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RCPI (Faculty of Paediatrics)
HST Paediatrics
A five-year Faculty of Paediatrics SpR programme in general paediatrics entered after BST Paediatrics and MRCPI (General Paediatrics), with the largest HST intake of any RCPI specialty.
Duration: 5 years (SpR1-SpR5); one year may be gained from a period of full-time research or teaching
Annual intake: 33 HST Year 1 trainees in 2024/2025 (165 general paediatrics 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): 10 & 11 February 2026.
Entry: After BST in Paediatrics (or approved equivalent) + MRCPI in General Paediatrics. 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. Overseen by the RCPI Faculty of Paediatrics.
Exams: No mandatory in-programme examination; the 2023 curriculum states Specialist Registrars may attempt one or more examinations at their discretion.
HST Paediatrics is a five-year Specialist Registrar programme run by the RCPI Faculty of Paediatrics; one year may be gained from full-time research or teaching. Years 1-2 comprise 12-month rotations in general paediatrics and neonatology plus a 3-month community paediatrics block; years 3-5 cover paediatric emergency medicine and subspecialty posts, with one clinical year required outside Dublin. It is the largest RCPI HST, with 33 year-1 entrants and 165 SpRs in 2024/2025.
Entry requires BST in Paediatrics (or approved equivalent) and MRCPI in General Paediatrics, with the clinical examination passed before interview. Shortlisting uses the standard RCPI 20-mark matrix; the interview is scored out of 100, of which 40 marks are two clinical questions. Related schemes in Neonatology and Paediatric Cardiology branch off after 2 and 1 years of general paediatric HST respectively.
How selection is scored
Shortlistingmax 20
Professional qualifications/education5
Publication & audit experience5
Leadership & management experience2.5
Interviewmax 100
CV (qualifications, achievements)20
Research/Audit/Teaching20
Personal specifications, professionalism, interview performance20
Where you train
Named hospital lists are not published; the curriculum structures years 1-2 as 12-month rotations in general paediatrics and neonatology plus a 3-month community paediatrics block, and years 3-5 in paediatric emergency medicine and subspecialty posts. The Faculty of Paediatrics handbook requires one clinical year outside the Dublin area and describes experience in teaching hospitals or other major centres.
Where this leads
Award of CSCST 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. Neonatology and Paediatric Cardiology run as separate HST schemes: Paediatric Cardiology trainees complete 1 year of HST General Paediatrics then 4 years of Paediatric Cardiology; Neonatology trainees complete 2 years of HST General Paediatrics then 3 years of Neonatology (NDTP report note).
Facts last verified 2026-07-27. Scheme details change year to year; always confirm against RCPI (Faculty of Paediatrics)'s current documentation.