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RCPI
HST Rehabilitation Medicine
A four-year single-CSCST RCPI SpR programme in Rehabilitation Medicine, a small scheme whose selection weights motivation for the specialty and interview suitability heavily.
Duration: 4 years (SpR1-SpR4); the first two years are spent in clinical posts
Annual intake: 2 HST Year 1 trainees in 2024/2025 (5 rehabilitation medicine 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): 19 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 specialty examination requirement identified in the 2025 curriculum beyond MRCPI held at entry.
HST Rehabilitation Medicine is a four-year Specialist Registrar programme run by the RCPI Institute of Medicine leading to a CSCST in Rehabilitation Medicine; the first two years are spent in clinical posts. It is one of the smallest Irish medical HSTs, with two year-1 entrants and five SpRs in total in 2024/2025.
Entry requires BST in General Internal Medicine (or equivalent) and MRCPI in General Medicine, with the clinical examination passed before interview. The shortlisting matrix allocates 5 of 20 marks to demonstrated interest and motivation in rehabilitation combined with leadership experience, and the interview assigns 40 of 100 marks to suitability.
How selection is scored
Shortlistingmax 20
Professional qualifications/education/achievements5
Clinical practice (exposure incl. neurology/palliative care/stroke/psychiatry/trauma/medicine for the elderly/primary care)5
Interest/motivation in rehabilitation and leadership & management experience5
Publication & audit experience2.5
Interviewmax 100
CV (qualifications, achievements)20
Knowledge and experience of specialty30
40 of 100 interview marks are a single 'Suitability' domain.
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 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.