The Colleges

Established in 1654, RCPI has a wealth of experience in educating doctors and providing them with the skills to provide first-class care at an advanced level.

RCPI is dedicated to ensuring doctors have the skills to provide patients with the best possible care. We are committed to helping doctors enhance their skills, competencies and professionalism throughout their working lives. RCPI’s strategic aim is to deliver worldclass specialist training, enhance life-long learning and professional development, promote leadership in patient care, be a trusted, authoritative voice on public health policy and build our global presence.

Our core values are honesty, trust, kindness, innovation, responsiveness, quality and excellence, which is encompassed into the training environment in Ireland. We are the largest training body and hold 6 of the Institutes and Faculties of training in Ireland including the Institute of Medicine, Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Faculty of Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Pathology, Faculty of Paediatrics and the Faculty of Public Health Medicine.

RCPI has a global network with over 13,000 Trainees, Licentiates, Members and Fellows across 29 different specialties in over 90 countries. This network gives us the knowledge and expertise which allows us drive constant improvement in training.

We provide membership to the college following successful completion of the MRCPI exam, which is available in General Medicine, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Public Health and Occupational Medicine. These qualifications are valued by healthcare employees worldwide. We also advocate for policy and legislative change in a number of key areas including ageing, tobacco, cancer screening, open disclosure, obesity, alcohol, physical activity, sexual health and traffic medicine.

Graduates of our Programmes are not only recognised for their ability to tackle the complex challenges of today, but also for their preparedness to be future leaders in their field.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has been at the forefront of educating healthcare professionals since 1784 when it was founded as the national training and professional body for surgery.  Now it is Ireland’s only focused health sciences university, Ireland’s largest medical school and one of the leading health sciences institutions in the world.

There are 28,000+ alumni living and practicing in 98 countries worldwide who have been educated or trained by RCSI and 4,000+ students are enrolled on the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the College annually. RCSI has campuses in Bahrain, Dubai and Malaysia as well as Collaborative Agreements in place with US universities including the University of California, University of Pennsylvania, University of Massachusetts and Johns Hopkins Medical School.

RCSI is ranked in the top 250 institutions worldwide in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. Our strong performance in the THE World University Rankings is an affirmation of RCSI’ s strategic investment in the expansion of our educational and research activities to provide impactful research, excellence in education and international leadership in medical education.

The Department of Surgical Affairs at RCSI is the accredited Postgraduate Training Body for the delivery of Surgical Training Programmes in the Republic of Ireland. It is recognised for this purpose by the Irish Medical Council (IMC) and the Health Service Executive (HSE). It is the advisory body for all matters in relation to Core and Specialist Surgical Training and makes recommendations for the awarding of the Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) in Ireland.

Surgical Affairs at RCSI is to the forefront internationally in terms of delivering innovative and progressive postgraduate surgical training.  Modern, cutting-edge curricula and methods of training/ assessment are underpinned by continued investment in research and IT platforms. The Department also has a significant international profile running postgraduate examinations, training courses and certification programmes in the GCC, Middle East and South East Asia.

The Faculty of Anaesthetists was founded in 1959 and was located at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. In 1998 The College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland was established and now has premises at 22 Merrion Square.

Dr Mary McAleese, who was President of Ireland at the time, was awarded the first Honorary Fellowship of the College on 23rd September of that year, and while President she performed the official opening of the newly refurbished and extended building in October 2010. The College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland exists to promote high quality practice in the fields of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine through its training, examinations and educational programmes. As a recognised Training Body, the College is responsible for setting training standards and for the organisation, supervision and counselling of doctors in training in Ireland.

The College fosters continuing medical education through its workshops, Masters Degree programme, training courses and a range of educational activities. The Council elects a President on a three-yearly basis. The current President is Prof George Shorten. The Faculty of Pain Medicine of the CAI was founded in 2008. The College awards a Diploma in Pain Medicine. Along with the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the CAI is a constituent College of the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine in Ireland, founded in 2009, and prior to that was a founding member of the Irish Conjoint Board of Intensive Care Medicine (1996). This body awards a Diploma in Intensive Care Medicine.

The Irish College General Practitioners (ICGP) is the professional body for general practice in Ireland. The College was founded in 1984 and is based in Lincoln Place, Dublin 2. The College’s primary aim is to serve the patient and the general practitioner by encouraging and maintaining the highest standards of general medical practice. It is the representative organisation on education, training and standards in general practice. There are over 3,800 members and associate members and currently there are 787 doctors in training for the speciality of General Practice.

As the professional membership body, the Irish College of General Practitioners supports its members to deliver healthcare of the highest possible standard to patients and communities. College advocates for an Irish healthcare system where general practice is central to providing excellence in continuing personal care for all.

The College is the recognised body for the accreditation of specialist training in general practice in Ireland and is recognised by the Medical Council as the representative academic body for the specialty of general practice. At an international level the College is a member of the World Organisation of National Colleges and Academies and Academic Associations of General Practice (WONCA).

The Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO) is the training and professional body for ophthalmologists in Ireland.  The ICO is accredited as a postgraduate training body by the Irish Medical Council.

We are committed to the advancement of eye health and work to protect, enhance and promote the highest standards of ophthalmic practice and specialist training.

Maintaining and expanding skills and competency is essential in medical practice and the College delivers a continuous medical education programme to support the required ongoing acquisition of professional development.  Among our many educational events held throughout the year, the ICO Annual Conference is a highlight for our members as an event rich in access to the latest medical, scientific and research developments in the specialty, clinical symposia and networking opportunities with colleagues.

As the authority on eye care practice in Ireland, the ICO advocates shaping healthcare policy in the interests of the delivery of safe, sustainable, equitable and quality care for all patients.

The College represents the interests of our members in its links with the other important organisations and stakeholders, both here in Ireland and abroad. Membership of the ICO is an internationally recognised standard of excellence.

Through a Fellowship training programme with the ICO, candidates will have the opportunity to develop specialist skills and competencies in the planning and delivery of high volume care. Fellows will experience the highest professional standards in specialist practice and access the many benefits of ICO membership.