Mid-West Intern Training Programme

In Ireland, Internship is a one-year training post and it is a mandatory part of medical training. As an Intern, you will be registered with the Medical Council of Ireland, but you have restricted Intern registration only. Upon successful completion of your training and signing off you will be awarded a Certification of Experience by the Medical Council of Ireland and be allowed to progress to specialist trainee or general registration. You cannot progress in your medical career without Certification of Experience. An Internship is made up of several rotations through the Medical and Surgical specialties. A minimum of three months in General Medicine and three months in General Surgery is a requirement for an Internship. 

All Mid-West Interns are registered with the University of Limerick, which will allow you access to the UL library and the UL facilities. University Hospital Limerick is the hub teaching hospital, but other sites include:

• University Maternity Hospital Limerick 
• St John’s Hospital Limerick
• G.P., Ennis, Co. Clare

Local Mid-West mandatory requirements for successfully completing your Internship:

• Certification in ACLS for completion during mandatory Induction
• Completion of online Haemovigilance training prior to Induction
• Certification in the National Early Warning Scoring system – COMPASS via HseLand prior to Induction
• Certification in the National SEPSIS training via HseLand prior to Induction
• Completion of the Medico-legal training for Interns - course provided during the first half of the Intern year
• DOPS (Directly Observed Procedural Skills) – Part 1 and 2
• Submission of a research abstract for publication, e.g. RAMI – Intern Study Day
• Satisfactory attendance at dedicated Intern teaching sessions >70%
• Completion of the BMJ modules

Other non-mandatory workshops include Interview Skills, Career Workshops and C.V. Writing.

Mid-West Intern Network Staff

• Joint Intern coordinators: Dr Margaret O’Connor and Ms Anne Merrigan
• Intern Clinical Fellow: Dr Natasha Slattery
• Intern Administrator: Ms Antoinette Carey

You can contact the Mid-West Intern Network at MidWestIntern@ul.ie

The Academic Track posts, funded by the NDTP, (the HSE’s National Doctors Training and Planning arm) are providing a small number of Interns with the opportunity to undertake clinical research, gain experience in medical education, and enhance their leadership and management skills.

The Interns on the academic track will gain the same clinical experience as other Interns and receive the same Certificate of Experience, but in addition will have protected time during the working week to undertake a research project, to participate in medical education or to become involved in a quality improvement project at their hospital.

Academic Track Interns are assigned an Academic Supervisor in addition to their Clinical Supervisors. The Academic Supervisor will provide them with guidance and support in carrying out their project.  They will have access to research seminars and workshops, and additional training and education. There may be a bursary available to cover their research costs (e.g. bench fees).

Interns on the Academic Track will be required to achieve the same competencies as all other Interns, and they will need to complete the same mandatory elements of Intern training as all other Interns in addition to their academic goals.

The four Academic Track posts available within the Mid-West Intern Network include rotations through the following Sub-specialties:

See Related links for further information.

Within the Mid-West Intern Network Interns have the opportunity to be awarded prizes. Their peers select the winner of these awards and they recognise Interns who have demonstrated excellence and have contributed greatly to their group.

Awards include:

• Intern of the Year
• Intern Researcher of the Year

There are currently 826 available intern posts nationally, including Academic Track positions. These are subject to change year after year.

The general timeline for applications is:

• Mid/late October - Opening of Stage 1 of the application process.
• Jan to March - Academic Track matching process for those who progress, after expressing interest in Stage 1.
• March - Invite from the NRS to submit for Stage 2 of the application process, along with Medical Council registration.
• May/June - NRS begin post allocations, candidates notified, deadline for acceptance given.
• June/July - contract signing and Intern induction.

Academic Track

Medical Council of Ireland

HSE Intern Training

Medical Intern Unit

Guideline on Medical Education and Training for Interns