Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1778. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that the HSE is requesting final transcripts of a student's final degree undertaken in Northern Ireland earlier than is possible for the university, which means students studying in Northern Ireland will be unable to apply for internship posts and work as doctors here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38523/23]
View answer1806. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that there is an extension provided in relation to the date that the HSE requires students to provide their transcript from their final degree in medicine (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38699/23]
View answer1816. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health whether students who studied medicine in Ulster University are able to apply for internship posts in the south. [38737/23]
View answer1842. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of an issue outlined in (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38877/23]
View answer1887. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that due to the HSE requiring transcripts of the final degree of medical students at training institutions in Northern Ireland at an earlier date than is possible for the institution to issue, these medical students cannot apply for internship posts with the HSE in the year they finish their medical degree; and if he will engage with the HSE and medical training institutions in Northern Ireland in order to address this anomaly. [39114/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1778, 1806, 1816, 1842 and 1887 together.
My Department is aware of the eligibility challenges for students graduating from Medical Schools in Northern Ireland in relation to meeting deadlines for Internship in the Republic of Ireland. There has been ongoing engagement with the HSE, the Medical Council and the Northern Ireland universities to address these issues.
The recruitment process for Internship is managed through a single, national, annual recruitment campaign, and a central matching process is undertaken for allocating candidates to Intern posts. This process matches candidates to one of their preselected preferred Intern posts by order of merit using their centile score. A key dependency therefore to conduct the match is the receipt of centiles from medical schools, and the deadlines for centile submission are in late May of each year. This deadline is to ensure that after post offer there is sufficient time for candidates to meet all employment and regulatory requirements before commencing their Internship.
Interns in the Republic of Ireland start employment with the HSE in the last week of June. This allows a week of induction plus one week of shadowing the existing interns. These two weeks are vital to not only support the new interns but also in the interest of patient safety.
The date of release of centiles by Ulster University is later than the other Medical Schools in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and does not meet the current HSE May deadline. This anomaly has not yet impacted any students seeking to undertake internship in Ireland. The first graduates from Ulster University will be in 2025.
The HSE has already engaged with Ulster University on this issue and further engagement is planned to seek a solution to the issues highlighted.
