RCPI HST Public Health Medicine: points estimator and scoring guide

Public Health Medicine is one of the few RCPI specialties where teaching sits in a 20-mark row at shortlisting: “Leadership, Management and Teaching” is worth 20 of 100. The other rows are career to date (30), audit and QI (10), publications and research (10), and commitment to public health and understanding of the public health landscape (30). 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 closed at 5pm on 29 October 2026, and in-person interviews are on 15 February 2027.

Where Teach the Teacher counts for Public Health Medicine

The row reads “Teaching experience; higher qualification in teaching; evidence of leadership or management role.” We claim Teach the Teacher there, and the panel decides. Two things make it a grey area. The 20 marks are shared with leadership and management, and RCPI doesn’t say how they split. And a “higher qualification in teaching” most naturally means a postgraduate certificate or above, which a course isn’t. What the course gives you is documented training in teaching: 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 a certificate.

Because the panel scores the row as a whole, the course works best next to the other two strands: a dated log of teaching you’ve delivered and a leadership or management role you can document. The faculty handbook expects HST trainees to deliver “Postgraduate and multidisciplinary teaching” and to understand “Principles of adult learning, teaching and learning methods available and strategies”, so teaching other professions is worth logging too. At interview, “Teaching, Leadership and Management” is again worth 20 of 100. The 2027 window has closed, so anything new counts towards the next intake.

Rules on the Public Health form that change a score

Sixty of the hundred marks sit in two rows that have no certificate attached. Career to date (30) is judged on progression “commensurate with the length of time in training”, so a senior applicant needs more public health content, not just a longer CV. Commitment to public health (30) asks for “Demonstration of commitment to Public Health and Understanding of the Public Health Landscape”; show it through posts, projects and courses tied to Irish public health rather than a statement of interest. Audit and publications are separate rows of 10 each, and both say “Proof of same will be required”. RCPI also says “It may be required to shortlist applicants”, so in a year with few applicants the interview may be the only scoring. Finally, the window is final: RCPI won’t accept “any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications.”

Who can apply for Public Health HST

Public Health accepts more routes in than most RCPI programmes. You can apply with a completed Irish BST in General Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Histopathology, Psychiatry or Surgery; completed Irish Anaesthesiology or GP training; an equivalent programme approved through Recognition of Prior Learning; “evidence of verifiable professional public health experience with at least 24 months experience of working in a public health setting (e.g. Senior Medical Officer or other role)”; or “evidence of exceptional academic achievement within the field of Public Health”. That last route is judged case by case and still needs “a minimum of 24 months whole time equivalent of post-internship clinical experience, of which at least 12 months should be within a clinical setting relevant to Public Health”.

Worked example: a post-BST registrar by category

Take a doctor who has finished BST in General Internal Medicine and spent a year as a non-training registrar. They did a six-month public health project on vaccine uptake, presented it as a national poster, completed one hospital audit, lead the NCHD committee and teach medical students. By category:

• Career to date (30): BST, MRCPI and the project, judged against their time in training.
• Audit and QI (10): one audit.
• Publications and research (10): one national poster.
• Leadership, management and teaching (20): a leadership role and student teaching, with no teaching qualification.
• Commitment to public health (30): the project and how it ties to Irish priorities.

RCPI publishes no points per item, so there’s no total to give. The course adds evidence of training in teaching to a row where they already have the other two strands, and the panel decides how much it adds.

How the Public Health interview is scored

The interview is out of 100 and takes place in person on 15 February 2027 for this intake:

• CV – Career to date including professional qualification: 30
• Research/Audit/ Quality Improvement: 20
• Teaching, Leadership and Management: 20
• Understanding of the Public Health Landscape and overall suitability: 30

Places are allocated “taking into account rank at interview and available places”, so the interview decides the outcome once you’re shortlisted.

