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RCPI
HST Cardiology
A six-year RCPI Institute of Medicine SpR programme leading to dual CSCST in Cardiology and General Internal Medicine, entered after BST and MRCPI.
Duration: 6 years (SpR1-SpR6), dual CSCST in Cardiology and General Internal Medicine
Annual intake: 12 HST Year 1 trainees in 2024/2025 (61 cardiology SpRs across all years) - HSE NDTP Medical Workforce Report 2024-2025, Table 7
Applications: 2026 intake: applications opened 1 October 2025 and closed 29 October 2025 (application fee EUR 100). Next application cycle opens October 2026. Interview (2026): 23 February 2026.
Entry: After BST in General Internal Medicine (or approved equivalent) + MRCPI in General Medicine. The MRCPI Clinical Examination relevant to the specialty must be passed before the HST interview. IMC registration eligibility, English language competency and eligibility to work in Ireland required at application.
Exams: No RCPI exit exam. Per the 2025 curriculum, trainees are expected to sit the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) examination in Year 3 or 4 of HST; subspecialty European certifications (EACVI/BSE/ASE imaging, EAPCI, EHRA) are listed as expected experience.
HST Cardiology is a six-year Specialist Registrar programme run by the RCPI Institute of Medicine, leading to a dual Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training in Cardiology and General Internal Medicine. Trainees rotate through RCPI-approved training sites in 6- or 12-month posts, with at least one clinical year outside Dublin, and are expected to sit the European Society of Cardiology examination in year 3 or 4.
Entry requires completion of Basic Specialist Training in General Internal Medicine (or an approved equivalent) and MRCPI in General Medicine, with the MRCPI Clinical Examination passed before interview. Applications for the 2026 intake ran 1-29 October 2025; shortlisting is scored out of 20 and interviews out of 100, with 40 of the 100 interview marks assigned to interview performance and professionalism. Twelve trainees entered year 1 in 2024/2025.
How selection is scored
Shortlistingmax 20
Professional qualifications/education5
Publication & audit experience5
Leadership & management experience2.5
Interviewmax 100
Interest/Knowledge of the specialty15
Interview performance and professionalism40
Where you train
Named hospital lists are not published per specialty; SpRs rotate through RCPI-approved training sites nationally in preapproved 6- or 12-month posts. At least one clinical year must be completed in a training site outside the Dublin area; a maximum of two clinical years may be spent in the same site.
Where this leads
Award of CSCST (dual certification in Cardiology and General Internal Medicine) confers eligibility for entry on the Specialist Division of the IMC register and for consultant posts. Documented post-CSCST routes: the RCPI/HSE register of approved Post-CSCST Fellowship posts and HSE NDTP Aspire Fellowships, open to doctors within two years of CSCST.
Facts last verified 2026-07-27. Scheme details change year to year; always confirm against RCPI's current documentation.