RCPI HST Pharmaceutical Medicine: points estimator and scoring guide

HST Pharmaceutical Medicine has entry rules and an interview, but no published shortlisting criteria. You need “a certificate of completion Basic Specialist Training (BST) in General Internal Medicine and obtained the MRCPI”, although “Applicants with appropriate higher examinations (including MICGP or MRCSI) may be considered.” You must already work in Pharmaceutical Medicine in Ireland, at a regulator such as the HPRA or in industry, at an approved training site, with your employer’s support evidenced at application. The interview is out of 100: CV 30, National Policy 20, Teaching and Prescribing 30, Knowledge and Vision 10 and Research and Audit 10. 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. RCPI lists the interview date as TBC. The 2027 window closed at 5pm on 29 October 2026.

Where Teach the Teacher counts for Pharmaceutical Medicine

We claim the course in the “Teaching and Prescribing” interview domain, and the panel decides. It’s worth 30 of 100, the joint largest domain, but it’s shared with prescribing and RCPI publishes no split. The Erudical course is a live online day with “6 hours of live teaching with an expert”, plus a self-paced course of over 12 hours in 20 modules. Bring the certificate and examples of teaching you deliver in your role, such as drug-safety training for colleagues or investigator-site training, and be ready for the prescribing half of the domain too.

Rules in the Pharmaceutical Medicine criteria that change a score

Employment is an entry condition, not a scored item: “All applicants must hold of a position of employment in Ireland that is within a national regulatory agency (e.g. Health Products Regulatory Authority [HPRA]) or within a private enterprise (e.g. a pharmaceutical company such as Pfizer/Abbott, or a medical device company), and whose daily practice is in the field of Pharmaceutical Medicine.” Your site must be an approved training site, and employer support must be evidenced “at application stage”. Applicants without a BST certificate and MRCPI “must provide evidence of equivalency at the time of application.” Entry is at Year 1 and deferrals aren’t allowed. National Policy is worth 20, more than research and audit combined. RCPI accepts no updates after the close.

Worked example: a pharmacovigilance physician

Picture a physician with BST in General Internal Medicine and MRCPI, working in pharmacovigilance at an approved company site in Dublin, with a co-authored safety-signal paper, a prescribing audit from a hospital post and quarterly drug-safety training she runs for the company’s medical science liaisons. Her training and post fill the CV domain; the drug-safety training and her prescribing background go in Teaching and Prescribing; the paper and audit go in Research and Audit. With no marks published within domains, there’s no total. A Teach the Teacher certificate gives her a teaching course to discuss in a domain worth 30, shared with prescribing; the panel decides.

RCPI Pharmaceutical Medicine HST shortlisting points at a glance

RCPI 2027 intake shortlisting and interview criteria · Last checked 30 October 2026

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

Interview criteria only: five domains, total 100 as published. No shortlisting criteria are published. "Entry on the training programme is at Year 1. Deferrals are not allowed on entry to Training Programme." 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 Pharmaceutical Medicine HST: every domain, what scores and the maximum

Domain	What scores (official wording)	Max
CV	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. Interview domain worth 30. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.	30
National Policy	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. Interview domain worth 20. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.	20
Teaching and Prescribing	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. Interview domain worth 30. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.	30
Knowledge and Vision	0 points None yet 3.5 points Some (about a third of the marks) 6.5 points Good (about two thirds) 10 points Strong (full marks for this row) Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 10 points. Interview domain worth 10. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.	10
Research and Audit	0 points None yet 3.5 points Some (about a third of the marks) 6.5 points Good (about two thirds) 10 points Strong (full marks for this row) Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 10 points. Interview domain worth 10. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.	10
Total		100

Dates for this round

• 1 October 2026, 12pm Applications opened (2027 intake) source
• 29 October 2026, 5pm This round closed 29 Oct 2026 (2027 intake); nothing can be added to those applications source
• 31 December 2026 MRCPI Clinical must be passed (FAQ wording) source
• Date not published yet HST Pharmaceutical Medicine interview date: TBC source
• 1 October 2027 Next applications open (2028 intake), expected early October 2027 expected source
• 29 October 2027 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 and Prescribing. 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).
• Research and Audit. For the next intake: finish an audit cycle or QI project and present it, and submit papers early enough to be published or accepted before the window opens. Keep verifiable proof of each one.

Evidence traps

• You must already work in Pharmaceutical Medicine in Ireland, at an approved training site, with your employer's support evidenced at application. All applicants must hold of a position of employment in Ireland that is within a national regulatory agency (e.g. Health Products Regulatory Authority [HPRA]) or within a private enterprise (e.g. a pharmaceutical company such as Pfizer/Abbott, or a medical device company), and whose daily practice is in the field of Pharmaceutical Medicine. The applicant's employment location must be listed as an approved training site for Pharmaceutical Medicine. Applicants to the training programme must be supported by their employer organisation and supply evidence of this at application stage. source
• Teaching shares a 30-mark domain with prescribing, so a strong teaching record alone doesn't fill it. Teaching and Prescribing | 30 source
• BST in General Internal Medicine and MRCPI are the standard route; other higher exams may be considered, and anyone without them must prove equivalence at application. Applicants for Higher Specialist Training (HST) in Pharmaceutical Medicine must have a certificate of completion Basic Specialist Training (BST) in General Internal Medicine and obtained the MRCPI. Applicants with appropriate higher examinations (including MICGP or MRCSI) may be considered. source
• Nothing can be added after the close. A paper accepted or a talk given after 5pm on 29 October 2026 waits for the next window. No, the Admissions Team is not in a position to accept any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications. source
• MRCPI Clinical is a hard entry rule with no exceptions, and MRCP(UK) isn't accepted as equivalent unless the specialty says so. All HST candidates must have successfully passed their MRCPI Clinical Examination relevant to their speciality by 31st December 2026. There are no exceptions to this requirement. ... MRCP UK and Membership from other Irish Training Bodies are not considered equivalent, unless otherwise specified. source

Sources

• RCPI Entry Guidance and Advice: HST Shortlisting and Interview Criteria & Specialty Entry Requirements, 2027 intake. The page says "Applications for our 2027 Higher Specialist Training (HST) programmes are now closed." Criteria are published as tables on the page, not as PDFs.
• RCPI HST Application Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions, 2027 intake ("Applications for our Higher Specialist Training (HST) programme will open 01 October 2026.")

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

Pharmaceutical Medicine HST questions, answered

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

Teaching is part of the “Teaching and Prescribing” interview domain, worth 30 of 100 and shared with prescribing. No shortlisting criteria are published.

Who can apply for HST Pharmaceutical Medicine in Ireland?

“Applicants for Higher Specialist Training (HST) in Pharmaceutical Medicine must have a certificate of completion Basic Specialist Training (BST) in General Internal Medicine and obtained the MRCPI.” “Applicants with appropriate higher examinations (including MICGP or MRCSI) may be considered.” You also need a job in Pharmaceutical Medicine in Ireland at an approved training site, supported by your employer.

How is the HST Pharmaceutical Medicine interview scored?

CV 30, National Policy 20, Teaching and Prescribing 30, Knowledge and Vision 10, Research and Audit 10, total 100.

When is the RCPI Pharmaceutical Medicine interview for 2027?

RCPI lists it as TBC. Applications closed at 5pm on 29 October 2026.

Does a teach the teacher course count for HST Pharmaceutical Medicine?

We claim it in the Teaching and Prescribing interview domain, and the panel decides. The domain is worth 30 and shared with prescribing, with no published split.