RCPI Public Health 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 30 October 2026

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

“It may be required to shortlist applicants, as outlined below:” Out of 100: career to date 30, audit and QI 10, publications and research 10, leadership, management and teaching 20, commitment to public health 30. Only category maxima are published, so the panel scores each one. Interview (separate, out of 100): CV – Career to date including professional qualification 30; Research/Audit/ Quality Improvement 20; Teaching, Leadership and Management 20; Understanding of the Public Health Landscape and overall suitability 30. “Posts are allocated by the NSD(s) taking into account rank at interview and available places.” 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 Public Health HST: every domain, what scores and the maximum

Domain	What scores (official wording)	Max
Professional Qualifications/Education/ Career to Date including experience relevant to Public Health	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
Clinical and Public Health Audit and QI Experience	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. Category maximum 10. RCPI publishes only the category, the description and the maximum; how marks are split inside it isn’t published.	10
Publications and Research	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. Category maximum 10. RCPI publishes only the category, the description and the maximum; how marks are split inside it isn’t published.	10
Leadership, Management and Teaching	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, shared between teaching and leadership/management. The split isn’t published.	20
Commitment to Public Health & Understanding of the Public Health Landscape	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
Total		100

Dates for this round

• 1 October 2026, 12pm Applications opened 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 (relevant to the specialty) passed by source
• 15 February 2027 Interview (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.

• Leadership, Management and Teaching. 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 shares its 20 marks with leadership and management. You need evidence for both halves of the row. Teaching experience; higher qualification in teaching; evidence of leadership or management role. source
• Commitment to public health and understanding of the public health landscape is worth 30, as much as your whole career to date. It needs evidence, not a sentence of enthusiasm. Demonstration of commitment to Public Health and Understanding of the Public Health Landscape source
• Your career is judged against your time in training, so a senior applicant needs proportionately more public health achievement. Performance; awards; evidence of progression, experience and achievements relevant to Public Health, commensurate with the length of time in training source
• Shortlisting may not happen at all. RCPI says it “may be required”, so the interview criteria could be the only scoring you face. It may be required to shortlist applicants, as outlined below: 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

Sources

• RCPI HST Entry Guidance and Advice: Public Health 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.
• RCPI HST Application Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions, 2027 intake (MRCPI Clinical by 31st December 2026; no documents accepted after the close)
• RCPI HST Faculty of Public Health Medicine Training Handbook 2026-7, 2026-7 handbook (teaching requirements during HST)

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

Public Health Medicine HST questions, answered

How many points is teaching worth for RCPI HST Public Health Medicine?

Teaching sits in “Leadership, Management and Teaching”, worth 20 of the 100 shortlisting marks. The row reads “Teaching experience; higher qualification in teaching; evidence of leadership or management role.” RCPI doesn’t publish how the 20 split between teaching and leadership. At interview, “Teaching, Leadership and Management” is another 20 of 100.

Does a teach the teacher course count for Public Health HST in Ireland?

We claim it in the Leadership, Management and Teaching row, and the panel decides. The row names a “higher qualification in teaching”, which most naturally means a postgraduate certificate or above, so this is a grey area. Upload the certificates and programme alongside your teaching experience and a leadership role.

How is the RCPI Public Health Medicine HST application scored?

Five categories add up to 100: career to date including public health experience 30, audit and QI 10, publications and research 10, leadership, management and teaching 20, and commitment to public health and understanding of the public health landscape 30. RCPI says “It may be required to shortlist applicants”, so shortlisting is used only if needed.

What is the RCPI HST Public Health interview scored on?

Four categories out of 100: CV and career to date including professional qualification 30, research, audit and QI 20, teaching, leadership and management 20, and understanding of the public health landscape and overall suitability 30. For the 2027 intake the interview is in person on 15 February 2027.

Who can apply for HST in Public Health Medicine in Ireland?

RCPI accepts completion of BST in General Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Histopathology, Psychiatry or Surgery; completion of Irish Anaesthesiology or GP training; an equivalent programme via Recognition of Prior Learning; “at least 24 months experience of working in a public health setting”; or “exceptional academic achievement within the field of Public Health”, judged case by case.

Do posters count for Public Health HST shortlisting?

Yes. “Publications and Research” covers “Publications, specialty publications, presentations, posters. Proof of same will be required”, worth 10 marks in total. Audit has a separate 10-mark row.

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

No. RCPI won’t accept “any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications.” The 2027 window closed at 5pm on 29 October 2026, so new evidence counts towards the next intake.