Paediatric Surgery includes surgery in children from birth to 16 years in the following disciplines: neonatal surgery, general surgery of childhood, hepato-biliary, oncology and urology.  At present there are 7 paediatric surgeons, performing paediatric surgery in three Children’s hospitals in Dublin.  Specialty training is usually six years with emphasis on general paediatric surgery in the first 4 – 5 years and sub specialisation in the final year. There are also post CCST (Certificate of Completion of Specialty Training) specialist fellowships in paediatric urology and hepatobiliary surgery available for one year in the UK.

Training Pathway

	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4
Training Level	Medical School	Intern Year	Core Training in Surgery	Higher Specialist Training in Paediatric Surgery
Duration	4-5 years	1 year	2 years	6 years
Entry Process	Graduate or direct entry	Entry through the HSE Intern Match	Entry based on competitive interview	Entry based on on-going assessment (CAPA), successful completion of the MRCS exam and Specialty Interview
Mandatory Examinations	As per curriculum	N/A	MRCS Exam	FRCS
Application Date	CAO process opens in November	Application process opens in October	Application process opens in November
Programme Operated by:	Undergraduate Universities	Intern Networks	RCSI	RCSI

The Higher Specialist Training Programme in Paediatric surgery is administered by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.