Those who complete an approved programme of sub-specialty training are eligible to enter the GMC (General Medical Council) specialist register as a paediatrician with a sub-specialty. This page guides trainees through the recruitment process.
The applicant guidance and resources for the 2026-27 round are available below. Applications for this round are currently closed and will open in October 2026.
- New for 2026/27 recruitment round
- Timeline for 2026-27
- Interview dates - TBC
- What sub-specialty posts can I apply for?
- Who can apply for sub-specialty training?
- Sub-specialty recognition
- Indicative training time
- How many times can I apply to do sub-specialty training?
- How many sub-specialties can I apply for?
- Can I defer my place?
- How do I apply?
- Events
- Contact us
- Downloads
New for 2026/27 recruitment round
- There will be no shortlisting questions to complete in the Oriel application form
- Evidence of training experience (across 5 training areas) will be covered in the Confirmation of Eligibility (CoE) form, with required verification from an Educational Supervisor (ES)
- The longlisting process, based on meeting basic eligibility criteria and a fully completed and verified CoE form will determine eligibility for an invite to interview
- PGDiTs will need to put together a selected portfolio for the interview, which will need to be uploaded to Qpercom by January 2027
- Interviews will take place over two stations instead of one and will last 10 minutes longer, at 40 minutes, during which panels will ask at least 1 question relating to the selected portfolio
- Full details can be found in the Sub-specialty Applicant Guide 2027 and the Confirmation of Eligibility & Selected Portfolio Guidance both available in the downloads below.
Timeline for 2026-27
| Stage of process | Dates |
|---|---|
| Webinar on applying to sub-specialty training | 16:00-17:00, Wednesday 5 August 2026 |
| Programmes advertised on RCPCH website with links to job descriptions on SharePoint | Wednesday 7 October 2026 |
| Applications open on Oriel | Wednesday 21 October 2026 |
| Deadline for Confirmation of Eligibility forms on Risr/ePortfolio to be with RCPCH by | 12 noon, Monday 16 November 2026 |
| Applications close | 12 noon, Monday 16 November 2026 |
| Longlisting outcomes and invitations to interview sent via Oriel | Tuesday 8 December 2026 |
| Webinar on the interview process (invite only) | TBC |
| Virtual sub-specialty interview period | Thursday 21 January 2027 - Friday 5 February 2027 |
| Deadline for preferences in Oriel | 9:00, Monday 8 February 2027 |
| Offers will be made in Oriel | From Tuesday 16 February 2027 |
| Hold deadline | Tuesday 23 February 2027 |
| Upgrade deadline | Thursday 25 February 2027 |
| Clearing round | From Friday 26 February 2027 |
| Interview feedback sent out | By Thursday 11 March 2027 |
Trainees must submit the Confirmation of Eligibility form to their deanery contact at least a week before the RCPCH deadline to give them enough time to complete their section of the form. If it is sent less than a week before they may use their discretion to accept it or not. It is the trainee's responsibility to ensure they give enough time for all stakeholders to complete their section of the form and it is submitted to the RCPCH by the deadline. Late forms will not be accepted.
Interview dates - TBC
The dates below are subject to change.
| Sub-specialty | Interview date(s) TBC |
|---|---|
| Community Child Health | |
| Neonatal Medicine | |
| Paediatric Allergy (PAIID) | |
| Paediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology | |
| Paediatric Emergency Medicine | |
| Paediatric Gastroenterology (PGHAN) | |
| Paediatric Hepatology (PGHAN) | |
| Paediatric Immunology & Infectious Disease (PAIID) | |
| Paediatric Inherited Metabolic Medicine | |
| Paediatric Intensive Care Medicine | |
| Paediatric Nephrology | |
| Paediatric Neurodisability | |
| Paediatric Neurology | |
| Paediatric Oncology | |
| Paediatric Palliative Medicine | |
| Paediatric Respiratory Medicine | |
| Paediatric Rheumatology |
What sub-specialty posts can I apply for?
The 2027 programme summaries and job descriptions will be available to view in this SharePoint site in October 2026.
Who can apply for sub-specialty training?
All applicants should ensure that they meet the criteria listed below in order for their application to be considered. Paediatric sub-specialty training is available for all trainees in the UK Paediatric Training pathway, along with some specific exceptions for trainees from related specialties, as detailed below.
There are no personal specifications for individual sub-specialties.
Applications that do not meet these criteria will be longlisted out of the process
Eligibility criteria: RCPCH trainees, RCPCH academic trainees, Republic of Ireland (ROI) paediatric trainees
| RCPCH trainees |
* If currently on an outcome 8 for being out of programme (OOP), your previous outcome must have been 1. If you have joined the training pathway at ST3, after 1 January 2026, and have not yet had an ARCP, you are required to be on outcome 1 by the point of interview. As such, an (interim) ARCP must be arranged, so that their outcome 1 can be confirmed in January 2027. |
| RCPCH academic trainees |
These academic posts are supernumerary to the clinical posts that we advertise in the recruitment programmes, and they are therefore not included in the preferences and offers process. Trainees that are found appointable following the interview process can take up an academic post up till October of that recruitment year. Otherwise, you will need to reapply in a future round. |
| Republic of Ireland (ROI) paediatric trainees |
Must demonstrate the following by submitting a completed Confirmation of eligibility form for Irish PGDiTs which will be available in the Downloads box below:
|
Eligibility criteria: Other allied medical specialties
There is no requirement for trainees in other allied medical specialties to have MRCPCH examinations or the paediatric capabilities listed in the RCPCH trainee eligibility criteria, but they should be aware of their own essential requirements.
