Last Update: 15/04/2013 12:07
See also Court of Examiners
Overview
Notes to
candidates
Written examination
Clinical/viva
examination
Clinical/viva venue
Dates and locations
Eligibility
to sit the Fellowship Examination
Application form
Withdrawal from
examination
Contact
Overview
The Fellowship Examination comprises 7 separate segments: 2
written papers and 5 clinical/viva segments. Please see the Conduct of Fellowship
Examinations Policy for more information on the examination
format. Should any significant changes or amendments to the
examination format occur, all eligible candidates will be written
to and notified of these no less than 6 months prior to the
examination.
For further information, refer to Fellowship
Examination Eligibility, Review and Feedback
Review - Listen to Professor Spencer Beasley,
Chair, Court of Examiners, speaking on the review of the Fellowship Examination in
Surgical News Extra - September 2010 (MP3 file, 3.1Mb, 6min 34sec).
The link opens the player in a new browser window. You can download
the file by right-clicking on the link and selecting "Save Target
As..." or "Save Link As...".
Notes to candidates
Written
examination
The Fellowship Written Examination is held twice per calendar
year: April and August. The written examination is conducted
simultaneously across Australia and New Zealand and is held
approximately 3 to 4 weeks prior to the Clinical/Viva Examinations.
Please see the Fellowship
Examination dates for the most up-to-date information.
The written examination is offered in:
Australia - Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra,
Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
New Zealand - Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin,
Wellington
Clinical/viva examination
The Fellowship Clinical/Viva Examination is held twice per
calendar year: May and September.
The first examination of each year (May) is held in both
Australia and New Zealand. The examination in Australia is open to
all specialties. The examination in New Zealand is open only to the
specialties of General Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery.
The Australian examination in May alternates between Melbourne and
Brisbane and the New Zealand examination alternates between
Auckland and Wellington (General Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery
only).
The second examination of each year (September) alternates
between Adelaide and Sydney.
Clinical/Viva Venues
Due to the expectation of a large number of Trainees and
International Medical Graduates (IMGs) presenting for the April/May
2013 Fellowship Examination, the following changes to the
Clinical/Viva venues for General Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery
have been approved:
- The number of candidates presenting for the General Surgery and
the Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship Examination in May in Australia
will be capped. The Senior Examiners will retain discretion to
determine the maximum candidate numbers at each venue.
- Once the maximum cap number is reached for the examination in
Australia, candidates will have to present for their examination in
New Zealand.
- Trainees/IMGs are advised that applications for the Fellowship
Examination in May will be subject to an allocation process for the
Clinical/Viva venue. Applications will be processed by date of
receipt on a "first in, best dressed" basis.
- Trainees/IMGs are advised to submit their application as per
the regular application process.
Dates and
locations
View the closing date for the receipt of applications below. All
formalities must be completed on, or prior to, this date.
Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
under any circumstances.
2013 May - Wellington/Melbourne
Closing date - Thursday 31 January 2013
Written papers (multiple centres) - Tuesday 16 April 2013
Clinical/vivas (Wellington) - Friday 17, Saturday, 18 and Sunday 19
May 2013 (General Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery only)
Clinicals/vivas (Melbourne) - Friday 24, Saturday 25, Sunday 26
and Monday 27 May 2013
2013 September - Adelaide
Closing date - Thursday 6 June 2013
Written papers (multiple centres) - Tuesday 20 August 2013
Clinicals/vivas (Adelaide) Friday 20, Saturday 21, Sunday ,
22 and Monday, 23 September 2013
Note: Dates are subject to alteration. If any
date change is deemed necessary, wide publicity will be given.
Intending candidates are, however, advised to maintain contact with
the Examinations Department (see contact
details).
Eligibility
to sit the Fellowship Examination
To sit the Fellowship Examination, Trainees must:
- be registered as an accredited Trainee of the College
- have satisfied the specialty specific requirements of training
approved by the specialty board.
Trainees must be approved as eligible to sit by the relevant
specialty board on each occasion they present for the examination.
Applications must be received by the closing date.
To determine eligibility of a Trainee sitting the examination,
the specialty board chair may take into account:
- a letter of support from the surgical supervisor
- any outstanding fees.
Application
form
Fellowship Examination Application Form
- September 2013 (PDF 68KB).
Applications received after the closing date (5pm AEST)
will not be accepted.
Withdrawals from
examinations
Please note: Financial penalties will apply for
withdrawals from the Fellowship Examination as outlined below:
Applicants:
- not approved by the specialty board chair to present for the
examination will be refunded the examination fee in full
- withdrawing from the examination prior to the closing date will
be refunded 75% of the examination fee
- withdrawing from the examination after the closing date and
more than 15 working days prior to the commencement of the
clinical/viva segments of the examination will be refunded 50% of
the examination fee
- withdrawing from the examination after the closing date and
less than 15 working days prior to the commencement of the
clinical/viva segments of the examination will be refunded 25% of
the examination fee.
Applicants who do not notify the Examinations Department in
writing, advising they are withdrawing from the examination will
forfeit the examination fee.
Contact
Examinations Department
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
College of Surgeons' Gardens
250-290 Spring Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9249 1222 or 1247
Fax: +61 3 9249 1298
Email: examinations@surgeons.org