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RACS Strategic Plan

Surgery depends on trust – from patients, communities, governments, and the systems in which we operate. Driven by values of service, integrity, respect, compassion and collaboration, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) protects that trust by upholding standards in surgical education, training, professionalism, and care across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

As RACS approaches its centenary year, our strategy reflects the environment we are operating in today. It reaffirms RACS’ core purpose and sets a clear direction for how we continue to honour our social contract, unify the profession, operate with discipline and integrity, and strengthen the value we deliver our members and stakeholders.

RACS is a profession-led organisation. With a united focus on what matters most, we continue to be a trusted steward of surgical standards for the decades to come.

Our 2028 ambition

Our 2028 ambition is to have a unified future for surgery: One profession. One standard. One trusted voice.

Grounded in our purpose – empowering our members to advance surgical excellence – and guided by our vision of advancing surgery and embracing innovation, RACS will, by 2028, remain a unified and future ready college. 

We will continue to be a trusted organisation that members are proud of, and that communities and governments continue to rely on to safeguard surgical care. To achieve this, we will deliver on six key strategic pillars that focuses RACS on what matters most:

  1. Member value – Strengthen the trust, confidence and ongoing commitment from our members.
  2. Social contract – Advance RACS’ surgical social impact to drive meaningful change and improve patient outcomes.
  3. Surgical unity – Drive surgical competence and standards through contemporary education, assessment and advocacy.
  4. Financial sustainability – Drive long term financial sustainability and resilience.
  5. People and leadership – Build a thriving culture and critical leadership capabilities.
  6. Operational excellence – Operate with focus, efficiency, and integrity.
We invite you to read our Strategic Plan 2025–2027 (PDF 1.56MB) and discover how RACS intends to remain a trusted steward of surgery for many decades to come.