Ireland · RCPI HST Occupational Medicine · 2027 intake criteria

RCPI HST Occupational Medicine: points estimator and scoring guide

RCPI 2027 intake shortlisting and interview criteria (Entry Guidance page) Last checked

Rate yourself on each of the four rows RCPI scores to estimate your score out of 100, and see what you can still add before the next window.

Next applications expected October 2027

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RCPI Occupational Medicine HST points estimator

Answer one question for each scored domain. We add up your points with the published rules shown on each step, then show what you could still add before the deadline, with dates. It takes about two minutes.

We'll show your result and email you a copy.

When are you applying?

We use this to date your plan. Applying this round, it works back from the deadline. Applying next year, you get the long-run version instead.

Your score is the total of the domain scores, out of a maximum of 100.

Maximum 30 pointsProfessional Qualifications and Postgraduate Education

Undergraduate qualifications and achievements / Postgraduate qualifications and achievements / Any relevant experience (clinical or academic) in either occupational medicine or related specialties

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 30 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Your primary degree and any awards, postgraduate qualifications (MRCPI, diplomas, masters, MD/PhD) and any clinical or academic experience in occupational medicine or a related specialty.

Watch out. Occupational health experience counts here, not under a separate clinical row. Occ Med has no “Clinical Practice” or “Commitment to specialty” category at shortlisting, so evidence of OH exposure belongs in this row.

Caps. Category maximum 30. RCPI publishes only the category, the description and the maximum; how marks are split inside it isn’t published.

Maximum 30 pointsLeadership and Management Experience

Candidate demonstrates experience in a leadership or management role e.g. rostering duties, hospital committee membership etc. / Any relevant experience in either occupational medicine or related specialties

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 30 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

A leadership or management role, for example rostering duties or hospital committee membership, and any relevant experience in occupational medicine or related specialties.

Watch out. This is the joint-largest row on the form (30, the same as qualifications). Applicants who list only clinical work leave it thin. Rostering and committee roles are named examples, so document them with dates and a letter.

Caps. Category maximum 30. RCPI publishes only the category, the description and the maximum; how marks are split inside it isn’t published.

Maximum 20 pointsTeaching Experience

Evidence of involvement in teaching students, postgraduates and other professionals / Evidence of completion of an applicable certified teaching qualification

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 20 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Two strands, scored together out of 20: teaching you have done (“students, postgraduates and other professionals”) and “an applicable certified teaching qualification”.

Watch out. Treating it as one strand. A certificate without teaching experience, or teaching experience without any qualification, covers only half of what the row describes. Teaching other professionals (nurses, OH staff, managers) is named, not only medical students.

Caps. Category maximum 20, the same weight as research, audit and QI. How the marks split between teaching experience and a certified teaching qualification isn’t published.

Maximum 20 pointsResearch, Audit and Quality Improvement

Evidence of research, audit and quality improvement (including details of any publications and presentations)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 20 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Research, audit and QI, with publications and presentations listed inside this row.

Watch out. There’s no separate presentations or publications line. Papers, talks and posters all compete for the same 20 marks as your audits and QI projects.

Caps. Category maximum 20. RCPI publishes only the category, the description and the maximum; how marks are split inside it isn’t published.

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Where these numbers come from

  • 4 domains, worded as in the official guide
  • 3 official sources, each dated
Method and sources

Your score adds up the option you pick in each domain, using the published rules shown on each step. "Could still add" uses only steps the guide allows before the deadline. No competition figures are shown for Irish HST. Last checked 30 October 2026.

  1. RCPI HST Entry Guidance and Advice: Occupational Medicine Shortlisting and Interview Criteria. 2027 HST intake. The page says “Applications for our 2027 Higher Specialist Training (HST) programmes are now closed.” The criteria are HTML tables in the “HST Shortlisting and Interview Criteria & Specialty Entry Requirements” section, not a PDF.
  2. RCPI HST Application Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions. 2027 intake (MRCPI Clinical by 31st December 2026; no documents accepted after the close)
  3. RCPI HST Occupational Medicine Training Handbook 2026-7. 2026-7 handbook (teaching requirements during HST; allocation by interview rank)

RCPI shortlists for Higher Specialist Training in Occupational Medicine on a 100-mark form with four categories, and teaching carries more weight here than in almost any other RCPI specialty. Teaching Experience is worth 20, the same as research, audit and QI, while qualifications and leadership are worth 30 each. RCPI publishes only the maximum for each row, so the panel decides each mark. The calculator at the top of this page is a self-estimate: you rate yourself against each row and it adds up your own estimate, not RCPI’s score. Applications for the 2027 intake ran from 1 October to 5pm on 29 October 2026, and nothing can be added after the close. In-person interviews are on 5 February 2027, and places are allocated taking into account interview rank.

