Part B/OSPHE - Applying
Eligibility
Before applying for the OSPHE candidates must have passed the UK's Diploma & Part I or Part A Membership Examination or have been exempted from it, e.g. obtained reciprocal recognition of the Diploma & Part I Membership Examination held by the Irish Faculty of Public Health Medicine.
Timing of the OSPHE
In most circumstances trainees should expect to take the OSPHE within six to nine months of passing Part A and before the end of training year three.
Trainees working part time should discuss their individual circumstances with regard to the timing of examinations with their programme director. General advice is that OSPHE should be taken and passed with at least two years (wte) of training remaining.
How to apply
Please check for availability of places before you begin to book.
To apply the following documents must reach the Faculty Education Office no later than the published closing date:
- FPH Part B/OSPHE application form [PDF 108KB] - 2009
- the requisite examination fee
- A marriage certificate or other official evidence of change of name must be submitted by candidates who wish to enter under a different name to that on their certification of passing Part A examination or any other document submitted in support of their application.
The published closing dates for entry to the examination are final.
Candidates are strongly recommended to submit application forms well in advance of the closing date so that any problems can be resolved in good time.
Places are offered on a first come first served basis and that your first choice in any OSPHE sitting is not guaranteed. Therefore, please ensure that your second choice date is kept free until a confirmation of entry to a sitting has been received in writing.
All candidates are allocated a place randomly to either morning or afternoon sittings for each examination sitting.
Candidates will normally be notified of the exact date, time and location of their examination six to eight weeks prior to the examination date.
Notification will be sent out to all candidates in writing as soon as the initial assessment of applications has been completed. It is not possible to provide this information over the telephone. You must bring a copy of the notification letter to your examination.
Priority and Waiting Lists
With six OSPHE stands and six preparation stations, a total of 12 candidates can be examined in one sitting in a total of one hour and fifty minutes.
If candidates withdraw from an examination or waiting list, the list will be updated accordingly from names on a waiting list. Once allocated a slot a candidate will not be able to alter this other than under exceptional circumstances to be agreed by the OSPHE Chair and Assistant Academic Registrar.
Candidates who appeal against an OSPHE outcome from the previous sittings will not be permitted to reapply and join a waiting list until the outcome of the appeal process has been completed.
Applicants for the OSPHE will be able to apply immediately after receiving their Part A examination results normally without prioritisation. Dates will be published a year in advance to allow potential applicants the opportunity to plan ahead.
Fast Tracking of Candidates
If any Training Programme Director (TPD) has a trainee who is close to their expected CCT date or close to ending a phase in training and they have justifiable reasons for them to sit the Part B OSPHE Examination as soon as possible, the TPD may request that the trainee is fast tracked onto a particular sitting.
This request will enable a candidate to be given a place on a chosen Part B OSPHE examination sitting. The request must be made in writing, at least two weeks before the closing date of the required examination and should be addressed to the Vice Chair of the Part B OSPHE Examination, (Logistics), and sent to the Education Department of FPH.
The request should outline reasons why the trainee should be given consideration to sit the requested Part B OSPHE Examination and provided the reasons are valid, the candidate may be given priority to sit the examination.
The receipt of such a request will be acknowledged within 5 working days and confirmation of a decision will be sent within 10 working days. Any requests received after the examination closing date/s may not be considered.
Number of attempts
There is no limit on the number of times a candidate can sit the MFPH examinations. All restrictions were removed by the FPH Board in June 2008.
Exceptional arrangements
Information for candidates applying for exceptional arrangements can be found in the Examinations Policy for Candidates with Disabilities [pdf]