Career hub → Intern Year
HSE / NDTP
Intern Year
The first year of postgraduate training in Ireland, leading to the Certificate of Experience on successful completion.
Annual intake: 914 posts for July 2026 (866 standard + 48 academic); 879 in each of the three prior years
Competition: About 1,400 stage-one applications for 879 posts in the 2023 cycle (about 1.6 applications per post). This overall ratio does not give an individual applicant’s probability of allocation.
Applications: Online application 17 Oct to 28 Nov; post preferences early spring; offers late May
Entry: After final med (via the HSE match; see the ranking tool)
The intern year includes at least three months of medicine and three of surgery, with two-to-four-month blocks in other specialties. Some training schemes score intern experience directly: an anaesthesiology intern rotation in Ireland receives 4 of 35 application marks for SAT. Rotations also provide opportunities to work with potential referees.
Many schemes open applications in the autumn of intern year for a July start the following year. Read the entry requirements and scoring criteria before applying.
Standalone SHO posts
Doctors can take non-training SHO posts before applying to a scheme. These posts can provide relevant experience but do not count towards recognised training time. Compare the duties with the selection criteria for the programme you want to enter.
How selection is scored
There is no interview. After eligibility screening, the HSE National Recruitment Service ranks every candidate by three published factors, in order:
- Entry route to medical school: candidates who held a HEA-funded place accepted through the CAO rank above those who did not.
- Permission to work: EEA nationals and non-EEA applicants with proof of permission to work rank above those without.
- Final-year centile: calculated by your medical school using a prescribed formula and submitted by the Dean. You cannot influence or appeal it.
You rank up to 50 posts plus six network fallback preferences. The top-ranked candidate receives their first available choice, and so on down the list; ties are broken by lottery. Unmatched candidates join a reserve list that expires at the end of August.
Where you train
Six Intern Training Networks covering clinical sites nationwide, each anchored to a medical school: Dublin/Northeast (RCSI), Dublin/Mid-Leinster (UCD), Dublin/Southeast (TCD), Mid-West (UL), South (UCC) and West/Northwest (University of Galway). The Academic Intern Track offers 8 posts in each network. Browse every post, site and rotation on the posts page.
Facts last verified 2026-07-13. Scheme details change year to year; always confirm against HSE / NDTP's current documentation.