Higher Specialist Training in Public Health Medicine

HST: THE FINAL STEP TOWARDS BECOMING A SPECIALIST IN PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICINE

Higher Specialist Training (HST) in Public Health Medicine is a four-year programme completed in Specialist Registrar (SpR) posts.

On satisfactory completion of HST, you will receive a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) which allows you to enter the Specialist Division of the Register with the Medical Council.

This means you can apply for posts with the Health Service Executive as a Specialist in Public Health Medicine and later in your career as a Director of Public Health.

There are career opportunities also in other organisations, including the Department of Health and in academic departments.

To find out what HST in Public Health Medicine involves download the curriculum.

2019-20 curriculum (PDF)

2021 curriculum (PDF)

Entry Requirements

You must have:

a certificate of completion of Basic Specialist Training in General Internal Medicine or Paediatrics or Obstetrics and Gynaecology or Histopathology
or evidence of completion of an equivalent two-year training programme approved by a postgraduate training body
or completed at least two years of General Practice training with the Irish College of General Practitioners
or specialist registration on the register of General Practice with the Medical Council of Ireland
or evidence of exceptional academic achievements or professional public health experience.

What to Expect

Training in Public Health Medicine is mostly based in departments of public health. Other training sites include the HSE Health Intelligence Unit, the Department of Health and Children, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the National Immunisation Office, Safefood, the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and university academic departments.

Your earlier years in training will be directed towards acquiring a broad general experience of Public Health Medicine under appropriate supervision.

As your confidence grows and new skills are acquired, you will be encouraged to assume a greater degree of responsibility and independence.

The core objectives and milestones in your first and second years will be:

complete Master of Public Health (MPH) programme if you haven’t already
Health Protection induction
acquire core competencies in public health medicine
pass MFPHMI Part 1
prepare for MFPHMI Part 2 – start writing your short reports.

The core objectives and milestones in your third and final years will be:

pass MFPHMI Part 2
health policy experience
advocacy experience
senior public health experience at regional level
senior health protection experience
experience on specialist sites involving health intelligence, cancer control, health protection, Safefood, academic Public Health or Department of Health.

Your first two years of HST will be spent in full-time SpR posts in Ireland. After that, you can continue to train in full-time posts in Ireland, or you can start a period of full-time research or develop a subspecialty interest.

You can apply for up to 12 months’ credit towards your Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) for research undertaken during HST.

Length of training may be 4.5 years for those who have not completed an MPH or equivalent at the start of training.

Specialists in public health medicine have an advisory and contributory function in health and wellbeing, health service planning, health needs assessment, evidence based health policy, health service evaluation, clinical effectiveness, clinical governance, healthcare economic valuation, clinical audit, intersectoral working and reduction of health inequalities.

Curriculum for Higher Specialist Training in Public Health Medicine

What Do I Need to Do in Addition to Onsite Training?

In addition to supervised onsite training, you will attend a number of mandatory courses and study days designed to help you develop professionally and acquire the non-clinical skills and knowledge needed to provide excellent patient care.

You will need to pass the Membership of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MFPHMI) examination. This is an essential requirement for a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) in Public Health Medicine.

A Master of Public Health (MPH) programme provides broad-based education and training in the basic disciplines that underlie the practice of Public Health. If you do not hold an MPH when you start Higher Specialist Training, you will need to complete it during your first year of training.


DURATION	Four Years (Length of training may be 4.5 years for those who have not completed an MPH or equivalent at the start of training)
Job title/grade of doctor	Specialist Registrar (SpR)
Average intake each year	11 * these numbers are current and indicative and not a future predictor
Exams to pass	• Master of Public Health (MPH) programme • Membership of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MFPHMI)
Mandatory educational courses to be completed as part of HST	• Performing Audit – Run by RCPI • Health Research – An Introduction – Run by RCPI • Mastering Communications – Run by RCPI • Ethics I: Professionalism – Run by RCPI • Ethics II: Law – Run by RCPI • Ethics III: Research – Run by RCPI • Ethics IV: Public Health Medicine – Run by RCPI • Project Management for Public Health – Run by RCPI every four years (Next course is in 2017/18) • Media Training – Run by RCPI every four years (Next course is in 2017/18) • HST Leadership in Clinical Practice (To be completed in third year of HST or later) – Run by RCPI • Introduction to CIDR for Public Health Users – Run by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre
Study days to attend	Four per year
Training body	Faculty of Public Health Medicine, RCPI

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