RCPI HST Nephrology: points estimator and scoring guide

RCPI shortlists HST Nephrology applicants out of 20 marks: Professional Qualifications/Education 4, Clinical Practice 5, Research and Audit Experience 5, Leadership and Management Experience 3 and Teaching and Awards 3. Only the row maxima are published, and the panel scores each row against its description. The in-person interview is out of 100, including a clinical scenario on Nephrology (25) and General Internal Medicine (10). Applications for the 2027 intake closed at 5pm on 29 October 2026. Nephrology interviews are on 25 February 2027, and the MRCPI Clinical must be passed by 31 December 2026.

Where Teach the Teacher counts for Nephrology

Teaching and Awards is the row where we claim the Erudical Teach the Teacher course, and the panel decides what it’s worth. The row reads “Candidate demonstrates experience with teaching, awards, or higher qualification in teaching”, out of 3. The 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, each with its own certificate. Be clear about what it is: formal training in teaching. It isn’t a higher qualification such as a PG Cert in medical education, and it doesn’t replace teaching you’ve actually done, so list it next to your teaching log rather than instead of it. In Nephrology, teaching shares its row with awards, so the course sits alongside any prizes you list. RCPI publishes no value for a course inside the 3 marks, so we can’t tell you how much it adds.

Timing matters this year. RCPI says “the Admissions Team is not in a position to accept any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications”, so nothing can be added to a 2027 application now. A course finished from here counts towards the next window, which RCPI hasn’t published yet (the last one ran through October). If you’re shortlisted for 2027, teaching comes up under Research & Audit Experience including publications, presentations & teaching, worth 25 of 100. The panel scores what you say there. We claim the course there as formal training in teaching; it carries no fixed marks, and the panel decides what it adds. Read more about the Teach the Teacher course, or compare other specialties on our Ireland HST points hub.

Rules in the RCPI Nephrology criteria that change a score

Two details in the Nephrology table are easy to miss. The shortlisting research row reads “Publications, specialty publications, posters, and audit”: it names posters but not oral presentations, and RCPI doesn’t say whether that’s deliberate, so list orals with proof anyway and let the panel decide. And teaching shares a 3-mark row with awards (“experience with teaching, awards, or higher qualification in teaching”), while teaching awards are also named under Professional Qualifications/Education. Clinical Practice is judged against “the totality of the period of training”, and at interview the CV category (30) includes “interview performance & overall professionalism”.

The evidence rules are strict. “Verifiable proof will be required” for presentations, publications and research, and whether abstracts score at all “depends on the specialty”, so follow the application form. “Error or inaccurate information cannot be corrected once you have submitted your application.” After interview, “Posts are allocated by the NSD(s) taking into account rank at interview and available places.” RCPI doesn’t say whether the shortlisting marks are added to the interview score.

RCPI Nephrology HST shortlisting and interview 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 20.

Shortlisting total: 'Total | | 20'. RCPI publishes only the row maxima (4, 5, 5, 3 and 3); there are no point bands, so the panel scores each row against its description. Interview criteria (out of 100): Curriculum Vitae including interview performance & overall professionalism 30; Knowledge and experience of Nephrology (Clinical Scenario) 25; Research & Audit Experience including publications, presentations & teaching 25; Leadership and management skills (including an approach to work/practice problem) 10; General Internal Medicine 10. 'Posts are allocated by the NSD(s) taking into account rank at interview and available places.' RCPI doesn't say whether shortlisting marks are added to the interview score. 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 Nephrology HST: every domain, what scores and the maximum

Domain	What scores (official wording)	Max
Professional Qualifications/Education	0 points None yet 1.5 points Some (about a third of the marks) 2.5 points Good (about two thirds) 4 points Strong (full marks for this row) Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 4 points. The panel scores this row out of 4 against the description. RCPI publishes only the row maximum, not what each item is worth.	4
Clinical Practice	0 points None yet 1.5 points Some (about a third of the marks) 3.5 points Good (about two thirds) 5 points Strong (full marks for this row) Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 5 points. The panel scores this row out of 5 against the description. RCPI publishes only the row maximum, not what each item is worth.	5
Research and Audit Experience	0 points None yet 1.5 points Some (about a third of the marks) 3.5 points Good (about two thirds) 5 points Strong (full marks for this row) Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 5 points. The panel scores this row out of 5 against the description. RCPI publishes only the row maximum, not what each item is worth.	5
Leadership and Management Experience	0 points None yet 1 point Some (about a third of the marks) 2 points Good (about two thirds) 3 points Strong (full marks for this row) Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 3 points. The panel scores this row out of 3 against the description. RCPI publishes only the row maximum, not what each item is worth.	3
Teaching and Awards	0 points None yet 1 point Some (about a third of the marks) 2 points Good (about two thirds) 3 points Strong (full marks for this row) Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 3 points. The panel scores this row out of 3 against the description. RCPI publishes only the row maximum, not what each item is worth.	3
Total		20

