Information for IMG GPs

Acceptance to the IMG Rural GP Programme is dependent on:

1. Review of your application and meeting the eligibility criteria.
2. Call to interview if you meet the eligibility criteria
3. Application fee payment of €100 before attending the interview
4. Satisfactory references if you are successful at the interview
5. Placement in a participating rural GP Practice. You will be employed by the practice in which you are placed
6. Successful completion of a 3-month probation in your allocated GP practice, which forms part of your 2-year programme period.

The final decision on the placement of an IMG GP in a rural GP practice is made by the programme

Please ensure you have all your documentation on hand before making an online application.
Applications must be submitted online through the Irish College of GPs website. Applications or documents will not be accepted by any other route.  

Applicants must meet all the eligibility criteria below to proceed:

1. A primary medical degree from a university / school outside of Ireland
2. A minimum of three years’ full time equivalent (FTE) experience working in general practice, the majority of which should be daytime.
3. Employment letters in support of General Practice experience for each post held
4. Post graduate experience in general medicine and paediatrics of a minimum of 3 months in each speciality
5. Internship certificates 
6. Proof of medical indemnity for the three years in general practice
7. Current letter of good standing (re: medico-legal cases) from your indemnity organisation
8. Evidence of current medical council/regulatory body registration (Ireland or country of current practice).
9. Current letter of good standing from your medical council/regulatory body.
10. Contact details for two recent clinical referees, who were in a supervisory role and had oversight of their work, and who are aware of the application.
11. A notarised copy of your medical degree, with English translation if required.
12. A notarised copy of your degree transcript, with English translation if required.
13. Achieved an overall band score of 7.0 or greater in the IELTS and minimum score of 6.5 in each of the four domains. The IELTS test taken must be 'Academic' and must have been completed within the last two years. Alternatively, OET: minimum B in all four domains.
14. Evidence of continuous professional development.

 
Applicants must submit their entire application online through the ICGP website.
Applications will not be accepted by any other route.
 
Candidates must declare, at the time of application, if they have been relinquished or been released / removed from a postgraduate medical training programme in any jurisdiction. 
 
Exclusion criteria:
 
Candidates must not have previously been relinquished or been released / removed from a GP training programme in any jurisdiction. 
 
Any candidate who was not successful in a GP training programme in any jurisdiction after numerous attempts at each exam and periods of remediation, is not eligible.

Download Eligibility Criteria PDF, 104KB

It is a mandatory requirement, by the Irish Medical Council, that all doctors working in Ireland have adequate indemnity to cover their clinical practice. You will be expected to obtain medical indemnity. You will discuss this with your clinical mentor in advance of starting in your GP practice. The main indemnifiers in the Irish market are Medisec, Medical Protection Society (MPS) and Challenge.

Please ensure you have all your documentation on hand before making an online application.

You must have the following documents in PDF format ready to upload. Uploaded documents must be under 3MB in size.

Additional documents that cannot be uploaded to the online application must be sent to the programme email address: imgruralprogramme@icgp.ie

1. Copy of your passport information page
2. All your experience in chronological order, from the date you qualified. Upload the employment letter for each position to corroborate your position held. The letter should be dated, signed and stamped with details of the signatory.
3. Proof of medical indemnity for the three years in general practice. If your home country does not provide medical indemnity certificates, your GP employment letter will suffice. 
4. All your post graduate experience in chronological order from the date you qualified – most recent first. Do not duplicate information from the GP experience section here. Upload your post graduate certificates to corroborate your experience.
5. Letter of good standing from your medical indemnity organization (see point 3).
6. Certificate of your current registration at a medical council or regulatory body.
7. Letter of good standing from this same medical council or regulatory body.
8. You will be asked to provide the names and contact details for 2 clinical referees. Your nominated referees should be someone who worked with you in a senior role and provided oversight of your work. Your nominated referees should not be a colleague, friend or relative.
9. Irish Medical Council registration certificate.
10. A notarised copy of your medical degree, with English translation if required.
11. A notarised copy of their degree transcript, with English translation if required.
12. Evidence that you have achieved an overall band score of 7.0 or greater in the IELTS and minimum score of 6.5 in each of the four domains. The IELTS test taken must be 'Academic' and must have been completed within the last two years. Alternatively, OET: minimum B in all four domains.

