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RCPI
HST Gastroenterology
A five-year RCPI dual-certification SpR programme in Gastroenterology and General Internal Medicine combining luminal, hepatology and endoscopy training with the acute medical take.
Duration: 5 years (SpR1-SpR5); one year may be gained from full-time research; dual CSCST with General Internal Medicine
Annual intake: 12 HST Year 1 trainees in 2024/2025 (59 gastroenterology 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): 27 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: 2025 curriculum lists attempting one examination, e.g. a European fellowship examination, as desirable; no mandatory in-programme exam identified.
HST Gastroenterology is a five-year RCPI Institute of Medicine programme leading to dual CSCST in Gastroenterology and General Internal Medicine; one year may be gained from a period of full-time research. The curriculum describes roughly three clinical apprenticeship years in gastroenterology, and rotations run through RCPI-approved sites with at least one clinical year outside Dublin.
Entry requires BST in General Internal Medicine (or equivalent) and MRCPI in General Medicine, with the clinical examination passed before interview. Shortlisting is scored out of 100, weighted toward clinical practice (30) and publications/audit (30); the 100-mark interview includes a 10-mark GIM station and 20 marks for overall suitability to GI. Twelve trainees entered year 1 in 2024/2025.
How selection is scored
Shortlistingmax 100
Professional qualifications/education/achievements25
Publication & audit experience30
Leadership & management experience10
Interviewmax 100
CV (qualifications, achievements)25
Overall suitability to GI20
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 Gastroenterology 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.