Where Teach the Teacher counts for Occupational Medicine

The teaching row asks for two things at once: “Evidence of involvement in teaching students, postgraduates and other professionals” and “Evidence of completion of an applicable certified teaching qualification”. We claim Teach the Teacher under the second, and the panel decides. RCPI doesn’t define “applicable” or “certified”, and it doesn’t say how the 20 marks split between the two strands. A postgraduate certificate in clinical education is the safest reading of a certified qualification, so if you already hold one the course adds least. If you hold nothing, the course gives you evidence for a strand that is otherwise empty. It is a live online day (09:00 to 17:00, “6 hours of live teaching with an expert”) and a self-paced course of over 12 hours in 20 modules, each with its own certificate. Upload both certificates with the course programme.

The course can’t stand in for the first strand. Keep a dated log of teaching you have delivered, and note who it was for, because the row names “other professionals” as well as students and postgraduates: sessions for nurses, OH nurses, allied health staff or managers all belong there. The same evidence helps again at interview, where “Academic (Teaching and Research) Skills” is worth 20 of 100. The training handbook expects trainees to know “Principles of adult learning, teaching and learning methods available and strategies” and the “Design and delivery of an effective teaching event, both small and large groups”, so expect interview questions on how you teach. For the 2027 intake the window has closed, so anything you do now counts towards the next one.

Rules on the Occupational Medicine form that change a score

Four things on this form change a score more than applicants expect. Leadership and Management is worth 30, as much as qualifications and more than teaching or research, and RCPI names “rostering duties, hospital committee membership” as examples. Document every role with dates and a confirming letter. Publications and presentations have no row of their own; they sit inside “Evidence of research, audit and quality improvement (including details of any publications and presentations)”, capped at 20 with your audits and QI. There’s no clinical practice or commitment row at shortlisting, so put occupational health exposure under qualifications, where RCPI asks for “Any relevant experience (clinical or academic) in either occupational medicine or related specialties”. And the deadline is absolute. RCPI says “No, the Admissions Team is not in a position to accept any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications.” A paper accepted in November or a course finished after the close counts only towards the next intake.

Worked example: a BST3 applicant by category

Take a BST3 SHO in General Internal Medicine with MRCPI, a four-month OH taster, a seat on the drugs and therapeutics committee and the SHO rota. They have one audit and one national poster, and a log of teaching final-year medical students. RCPI publishes no points per item, so here is where they stand by category rather than a total:

  • Qualifications and postgraduate education (30): degree, MRCPI and OH exposure, all evidenced.
  • Leadership and management (30): committee membership and rostering, both named examples.
  • Teaching (20): student teaching only, with no teaching qualification.
  • Research, audit and QI (20): one audit and one poster, sharing the row.

Their weakest point is teaching, where one of the two strands is empty. Completing the course before the next window gives them evidence for the qualification strand, which the panel then judges. Running sessions for nursing or OH staff widens the experience strand. Both help again at interview.

How the Occupational Medicine interview is scored

The interview is a separate 100 marks, in person, on 5 February 2027 for this intake:

  • Career to date: 20
  • Leadership and Management Experience: 20
  • Communication and Teamwork Skills: 20
  • Academic (Teaching and Research) Skills: 20
  • Commitment to Specialty and Overall Suitability: 20

RCPI says “Posts are allocated by the NSD(s) taking into account rank at interview and available places.” Shortlisting gets you into the room; the interview decides your place. Applicants who aren’t shortlisted get no feedback, but everyone interviewed does.

RCPI Occupational Medicine HST HST Shortlisting Criteria (RCPI Entry Guidance and Advice) points at a glance

RCPI 2027 intake shortlisting and interview criteria (Entry Guidance page) Last checked

Your score is the total of the domain scores, out of a maximum of 100.

Shortlisting is out of 100 (the form prints a Total row): qualifications 30, leadership and management 30, teaching 20, research, audit and QI 20. RCPI publishes only the category maxima, so each category is scored by the panel. The interview is scored separately out of 100: Career to date 20, Leadership and Management Experience 20, Communication and Teamwork Skills 20, Academic (Teaching and Research) Skills 20, Commitment to Specialty and Overall Suitability 20. “Posts are allocated by the NSD(s) taking into account rank at interview and available places.” Whether the shortlisting marks carry into the ranking isn’t stated. Self-estimate (owner ruling 30 Oct 2026): RCPI publishes only the maximum for each row, so the calculator asks you to rate yourself on each row (none, some, good, strong) and adds up your own estimate. These steps are ours, not RCPI's; the panel scores the real marks.

RCPI Occupational Medicine HST: every domain, what scores and the maximum
DomainWhat scores (official wording)Max
Professional Qualifications and Postgraduate Education
  • 0 points None yet
  • 10 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 20 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 30 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 30 points.

