Year-on-year comparison
What changed
in 2026
A look at how Ireland’s intern posts shifted from 2025/26 to 2026/27 — new posts, rotation changes, and regional shifts.
Total posts
0
→0
Standard track posts, 2025 vs 2026
0
Net new posts added
Posts that didn't exist in 2025
0
Academic track posts
Unchanged from last year
Where this number comes from
These counts are taken from the published preference lists, post by post. The HSE's own figure, given separately, is 915 approved intern posts for 2026 — an increase of approximately 4 per cent compared to 2025. Counting the lists here gives 914 across both tracks, against 877 for 2025, a rise of 4.2 per cent.
The approved total and the published lists differ by one post. No published explanation was found at the last review.
All six health regions increased their intern post numbers compared with last year. How that number gets set →
What changed
Over 40% of returning posts saw at least one rotation change — a different specialty, a new hospital, or a shuffled order.
0
New posts
0
Changed
0
Unchanged
0%
Posts with rotation changes
Specialty or hospital swapped in at least one rotation slot
0%
Entirely new to 2026
Brand new reference numbers not seen in 2025
How posts changed
Of the 344 changed posts, most saw specialty swaps in at least one rotation slot. Pure hospital moves (same specialty, different site) were rare.
0
Specialty swaps only
Different specialty, same hospital
0
Specialty + hospital
Both changed in the same post
0
Hospital moves only
Same specialty, different site
Specialty movers
Net change in rotation slots per specialty across all changed posts. Colorectal Surgery gained the most slots; General Medicine (GIM) and General Surgery lost the most.
Gained rotation slots
Lost rotation slots
These are slot-level changes across all posts. A post changing one rotation from GIM to Colorectal Surgery counts as -1 GIM, +1 Colorectal.
By region
Every region grew or held steady. The South added the most posts (+10), while Mid-West saw the largest percentage increase.
Rotation slots by specialty
3,464 total rotation slots across 866 posts. GIM and General Surgery account for almost 30% between them. Every specialty below appears in at least 12 rotation slots.
Where the new posts went
Of 37 new standard posts, the South gained the most. Dublin/Mid-Leinster was the only region with no new additions.
+10
South
+9
Dublin / Northeast
+8
Dublin / Southeast
+6
Mid-West
+4
West / Northwest
0
Dublin / Mid-Leinster
Academic track
0
Academic posts
Same count as 2025; academic rotations across research, clinical, and specialist placements.
0
Networks with academic posts
Academic posts rotate across all 6 regions for their clinical blocks, with the academic block based in Galway.
Academic posts include one dedicated academic rotation (research or clinical academic time) plus three standard clinical rotations. The academic block can fall in any of the four rotation periods. Academic submissions close earlier than standard — check the countdown timers for the exact deadline.
Main changes
No region lost posts
The total grew from 829 to 866 standard posts. No region lost posts year-on-year.
Don't reuse last year's ranking
344 posts changed at least one rotation. The same reference number often has different specialties or hospitals this year.
Largest increase: Colorectal Surgery
Net +28 rotation slots, the largest gain of any specialty. General Surgery and GIM lost the most slots (-19 and -28 respectively).
Most changes involve specialty swaps
Of 344 changed posts, 125 had only specialty changes, 211 had both specialty and hospital changes, and just 8 had hospital-only moves.
Dublin accounts for 55% of posts
The three Dublin regions account for 55% of all posts, consistent with 2025.
South gained the most new posts
10 of 37 new posts went to STH (Cork region). Mid-Leinster (DML) was the only region with no new additions.