Dates for this round

• 1 October 2026, 12pm Applications open (2027 intake) source
• 29 October 2026, 5pm This round closed 29 Oct 2026 (2027 intake); nothing can be added to those applications source 1 source 2
• 31 December 2026 MRCPI Clinical Examination passed by source 1 source 2
• 25 February 2027 Interviews (in person) 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.

• Research and Audit Experience. 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.
• Leadership and Management Experience. For the next intake: take on a formal role (rota, committee, QI or teaching lead) and get a dated letter confirming it.
• Teaching and Awards. 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

• The shortlisting research row names posters but not oral presentations. Research and Audit Experience | Publications, specialty publications, posters, and audit | 5 source
• Teaching and awards share one 3-mark row. Teaching and Awards | Candidate demonstrates experience with teaching, awards, or higher qualification in teaching | 3 source
• Your application is fixed when the window closes. RCPI won't accept new documents or updates afterwards, so a paper accepted or a presentation given after the close can't be added. No, the Admissions Team is not in a position to accept any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications. source
• Every publication, presentation and piece of research needs verifiable proof uploaded with the application, in the format the form asks for. What proof is required when submitting presentations, publications and research? Verifiable proof will be required. Please follow the instructions on the application form. source
• The MRCPI Clinical must be passed by 31 December 2026 for the 2027 intake. MRCP(UK) isn't treated 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. Please note: MRCP UK and Membership from other Irish Training Bodies are not considered equivalent, unless otherwise specified. source

Sources

• RCPI HST Entry Guidance and Advice: HST Shortlisting and Interview Criteria & Specialty Entry Requirements, Key dates and In-Person Interview Dates, 2027 intake (applications 1 to 29 Oct 2026). The criteria are HTML tables on the page, not a PDF, and the page prints no revision date. Fetched 30 Oct 2026 (HTTP 200).
• RCPI HST Application Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions, 2027 intake ('Applications for our Higher Specialist Training (HST) programme will open 01 October 2026'). Fetched 30 Oct 2026.

For the shortlisting and interview tables and the 2027 dates on one printable page, add your email and we’ll send you the PDF.

Nephrology HST questions, answered

How many points is teaching worth for RCPI HST Nephrology?

Teaching and Awards is worth 3 of the 20 shortlisting marks: “Candidate demonstrates experience with teaching, awards, or higher qualification in teaching”. At interview, teaching is part of Research & Audit Experience including publications, presentations & teaching, worth 25 of 100.

How is the RCPI HST Nephrology application scored?

Shortlisting is out of 20 across five rows: Professional Qualifications/Education 4, Clinical Practice 5, Research and Audit Experience 5, Leadership and Management Experience 3, Teaching and Awards 3. Only the row maxima are published, so you can’t add up an exact score in advance; the panel scores each row against its description. “Verifiable proof will be required.”

Does a teach the teacher course count for RCPI HST Nephrology?

We claim it under Teaching and Awards, and the panel decides. The row reads “Candidate demonstrates experience with teaching, awards, or higher qualification in teaching”. The Erudical course is formal training in teaching, not a higher qualification like a PG Cert, so list it alongside the teaching you’ve done. RCPI publishes no value for it. The 2027 window closed on 29 October 2026, so it counts towards the next application.

When is the RCPI HST Nephrology interview for 2027?

Nephrology interviews are in person on 25 February 2027. The interview is out of 100: Curriculum Vitae including interview performance & overall professionalism 30, Knowledge and experience of Nephrology (Clinical Scenario) 25, Research & Audit Experience including publications, presentations & teaching 25, Leadership and management skills (including an approach to work/practice problem) 10, General Internal Medicine 10. You must have passed the MRCPI Clinical by 31 December 2026.

Do presentations count for RCPI HST Nephrology shortlisting?

The shortlisting row, Research and Audit Experience (5), lists “Publications, specialty publications, posters, and audit” and doesn’t name oral presentations. RCPI doesn’t say whether that’s deliberate. Presentations are named at interview, under Research & Audit Experience including publications, presentations & teaching (25).