What is Internship?

What is Internship?

Intern year is the first year of postgraduate medical training and is an essential step in every fledging doctor’s career in Ireland. It is an opportunity that allows graduates the chance to experience the realities of clinical practice in a wide range of specialities.
Internship had historically been structured on a traditional apprenticeship model, however, relatively recent reform has led to a formalised intern curriculum with the establishment of the Intern Network Executive. It is a national collaboration amongst all sites to provide a nationally agreed Intern educational programme centred on patient safety and quality of patient care as well as incorporating the Medical Councils Eight Domains of Good Professional Practice.

Intern year consists of twelve consecutive months of education and training made up of four rotations, each of which is three months in duration. The successful completion of Intern Year ultimately culminates in a Certificate of Experience (CoE) from the Medical Council that allows progression to general or specialist training.

The year is both challenging and rewarding. The aim of the year is to provide graduates a supportive learning environment in a closely supervised setting that will allow them with the opportunity to apply the theory of undergraduate medical education in a professional capacity.

Intern training provides a combination of education, training and clinical responsibility; enabling interns to develop the professional and personal competencies that result in good patient care providing a foundation for a career in the profession.