Thursday, 19 June, 2025

Dean’s Message

June 19^th 2025

As the current round of clinical rotations draws to a close, and with school holidays just around the corner, it is a busy time of the year for the Joint Faculty as well as for trainees and trainers. I would like to take this opportunity to share some important updates with you.

The clinical part of the JFICMI Fellowship exam took place on May 29^th. A huge thank-you to all the examiners and organisers who helped to ensure that the day ran smoothly. Congratulations to all the successful candidates on the day.

Earlier this week, a notice was circulated to department leads and supervisors of training in ICUs accredited for year-2 ICM training, inviting proposals for participation in the new JFICMI Fellowship programme. Please note that the closing date for proposal submissions is August 31^st 2025. Trainees interested in applying to join this programme will be recruited through the Joint Faculty’s annual recruitment process. Full details will follow shortly.

I would also like to draw your attention to some important changes that have recently been made to organ donation legislation in Ireland. With the introduction of the Human Tissue Act (2024), an opt-out system and register have come into effect on June 17^th 2025. It is important that all doctors working in intensive care practice are familiar with these recent changes. There is some guidance information on the HSE website (https://www2.hse.ie/services/organ-donation-opt-out-register/about/). There is an excellent webinar video which can be accessed here – https://youtu.be/aKOCYEH2OEk. The Intensive Care Society of Ireland also has useful learning resources about organ donation on their website (https://www.intensivecare.ie). The opt-out register can be checked by calling 1800 100016.

There are some important upcoming dates for your calendar;

• June 20^th: Annual CAI/JFICMI/Faculty of Pain conferring ceremony in O’Reilly Hall in UCD
• June 23^rd: JFICMI Trainee Study Day, St James’s Hospital, commencing at 8:45am
• June 25^th: JFICMI Training exit/progression interviews. Trainees and trainers are asked to ensure that all necessary training information, including in-training assessments and completed logbooks, has been submitted in advance of the interviews
• July 10^th: JFICMI Annual General Meeting, 1pm. This will be a videoconference event. A link to the meeting will be forwarded soon.

As we reach the end of the 2024/25 training year, I would like to extend my best wishes to doctors who are due to complete their ICM training in the coming weeks and are seeking a consultant post or are pursuing other training opportunities. I would also like to thank all consultants working in ICUs who continue to contribute to the essential delivery of high quality critical care services around the country. Finally, a sincere thank-you to all the trainers, supervisors and teachers who have helped uphold the high standards of ICM training in Ireland.