Eight weeks for career-changers, international workers with healthcare admin experience, and recent graduates seeking entry into Irish healthcare's largest non-clinical workforce. Builds competency across HSE Patient Administration (iPMS), the National Healthcare Records Standard, GDPR/FOI for healthcare, and the HSE Public Appointments process.
The patient journey through Irish acute and community settings, the key admin roles, and where records management actually sits.
Fluency with iPMS basics, Healthlink, and the digital tools admin staff use daily.
Structure, retrieve, and dispose of healthcare records to HIQA/HSE standard.
Manage referrals from receipt to outcome, schedule clinics to capacity, and process discharges including the GP loop.
Produce professional medical correspondence, handle telephone and reception interactions, and recognise when a query needs clinical escalation.
Apply GDPR, FOI Act 2014, and Health Identifiers Act 2014 correctly, recognise breaches, and know the reporting routes.
Irish-format admin/records CV, completed HSE PAS application, three live applications submitted, and a 90-day plan.
By Week 8 you'll have produced an Irish-format admin/records CV, completed an HSE PAS application form, and submitted three real applications across HSE and private hospital settings. Your 90-day onboarding plan covers your first three months.
Healthcare admin is undergoing structural change as eHealth Ireland rolls out and the IHI replaces local hospital numbers. This plan keeps you ahead of the change and progressing toward Health Records Officer or Information Officer roles.
Complete iPMS competency review. Pass Healthlink procedural exam. Complete HSeLanD modules on records management and GDPR for healthcare. Document first three SAR / FOI / records workflow reflections.
Choose a track: Health Records Officer (records management depth), Patient Administrator (clinic operations), Medical Secretary (consultant support), or Coordinator (cross-team). Complete one ECDL/ICDL refresh if relevant.
Contribute to one digital transition project (EHR rollout, IHI integration, paper-to-digital conversion). Join the IRRA (Irish Records and Information Management Association). Attend one healthcare information conference.
Decide year-2: stay Patient Admin (target HSE Grade IV–V), pursue Health Records Officer, move into Information Officer roles, or pivot to clinical training. Update your HSE PAS profile. Apply for one Grade V stretch role.
Patient admin and health records work is digitising rapidly under eHealth Ireland. The cert stack here keeps you eligible for HSE Grade III–V roles and ahead of the EHR transition.
| Certification | Duration | Indicative cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECDL / ICDL | Modular self-paced | ~€200–400 | Expected on most HSE admin job specs |
| HSeLanD Records Management | Self-paced | Free | HSE National Learning platform |
| HSeLanD GDPR for Healthcare | Self-paced, 1 hour | Free | Data protection essentials |
| Garda eVetting | Via prospective employer | Free | eVetting.ie — required for any role with patient data access |
| Certification | Duration | Indicative cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRRA Membership | Annual | ~€80/year | Irish Records and Information Management Association |
| HSE PAS Competency Refresher | Self-paced | Free | Helps with Grade IV/V applications |
| Health Information Officer cert | Online modular | ~€800–1,500 | For Information Officer track |
| Project Management cert (PMP / PRINCE2) | Multi-day course + exam | ~€1,000–2,500 | For coordinator / change-management roles |
| Funding route | Indicative savings | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Springboard+ | Free or 90% subsidised | Some health-information and digital courses listed. |
| Skillnet Ireland | Subsidised | Multiple admin / digital networks available. |
| HSE Internal Training | Internal (employed only) | HSE budgets cover ECDL refreshes, PAS competency prep, and EHR transition modules. |
| ETB / FETCH | Free or low-cost | QQI Level 5 Office Administration is a recognised foundation. |