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RCPI
HST Rheumatology
A five-year RCPI dual-certification SpR programme in Rheumatology and General Internal Medicine requiring proficiency in joint and soft-tissue aspiration and injection.
Duration: 5 years (SpR1-SpR5); one year may be gained from full-time research; dual CSCST with General Internal Medicine
Annual intake: 8 HST Year 1 trainees in 2024/2025 (31 rheumatology 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): 20 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 recommends the EULAR online modules/examinations as a self-assessment tool; no certifying specialty exam is mandated.
HST Rheumatology is a five-year RCPI Institute of Medicine programme leading to dual CSCST in Rheumatology and General Internal Medicine; one year may be gained from full-time research. The curriculum recommends the EULAR online modules and examinations as self-assessment, and the RCPI specialty description lists proficiency in joint and soft-tissue aspiration and injection as essential.
Entry requires BST in General Internal Medicine (or equivalent) and MRCPI in General Medicine, with the clinical examination passed before interview. Shortlisting uses the standard RCPI 20-mark matrix and the interview is scored out of 100, including a 10-mark GIM domain. Eight trainees entered year 1 in 2024/2025.
How selection is scored
Shortlistingmax 20
Research, publication & audit experience5
Clinical practice (incl. speed of career progression)5
Leadership & management experience2.5
Interviewmax 100
Knowledge of the specialty20
Interview performance and professionalism20
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 Rheumatology 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.