Mater Hospital Dublin Jobs, Pay & Employment Permits

The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is a level 4 teaching hospital on Eccles Street in Dublin's north inner city. It was opened in 1861 by the Sisters of Mercy, has over 4,220 staff, and describes itself as a major acute voluntary teaching hospital serving North Dublin and the rest of the country.

Its academic partner is University College Dublin.

The hospital lists 745 inpatient beds, more than 300 of them single en-suite rooms, plus 225 day places and 16 operating theatres. In 2023 it recorded 96,125 emergency department attendances and 266,148 outpatient attendances.

The Mater is a national centre for heart surgery, heart and lung transplantation, adult congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, adult ECMO, spinal injuries, adult scoliosis and the isolation unit for high consequence infectious diseases, among others. That range means specialist posts for doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and scientists in cardiothoracic, critical care and spinal services that are hard to find elsewhere in Ireland.

It sits in the HSE Dublin and North East health region. As a voluntary hospital funded by the HSE, it pays on the HSE consolidated salary scales, and recruits directly through its own vacancies page.

Founded

1861 (opened by the Sisters of Mercy)

Run by

Voluntary hospital funded by the HSE, in HSE Dublin and North East

Switchboard

01 803 2000

• Heart and lung transplantation

  The national centre for heart and lung transplant; the hospital reported 5 heart and 19 lung transplants in 2023.

• Cardiothoracic surgery and ECMO

  National centre for heart surgery, adult ECMO, advanced heart failure and ventricular assist devices, and adult congenital heart disease.

• Spinal injuries

  National centre for spinal injuries and adult scoliosis, with a dedicated spinal injuries unit.

• Infectious diseases

  Hosts the national isolation unit for high consequence infectious diseases alongside its infectious diseases service.

• Emergency and critical care

  A busy emergency department, the Smithfield Rapid Injury Clinic and critical care medicine.

• Cancer services

  Cancer medicine, a national lung cancer rapid access service, haematology and oncology, and HIPEC as a national service.

• Neurology and stroke

  The Dublin Neurological Institute, stroke care and deep brain stimulation as a national service.

• The Mater's careers pages describe it as an equal opportunities employer and list staff benefits, including an occupational health service, staff support and counselling, an on-site crèche, continuing professional development support and a pension scheme. They do not describe a dedicated international recruitment programme or a relocation package, so ask HR directly about relocation support when you are offered a post.
• Vacancies are listed on the Mater's job opportunities page, which carries its live jobs feed from the Rezoomo recruitment platform. Applications go through each advertised vacancy.
• The HSE says many international nurses and health and social care professionals are recruited through a small number of agencies that manage the process on its behalf, and it runs an international relocation package of up to €4,160 (from the EU or UK) or €4,710 (from outside the EU) for HSE posts. Whether the Mater offers the same terms is a question to put to the hospital, because it is a voluntary employer.
• The Mater's Nursing Department describes support for professional growth through its Centre for Nurse Education, and the hospital hosts undergraduate and postgraduate education for nurses, doctors, therapists and radiographers with its academic partners.

• Registration with the Irish regulator for your profession before you practise: the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) for nurses and midwives, the Irish Medical Council (IMC) for doctors, CORU for professions such as physiotherapy, radiography and medical science, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) for pharmacists. Qualifications gained outside the EU are assessed first, and NMBI or CORU may set a compensation measure such as an aptitude test or a period of adaptation.

• Doctors apply to the IMC in the division that fits the post. The IMC says doctors seeking the General or Trainee Specialist Division may be required to sit the Pre-Registration Examination System (PRES), and that a pass in the UK PLAB 2 can exempt you. The IMC also points to registration in the Supervised Division as another route; check its eligibility chart for the division that fits your post.

• English: NMBI asks for IELTS Academic overall 7.0 (7.0 in three components and 6.5 in one) or OET with B in three components and C+ in one, from a single sitting less than two years old. The IMC, CORU and PSI set their own tests and scores.

• An employment permit if you are not an EEA, UK or Swiss citizen. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) issues the Critical Skills Employment Permit for occupations on its Critical Skills list, including doctors, nurses and midwives. It needs a two-year job offer; for public sector roles covered by a pay agreement the salary is the agreed rate; nurses and midwives need a qualification NMBI accepts. The fee is €1,000, with 90% refunded if refused, and DETE asks for applications at least 12 weeks before the start date.

• Non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) may instead hold a two-year Multi-Site General Employment Permit, which Irish Immigration Service Delivery links to Stamp 1H and describes as carrying similar benefits to a Critical Skills permit.

• Pre-employment checks: the HSE recruitment process includes screening, interview, Garda vetting, recognition of qualifications and an occupational health check before a formal offer. If you need an entry visa, you apply after the permit is granted, and you register your immigration permission once you arrive.

1. 1

   Start your registration

   Apply to NMBI, the IMC, CORU or the PSI before you job hunt in earnest. Specialist areas such as theatre, ICU and cardiothoracics usually ask for relevant experience, so collect references early.
2. 2

   Find a vacancy

   Go to the job opportunities page on mater.ie, where current posts are listed through Rezoomo, or search the Mater on rezoomo.com.
3. 3

   Apply through the advert

   Read the job specification and apply through the link on the vacancy. The hospital's HR reception is on 01 803 2686 for queries.
4. 4

   Interview and checks

   Shortlisted candidates are interviewed. Before a formal offer expect references, Garda vetting, an occupational health check and confirmation of your registration.
5. 5

   Permit, visa and arrival

   With a two-year offer, apply to DETE for a Critical Skills Employment Permit at least 12 weeks before the start date, then for an entry visa if you need one, and register your immigration permission after you arrive.