Your earlier years in training will be directed towards acquiring a broad general experience of Public Health Medicine under appropriate supervision. As your confidence grows and new skills are acquired, you will be encouraged to assume a greater degree of responsibility and independence.
Training in Public Health Medicine is mostly based in departments of public health. Other training sites include the HSE Health Intelligence Unit, the Department of Health and Children, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the National Immunisation Office, Safefood, the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and university academic departments.
Your earlier years in training will be directed towards acquiring a broad general experience of Public Health Medicine under appropriate supervision. As your confidence grows and new skills are acquired, you will be encouraged to assume a greater degree of responsibility and independence.
The core objectives and milestones in your first and second years are:
- to complete Master of Public Health (MPH) programme if you haven’t already
- to undergo health protection induction
- to acquire core competencies in public health medicine
- to pass MFPHMI Part 1
- to prepare for MFPHMI Part 2 by starting to write your short reports
The core objectives and milestones in your third and final years are:
- to pass MFPHMI Part 2
- to gain experience in health policy
- to gain experience in advocacy
- to gain experience in senior public health at regional level
- to gain experience in senior health protection
- to gain experience in experience on specialist sites involving health intelligence, cancer control, health protection, Safefood, academic public health or Department of Health
Your first two years of HST are spent in full-time SpR posts in Ireland. After that, you can continue to train in full-time posts in Ireland, or you can start a period of full-time research or develop a subspecialty interest.
You can apply for up to 12 months’ credit towards your Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) for research undertaken during HST.
Length of training may be 4.5 years for those who have not completed an MPH or equivalent at the start of training.
In addition to supervised onsite training, you will attend a number of mandatory courses and study days designed to help you develop professionally and acquire the non-clinical skills and knowledge needed to provide excellent patient care.
You will need to pass the Membership of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MFPHMI) examination. This is an essential requirement for a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) in Public Health Medicine.
A Master of Public Health (MPH) programme provides broad-based education and training in the basic disciplines that underlie the practice of Public Health. If you do not hold an MPH when you start the HST programme, you will need to complete it during your first year of training.