Blog: Medical Council’s Intern & Trainee Survey to re-launch in 2026

The Medical Council is launching a revised and refined version of its survey for medical interns and trainees who are on a formal training scheme in Ireland.

Formerly known as Your Training Counts, which ran from 2014-2021, the survey gives interns and trainees the chance to voice their experiences of what is happening on the ground at clinical training sites in Ireland and provide feedback to the Medical Council on an annual basis.

Purpose of the survey

Intern and trainee perspectives are vital for understanding how clinical training sites function in delivering education and training, as well as in assessing the overall training experience at sites, including examples of good practice and opportunities for improvement. Their feedback helps drive enhancements in training settings for doctors and, ultimately, supports better outcomes for patients.

Topics covered in the survey will include key aspects relating to intern and postgraduate medical education, including how well the site supports intern and trainee clinical education and training, wellbeing and professional development.

The Medical Council is hoping for strong participation in the survey from interns and trainees across Ireland and across all specialty rotations.

Survey findings will help the Medical Council to monitor the implementation of, and adherence to standards and guidelines from the perspective of interns and trainees. It will help us to keep abreast of challenges and good practice.

Why is the survey important?

1. For harnessing intern and trainee voices and perspectives on the quality of the clinical learning environment and key aspects of intern and postgraduate medical education, including how well the site supports intern and trainee clinical education and training, professional development, and overall wellbeing.

2. To spotlight areas of good practice and share learning among key stakeholders such as sites, intern training networks and postgraduate training bodies.

3. To identify areas for improvement that we can work in collaboration with stakeholders to resolve. Collectively we can improve the quality of medical education and training nationally.

Who is the survey for?

All interns and Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs) who are on a formal training scheme, i.e., doctors who are on the internship and trainee specialist divisions of the register; are invited to participate.

All information provided in this survey will be treated in strict confidence. Responses are anonymous and will not be linked in any way to Medical Council records. Participants will not be asked for any personal data.

The Medical Council’s role in medical education and training

The Medical Council is the regulator of the medical profession and quality assurance body for medical education and training in Ireland. As such, we assess intern and specialist training sites, and undergraduate and postgraduate training bodies and programmes against the rules, criteria, standards and guidelines set by the Medical Council.

The refreshed survey consists of a series of questions and statements which have been mapped to the new Medical Council standards and guidelines for medical education and training. It will serve as an important monitoring tool, facilitating the collection of national data.

How will the survey be used?

The survey findings and insights will help us to work with our stakeholders to improve quality across the continuum of medical education and training, and high standards among doctors, which will lead to improved patient outcomes.

All feedback is anonymous and any report produced by the Medical Council will not highlight specific, individual feedback, but feedback at a group level.

How to get involved

Interns and trainees should stay tuned for updates from the Medical Council, and your clinical training sites, intern networks and postgraduate training bodies on how to get involved and have your voice heard.