualify as a GP for example, a speciality trainee must complete the MRCGP, including the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), Simulated Consultation Assessment (SCA) and Workplace Based Assessment (WBPA). Passing these three components in addition to 36 months in GP Training allows obtainment of a CCT.

= Continuing medical education

Continuing professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive ...

is now mandatory for all doctors, under guidelines from the

. *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Medical Schools In Ireland *

Medical education in Ireland