Information for Irish Practices

The programme is open to all rural practices (as defined by local county councils) who meet the criteria set out below.

1. At least one GP in the practice must hold a GMS contract.

2. All the GPs in the practice should be members of the Irish College of GPs, in good standing.

3. All GPs in the practice must be enrolled on and in compliance with the Irish College of GP PCS.

4. The practice must have a history of involvement in medical education. This can include any one of the following:

• Be a training practice
• Take medical students
• One of the GPs is a CME tutor

5. The practice should have a designated consulting room for the candidate.

6. The practice must nominate a clinical mentor for the candidate. The clinical mentor must:

• be based in the practice where the candidate is located, six sessions (of which four should coincide with the candidate)
• be in active clinical practice for a minimum of five years post MICGP
• be on the Specialist Register of the Irish Medical Council
• have professional good standing
• declare any prior or ongoing performance issues with the IMC or other regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions. 

Download the GP Practice eligibility criteria (PDF, 83KB)

Practice

By enrolling in the programme, the practice will commit to:

1. Employing the IMG GP and be responsible for agreeing terms of employment, for example hours of work, remuneration, role and responsibilities 
2. Allowing the IMG GP to attend the mandatory four-day induction programme and provide two weeks study leave per year
3. Arranging for the IMG GP to gain appropriate supported and supervised experience in a GP out-of-hours service
4. Offering support to the IMG GP regarding social issues, eg, integration into the community and work-related issues 
5. Facilitating the IMG GP to join the local Irish College of GPs CME group

It is the practice's responsibility to undertake the Garda vetting and all other employment checks (visas, employment permits etc).

Clinical Mentor

The clinical mentor will commit to:

1. Supporting the IMG GP by discussing clinical cases and identifying any gaps in knowledge and learning needs
2. Liaising with the ICGP project team regarding the progress, strengths, and concerns regarding the competence of the IMG GP
3. Liaising with the ICGP project team with any concerns regarding the competence of the IMG GP at any stage during the programme's duration
4. Providing assessments of the IMG GP to the Irish College of GPs project team

• GP Practice application incurs a non-refundable administration fee of €250
• Acceptance into the IMG Rural GP Programme does not guarantee placement of an IMG GP in your practice
• Applications are reviewed regularly. A member of the project team will be in contact with you following that review
• The final decision on the placement of an IMG GP in a GP practice is made by the programme

Please review the questions below and ensure that the relevant information is available to you when completing the application:

1. Name and address and eircode of the GP practice
2. Names of all GPs in the practice and their GMS, IMC and ICGP numbers
3. Are all GPs in the practice members of the Irish College of GPs, in good standing?
4. Name of the person applying on behalf of the practice. 
5. Are all GPs in the practice enrolled on and in compliance with the Irish College of GPs Professional Competence Scheme?
6. Does the practice have a history of involvement in medical education?  If so, details must be provided
7. Can you provide a dedicated consulting room for the candidate?
8. It is a requirement of the programme that the candidate is allowed to attend a four-day induction programme and provide two weeks study leave per year. Is the practice prepared commit to this? 
9. This practice agrees to participate in ongoing evaluation of this programme
10. Name of the clinical mentor for the IMG Rural GP candidate
11. Email address of the clinical mentor (not the practice email)
12. Phone number of the clinical mentor (not the practice number) 
13. Is the clinical mentor based in the practice where the candidate is located (six sessions per week of which four should coincide with the candidate)? 
14. Has the clinical mentor been in active clinical practice for a minimum of five years post MICGP? 
15. Is the clinical mentor on the Specialist Register of the Irish Medical Council?
16. Does the clinical mentor have professional good standing?
17. Clinical mentor: Please declare any prior or ongoing performance issues with the IMC or other regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions within the last five years.

Download Application Questions for GP Practices PDF, 164KB

The clinical mentor must log into their icgp.ie account to complete the application form. If you have previously used any of the following services, you may already have a login:

• Made a reservation for an Irish College of GPs event.
• Subscribed to the Irish College of GPs Professional Competence Scheme.
• Enrolled on an e-learning course with the Irish College of GPs.
• Accessed Irish College of GPs member services.

If you have never used any of the Irish College of GPs' services before, please register now 

Note that you will need a personal email address to complete the registration process. A shared email address (eg info@mycompany.ie) may not be accepted.

Access application form