Intensive Care Medicine

Intensive care medicine (ICM) is a new specialty arising from developments in medical treatment and technology aimed at treating acute organ failure.

Overview

Intensive care medicine (ICM) involves prompt and careful patient assessment, resuscitation and on-going treatment, and close integration with many other specialties. The Intensive Care doctor’s job entails the ongoing management of organ support, the interpretation of the patient’s response to treatments and communication – mainly with the relatives of the critically ill patient. Most specialists in ICM (called intensivists) train first in another specialty and then attain higher specialist training in ICM before appointment to a Critical Care hospital team. College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Intensive Care Society of Ireland – collectively forming the ‘Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine of Ireland’.

Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) training in Ireland is a supra-specialty training programme. The JFICMI is the body with responsibility for Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) training and related practice standards in Ireland.

Higher Specialist Training (HST)

Requirements

A CSCST in Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) is awarded by the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine of Ireland (JFICMI) to those trainees who: are on the Specialist Division of the Medical Register in Ireland in their base specialty or have a CSCST in their base specialty and have:

  • Completed 24 months higher specialist ICM training, in the context of a formal ICM training scheme, in JFICMI-accredited training hospitals in Ireland.
  • Success at the Fellowship JFICMI examination.
  • Satisfied all criteria for completion of training (including clinical competencies, professionalism competencies, courses, research project, ICM logbook and in training assessments).
  • A satisfactory exit interview from the National Training Programme.