Exam Structure
The MFPHMI Part I examination tests your knowledge of public health medicine, including basic skills in research methods, data analysis, problem solving and communications. The exam syllabus may be found in the regulations document below. The exam is held once a year and consists of four written papers. Papers 1 and 2 are designed to test your knowledge. Papers 3 and 4 are designed to test your skills. You have two hours to answer each paper.
Paper 1
You must answer five questions covering the following subjects:
- Epidemiology, statistics and research methods
- Health and wellbeing
- Health protection
Paper 2
You must answer five questions covering the following subjects:
- Health intelligence
- Social policy and health economics
- Medical sociology and health psychology
- Organisation and management of health care
Paper 3
Paper 3 tests your critical appraisal skills. You will be asked for commentary on and application of material in a scientific/medical article from a peer-reviewed journal. The article will be provided at the start of the exam paper.
Paper 4
Paper 4 tests your communication skills in relation to preparing a memorandum to the press, health authority, chief executive, Director of Public Health or a similar person on a local situation or problem. You are expected to demonstrate your ability to apply the basic skills of public health medicine to a set problem. This may include data manipulation and interpretation.
Skills needed for this exam
To be successful in this exam, you need basic data handling skills and the ability to perform basic statistical techniques. You will also need to understand and interpret results from more complex statistical techniques and be able to extract and manipulate data. Other skills required for this exam include the ability to criticise research evidence and communicate in writing to a non-medical audience. You are expected to be familiar with recent theoretical developments in Public Health Medicine.
If you haven't worked in Ireland
The MFPHMI Part I examination is designed to accommodate candidates with experience outside the Irish healthcare system. We set generic questions that allow you to relate answers to your particular healthcare system.