Anaesthetic and Intensive care medicine (ICM) trainees need to demonstrate the following by submitting a completed Confirmation of eligibility form for anaesthetic & ICM PGDiTs which will be available in the Downloads box below
| Anaesthetic trainees |
Contact for more information: PICM ISAC |
| Intensive care medicine (ICM) trainees |
Sub-specialty recognition: ICM trainees are eligible for sub-specialty recognition of PICM in their CCT. It is preferable that applications to PICM are made by the end of Stage 1 of the ICM Training Programme, to give the best chance of integrating it into their training. Contact for more information: PICM ISAC |
Trainees outside of a UK/ROI training programme
Applications from those outside of a UK/Republic of Ireland training programme are not eligible to apply. Please look at available options on our page for international doctors looking for opportunities in the UK.
If a doctor has training, qualifications and experience in paediatrics but has gained these partly or completely outside of an approved CCT training programme (for example, they have trained outside the UK or Republic of Ireland, moved abroad or taken a career break) and they are looking to join the GMC Specialist Register, they may be eligible to apply for the Portfolio Pathway.
Trainees from outside of a UK/Republic of Ireland training programme may be eligible to apply to core paediatric training and then apply to sub-specialty training once in the UK training programme.
Sub-specialty recognition
It is not possible to gain 'dual accreditation' in more than one specialty. CCTs will be in Paediatrics. On completion of sub-specialty training, the particular sub-specialty will appear in brackets after the primary specialty Paediatrics on the Specialist Register. Only trainees who have been approved for sub-specialty training within the sub-specialty recruitment process may have a sub-specialty listed on the Specialist Register.
Please see more information about sub-specialty recognition here.
Indicative training time
Sub-specialty training is capability-based and programmes are typically two to three years indicatively. Applicants must ensure they have enough time to complete the required capabilities before their agreed CCT date, as it cannot be changed to accommodate sub-specialty training.
For those applying with less than the indicative time in their chosen sub-specialty remaining before CCT, it is possible to use evidence of a maximum of one-year WTE specialty level training, UK experience or equivalent (OOP Pause or OOP Training) to ensure eligibility. This evidence must have been approved by the relevant CSAC Chair prior to the application process. N.B. Evidence of prior experience does not guarantee success in the recruitment process. There is no guarantee that capabilities will be counted towards future progress in training and they will still need to be evidenced once in a sub-specialty programme.
Applicants are required to email the relevant CSAC Chair for approval and upload the approval email as evidence to their Confirmation of Eligibility form on Risr. Please see the Evidencing prior experience for sub-specialty training document in the Downloads box below for the types of relevant experience that is accepted.
How many times can I apply to do sub-specialty training?
Trainees are not limited in the number of attempts that they can apply to sub-specialty training, subject to having enough time left before their CCT date and can count up to one year WTE towards training.
How many sub-specialties can I apply for?
Applicants can apply for a maximum of two sub-specialties in each round. Separate application forms must be submitted for each sub-specialty.
Can I defer my place?
A deferral request will be accepted for statutory reasons only (e.g. parental leave or ill health). Applicants applying for deferred entry must put their intention to defer and their intended start date (if known) on their application form. We do not accept deferral requests for any other reason. This does not affect trainees applying while they are out of programme (OOP) or on parental leave if they meet the eligibility criteria, but trainees will not be able to defer to go OOP.
Please note that any requests for deferral that are made after or outside of the recruitment process timelines, either directly to the employing deanery or the RCPCH Medical Recruitment team are also subject to the same rules.
How do I apply?
- Read the Confirmation of Eligibility & Selected Portfolio Guidance thoroughly and complete Section 1 of the Confirmation of Eligibility (CoE) form on Risr/ePortfolio as early as possible before applications open. As well as the basic eligibility criteria, this is part of the longlisting process.
- Access the Oriel system and register for an account with Oriel using the same email registered on ePortfolio.
- It is recommended that applications are submitted at least 48 hours before the closing date to allow for any technical problems or unforeseen circumstances.
- Late applications or Confirmation of Eligibility forms will not be accepted under any circumstances. If technical problems are being experienced whilst submitting either forms, the applicant must contact the RCPCH Medical Recruitment team as early as possible and at least an hour before the final deadline.
- Reasonable adjustments and special circumstances requests need to be noted on the application and the relevant form (available in the Downloads box below) completed and returned to the College team.
Events
Applying to Paediatric Sub-specialty Training 2026/27 - Webinar
On Wednesday 5 August 2026, the RCPCH Medical Recruitment Team held this webinar to explain the application process and the changes for the 2026/27 round, followed by a Q&A.
Paediatric sub-specialty careers event - June 2026
On 8 and 10 June 2026 the RCPCH Medical Recruitment Team held this event online across two evenings. Between 6-7pm each evening we started with the Opening Talk and ended with a Questions and Answers. The College team delivered a presentation on the recruitment process then representatives from each of the sub-specialties gave a short introduction on what it is like to work in their specialisms. There are recordings for both evenings below.
On 8 June there were representatives from Paediatric Allergy, Paediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology, Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Paediatric Inherited Metabolic Medicine, Paediatric Neurology, Paediatric Palliative Medicine and Paediatric Respiratory Medicine.
On 10 June there were representatives from General Paediatrics, Community Child Health, Neonatal Medicine, Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Paediatric Intensive Care Medicine, Paediatric Nephrology, Paediatric Neurodisability, Paediatric Oncology and Paediatric Rheumatology.
Please check back here soon for future events.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact the RCPCH Medical Recruitment team:
- Email: subspecialty@rcpch.ac.uk
- Phone: 020 7092 6139