Category maximum 30. RCPI publishes only the category, the description and the maximum; how marks are split inside it isn’t published.

30
Leadership and Management Experience
  • 0 points None yet
  • 10 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 20 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 30 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 30 points.

Category maximum 30. RCPI publishes only the category, the description and the maximum; how marks are split inside it isn’t published.

30
Teaching Experience
  • 0 points None yet
  • 6.5 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 13.5 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 20 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 20 points.

Category maximum 20, the same weight as research, audit and QI. How the marks split between teaching experience and a certified teaching qualification isn’t published.

20
Research, Audit and Quality Improvement
  • 0 points None yet
  • 6.5 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 13.5 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 20 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 20 points.

Category maximum 20. RCPI publishes only the category, the description and the maximum; how marks are split inside it isn’t published.

20
Total100

Dates for this round

  • Applications opened source
  • This round closed 29 Oct 2026 (2027 intake); nothing can be added to those applications source 1 source 2
  • MRCPI Clinical (relevant to the specialty) passed by source
  • Interview (in person) source
  • Next applications open (2028 intake), expected early October 2027 expected source
  • Next applications close (2028 intake), expected late October 2027: what you claim must be done by then expected source

What you can still add before 29 October 2027

What each of these adds is the difference between the option you would reach and the one you already hold, so it can be nothing if you hold that option already. The calculator works out the gain from your own answers.

  • Teaching Experience. For the next intake (window expected October 2027): complete the Erudical Teach the Teacher course (live day plus self-paced) and keep both certificates, and keep a dated log of teaching you deliver, with feedback where you can get it. Gets you to: Some (about a third of the marks).

Evidence traps

  • Teaching is scored on two strands in one row: what you have taught and a certified teaching qualification. Evidence for only one leaves marks on the table. Evidence of involvement in teaching students, postgraduates and other professionals / Evidence of completion of an applicable certified teaching qualification source
  • Leadership and management is worth 30, more than teaching or research. Rostering duties and hospital committees are the examples RCPI gives, so document every one. Candidate demonstrates experience in a leadership or management role e.g. rostering duties, hospital committee membership etc. source
  • Publications and presentations have no row of their own. They sit inside research, audit and QI, which is capped at 20 in total. Evidence of research, audit and quality improvement (including details of any publications and presentations) source
  • Everything has to be uploaded with the application. A paper accepted, a talk given or a course finished after the window closes can’t be added later. No, the Admissions Team is not in a position to accept any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications. source
  • The shortlisting score gets you an interview. Places are then given out on interview rank, so prepare for the interview criteria as seriously as the CV. Posts are allocated by the NSD(s) taking into account rank at interview and available places. source

Sources

For every category, the interview marks and the dates on one printable page, add your email and we’ll send you the PDF.

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Occupational Medicine HST questions, answered

How many points is teaching worth for RCPI HST Occupational Medicine?

Teaching Experience is worth 20 of the 100 shortlisting marks, the same as research, audit and QI. It covers “Evidence of involvement in teaching students, postgraduates and other professionals” and “Evidence of completion of an applicable certified teaching qualification”. At interview, “Academic (Teaching and Research) Skills” is another 20 of 100.

Does a teach the teacher course count for Occupational Medicine HST in Ireland?

We claim it under “Evidence of completion of an applicable certified teaching qualification”, and the panel decides. RCPI doesn’t define “applicable certified”, and a PG Cert in clinical education is the safer reading. Upload the certificates with the programme, and pair them with a log of teaching you have delivered, because the row asks for both.

How is the RCPI Occupational Medicine HST application scored?

Four categories add up to 100: Professional Qualifications and Postgraduate Education 30, Leadership and Management Experience 30, Teaching Experience 20, and Research, Audit and Quality Improvement 20. RCPI publishes the categories and maxima only, so the panel scores each one against its description.

What is the RCPI HST Occupational Medicine interview scored on?

Five categories of 20 marks: Career to date, Leadership and Management Experience, Communication and Teamwork Skills, Academic (Teaching and Research) Skills, and Commitment to Specialty and Overall Suitability. For the 2027 intake the in-person interview is on 5 February 2027. Places are allocated taking into account interview rank.

Do publications and presentations count for Occupational Medicine HST?

Yes, inside “Research, Audit and Quality Improvement”, which asks for “Evidence of research, audit and quality improvement (including details of any publications and presentations)”. That whole row is worth 20, so posters, papers, audits and QI projects share it.

Can I add teaching evidence after the RCPI HST application closes?

No. RCPI says “the Admissions Team is not in a position to accept any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications.” The 2027 window closed at 5pm on 29 October 2026, so anything new counts towards the next intake.

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