Who can apply for the Intern Year?
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be a graduate/final year student (of whatever nationality) of a Medical School in one of the following EEA countries:
Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Iceland Or RCSI and UCD Malaysia Campus.
- The centile, based on the final or overall exams, must be available and provided to the National Recruitment Services by the Dean of your Medical School (usually before May)
- Must have graduated on or after 1st April of the previous year that the applications are open and on or before June of the year internship is due to commence (dates are updated every year – i.e. candidates have to be graduated between 1st April 2019 and on or before 13th June 2021 for the internship commencing on 12th July 2021)
Who cannot apply for the Intern Year?
- Graduates from Medical Schools in EEA countries which are not listed above
- Applicants whose centile is not based on their final or overall exams or whose centile is not provided to the National Recruitment Services on the date stipulated
- Applicants who graduated beyond the agreed dates
- Applicants who have commenced Intern training (or equivalent formal practical training) in Ireland or any other country
- Applicants who have already completed Intern training (or equivalent formal practical training) in Ireland or any other country
- Applicants who are registered or entitled to registration on the General Division, Trainee Specialist Division (other than as an Intern), Supervised Division, Visiting EEA Practitioners
- Division or Specialist Division of the Register of Medical Practitioners maintained by the Medical Council of Ireland
- Applicants who have previously been appointed to an intern post and intern training network in Ireland and who have failed to satisfactorily progress through their intern training pathway and have been formally removed from an intern post and/or an intern training network on foot of same.
Intern Employment Eligibility Assessment
The Intern Employment Eligibility Assessment (IEEA) is a measure of the understanding of the Irish Health Service. The test will assess such areas as professional practice and patient safety issues in the Irish health service. Also assess the skills in areas such as communications, ethics and prescribing safety.
For applicants from Medical Schools in the Republic of Ireland a confirmation must be provided by the Dean/Head of the Medical School confirming that the applicant has received sufficient teaching and practical on-site placements in Irish health service settings to equip them with the knowledge and understanding of the Irish health service required to safely practice as an Intern in the Irish health service and that this knowledge has been assessed.
All applicants from NON Irish Medical Schools must complete the IEEA.
IEEA will be a two part assessment (first part held in January, second part held in February). In both sections of the examination, five competency domains will be examined:
- Knowledge and application of Irish legal medicine
- Knowledge and application of national prescribing practices
- Professional skills relevant to the Irish healthcare setting
- Communication skills relevant to Irish healthcare
- Knowledge of national public health and safety issues
Certification in Basic Life Support (BLS)
All interns must submit a copy of their BLS Certificate.
Registration with the Medical Council of Ireland
All interns must be registered with MCI prior to commencing their internships.
EEA/Non EEA Status and Right to Work in Ireland
EEA nationals who do not require work permits/visas/authorisations are nationals of the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
The appointment of applicants to Intern posts must be in line with Employment Permit Legislation. In practice, this means that all applicants who will not require a permit to work in Ireland will be allocated to posts ahead of applicants who will require a permit to work in Ireland.
Applicants who are Non-EEA nationals with Stamp 4/Stamp 4EUFam/Stamp 4S/Stamp 5 do not require a work permit.
Applicants, who are Non EEA nationals and do not hold a Stamp 4 or Stamp 4EUfam/Stamp 4 S or Stamp 5 GNIB card at the time of their stage 1 application, will be recorded as requiring a work permit to work in Ireland.
Garda and Police Vetting
All Interns must undergo to a process of vetting by An Gárda Síochána. The Garda vetting process covers residence in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland only. For whose resided in countries outside of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for a period of 6 months or more consecutively, it will be mandatory a Police Clearance Certificate from those countries stating that there were no convictions recorded.
Language Requirements: Academic International English Language Testing System and Occupational English Test. (IELTS and OET)
Any applicant who did not complete the entirety of their undergraduate medical degree in a country where English is the primary language spoken by the vast majority of the people of that country regardless of the applicant’s nationality, will be required to provide evidence of competency in the English language.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate with an overall band score of 7.0 and a minimum score of 6.5 in each of the four domains – reading, writing, listening and speaking. Occupational English Test (OET) certificate with an overall Grade B and a minimum score of Grade B in each of the four domains – reading, writing, listening and speaking is accepted.
