Consultant Breast Surgeon Cork 2026: BreastCheck and CUH guide

This post is split across BreastCheck Southern Unit for 20 hours a week and Cork University Hospital for 17 hours. The successful surgeon joins the multidisciplinary management of breast-cancer patients and is expected to contribute across diagnostics, surgery, postoperative care and follow-up.

The two professional requirements

Candidates need registration as a specialist in the Specialist Division of the Medical Council register in general surgery. They also need two years of certified postgraduate training in breast surgery.

The successful interviewee must hold the relevant specialist registration before appointment. The booklet describes up to 180 calendar days from interview to secure it and provide evidence of special-interest training where relevant.

Do not rely on a procedure list to imply the second requirement. Make the certified training and dates easy to identify.

What the service expects

The appointee is expected to provide a modern range of breast surgery, including wire-guided and wire-free localisation, oncoplastic procedures and immediate reconstruction. Participation in the breast-surgery on-call rota is required.

The wider duties include clinics, diagnostics, operative and postoperative care, follow-up, unit development, continuing education, research and cover for consultant colleagues. The surgeon works inside a multidisciplinary service rather than as an isolated operator.

Build evidence across four domains

Clinical breadth is the first. Select cases that demonstrate the required operative range and sound judgement.

Multidisciplinary working is the second. Use a case where radiology, pathology, oncology, reconstruction or patient preference created a genuine decision point. State how you contributed and how the plan was agreed.

Quality is the third. Bring audit, outcome, complication, pathway or service-improvement evidence with numbers where possible.

Leadership is the fourth. Show teaching, development of colleagues, service design or implementation of a better way of working.

For interview structure, how many examples to prepare can help you cover those areas without trying to memorise every case in your career.

Aptitude-test status

The selection section allows shortlisting and interview and retains a general option to use another test or exercise. It does not name an aptitude test, supplier or test window.

That means no numerical, verbal or situational-judgement practice should be presented as competition-specific preparation. The evidence-led next step is to organise registration, training, clinical outcomes and examples for shortlisting and interview.

If an additional exercise is later issued, follow the instructions in Review Communications and update preparation then.

Conditions to check

The appointment is permanent, whole-time and pensionable, with a 37-hour week divided between the two services. The current booklet says the successful candidate should ideally take up duty within four months of interview and states 30 days of annual leave.

Booklet pages worth marking

Page 5 sets out the clinical duties. Page 7 contains eligibility and post-specific requirements. Page 11 covers tenure, hours and pay. Selection and shortlisting appear around page 19.

This independent guide reflects official material checked on 14 August 2026. The live booklet is the final source.