Failure to provide the above information in full will lead to delays in processing your application, or, rejection of your application.

Please do not include additional documents that have not been requested above – should we require additional information, we will contact you.

It is important to note that this programme is for experienced GPs.  This is a self-directed learning programme (not a GP training programme), including two years of supervised practice, in a rural GP setting.

There are seven mandatory aspects of the education programme that you must complete:

1. Undertake a learning needs assessment at the commencement of the programme, to assist with your self-directed learning. The Irish College of GPs team will provide information on how to do this and how to access educational resources, including Irish College of GPs courses and education resources that will help you to meet your learning needs. You will be expected to keep a log of your learning needs and how you have addressed them.
2. Attend a four-day induction programme provided by the Irish College of GPs team. It is divided into two days at the outset of the programme, followed by a two day catch-up day a couple of months after the first two days. You may be required to attend on additional days as advised by the programme team.
3. Undertake at least six modules of an Irish College of GPs online course per year, relevant to your clinical practice and learning needs, in Community Gynaecology and Better Safe Prescribing.
4. Undertake two 12-week online courses with University College Dublin that covers a range of topics relevant to general practice. For example, chronic disease management, mental health and child health. Details of this course will be communicated at the start of the programme.
5. Complete five HSeLanD courses.
6. Complete a minimum of 50 hours in the Out of Hours service provider for your GP practice.
7. Sit the CKT and CCT exam within your two-year programme period

You will be allowed two weeks study leave, per year, by your GP practices (based on 10 sessions per week). By the end of the two-year programme you will be expected to have passed the Membership of the Irish College of GPs (MICGP) exams.

MICGP exams

You will be expected to attempt the MICGP exam during programme. This consists of two parts:

1. Clinical Knowledge Test (CKT) 

• 200 question single based answer paper
• Two sittings per year 
• Cost - €800

2. Clinical Competency Test (CCT) 

• Face-to-face simulated everyday clinic
• Three sittings per year 
• Cost - €1,500

As with all education programmes there is a cost for participating on this two-year programme. At the moment, we do not charge for attending the mandatory four-day induction programme. All hotel accommodation and meals are provided by the Irish College of GPs. Travel expenses are not included.

These are the costs you can expect:

Annual Irish College of GPs Associate Membership fee €1,100

Annual Irish Medical Council fee €600

Annual Irish College of GPs online course €1,500

Irish College of GPs examinations 

• Core Knowledge Test Module €800
• Clinical Competency Test Module €1,500

Please ensure you have all your documentation on hand before making an online application.

Please read the section under "Required documentation" for further information.

1. You will be asked for your GP experience

• Present all your GP experience in chronological order – most recent first.
• Be specific about the dates and locations of each GP practice. Include the full name and address for each location.
• Provide information on your role and responsibilities for each post. 

2. You will be asked for your postgraduate experience

• Present all your postgraduate experience in chronological order - most recent first. 
• Be specific about dates, locations and specialty. You must have at least three months post graduate experience in internal/general medicine and paediatrics.
• Provide information on your role and duties specific to each post. 

3. You will be asked to provide the names and contact details for two clinical referees. 

• Your nominated referees should be someone who worked with you in a more senior role than you and had supervision over your work.
• Your nominated referees should not be a colleague or relative or friend.

4. Please answer all questions on the application form, ensuring all details are correct and thorough. Do not provide one-word answers. Incomplete application forms will result in significant delays or your application not progressing.

5. Marks are awarded for submission of a fully completed application with all relevant supporting documentation.

How to apply:

Please ensure you have all your documentation on hand before making an online application.

Applications must be submitted online through the Irish College of GPs website. Applications or documents will not be accepted by any other route.

Step 1:   Read the eligibility criteria (PDF, 104KB). Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria to proceed.
Step 2:   Review the application form questions (PDF, 177KB).
Step 3:   Prepare the required documentation for uploading with your application. 
Step 4:   Set up an account on the Irish College of GPs website.
Step 5:   Complete your application and submit.

Should you not hear from us within two weeks of submitting your application, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Should you be successful in progressing to the next step of the interview, a non refundable application fee of €100 will be payable before attending the interview

Access Application Form