Short-term training

The Medical Board of Australia's (MBA) Short-term training in a medical specialty pathway allows International Medical Graduates (IMGs) to undertake a short period of training in Australia with the objective of gaining professional skills and experience not available in their country of training.

You may be eligible to undertake up to two years of short-term training if you:

• are an overseas-trained specialist and have passed the relevant specialist examinations, or
• are an overseas specialist-in-training and are no more than two years from completing specialist training, and
• have been offered a short-term training position in Australia.

The role of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is to advise the MBA as to the suitability of the applicant to undertake a specific short-term training position.

Short-term training positions do not lead to Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) or general or specialist registration. 

To learn more about becoming a Fellow of RACS, please see Admission to Fellowship.

To learn more about medical registration in Australia, please visit the MBA website.

Australian application process - short-term training

1. Find a training position

You must find your own training position to apply for short-term training in a medical specialty by directly contacting hospitals or health services in Australia. RACS is not responsible for finding training positions for applicants.

2. Apply to the Australian Medical Council (AMC) for primary source verification

Before applying to RACS, you must submit your primary medical degree and specialist surgical qualification (if obtained) for primary source verification.

To submit your qualification/s for primary source verification you must:

• Apply to ECFMG (EPIC) for primary source verification of your primary medical degree and your specialist surgical qualification (if obtained), and
• Apply to the AMC to establish a portfolio, and
• Nominate RACS as your preferred specialist medical college.

Until we are able to verify that you have satisfied the above requirements, we will be unable to progress your application for short-term training.

RACS is unable to assist with primary source verification or establishing a portfolio with the AMC. To learn more, please visit the AMC website.

3. Apply to RACS for assessment of your suitability to undertake the nominated short-term training position

Please be advised the Short-Term Training in a Medical Specialty Pathway is a pathway of the Medical Board of Australia (MBA).

RACS' role in the process is an advisory one. RACS will assess your qualifications and make a recommendation to the MBA regarding your suitability to undertake short-term training in your nominated post.

4. Apply to the MBA for registration

The MBA will consider RACS' recommendation and decide whether or not to grant you registration, enabling you to undertake the proposed training.

To submit an application to RACS for assessment of your suitability for a short-term training position, you will be charged an application fee.

The fee to submit a short-term training application in 2021 is $1,480.00 (inc. GST). Payment of the fee must be made in full when lodging your application online. RACS accepts payment via Paypal or credit card.

Please be advised this fee covers RACS’ administrative costs for processing an application. It is not a training fee and cannot be refunded once an application has been processed, including in the event an applicant is unable to proceed with the pathway for any reason.

To learn more about RACS fees, please visit College fees.

To apply for short-term training you will be required to submit the documents outlined in RACS’ Checklist: Short-Term Training (under 'Forms').

Please ensure you have thoroughly reviewed the Checklist and obtained all required documents before commencing your online application for short-term training.

Incomplete applications will not be progressed until RACS is able to confirm receipt of all documents outlined in the Checklist.

RACS aims to process applications for short-term training within four weeks from the date of acceptance of the completed application.

To minimise delays in the application process, please ensure you provide all the required documents when you submit your application.

Please be advised RACS is unable to expedite the processing of applications. It is therefore strongly recommended applications are submitted 8-12 weeks in advance of the training start date.

Applicants for short-term training may request a maximum of 24 months of short-term training in total.

Extensions will only be considered:

• upon submission of an extension application via the online application form;
• following confirmation of receipt of all documents outlined in RACS’ Checklist: Short Term Training Extensions;
• if the details of your current position (including title, position description, supervisors and locations) are unchanged.

If the details of your current position have changed, please submit a new application.

The fee to submit a short-term training extension application in 2021 is $1,480.00 (inc. GST). Payment of the fee must be made in full when lodging your application online. RACS accepts payment via Paypal or via Credit Card.

Please ensure you have thoroughly reviewed Checklist: Short Term Training Extensions and obtained all required documents before commencing your online application.

Incomplete applications will not be progressed until RACS is able to confirm receipt of all documents outlined in the Checklist.

In order to add an additional site to your current approved short-term training, please email the following documents to SIMG.Enquiries@surgeons.org:

• Checklist: Additional Site Application
• AAMC-30 Medical Board of Australia/AHPRA Application for assessment by a medical college form
• Position Description and/or Training Plan, which clearly lists all sites at which you will be required to practice

Additional site requests will only be considered:

• following confirmation of receipt of all documents outlined in RACS’ Additional Site Application Form;
• if the details of your current position (including title, position description, dates and supervisors) are unchanged.

If the details of your current position have changed, please submit a new application.

There is no fee to submit an Additional Site request.

To request a change of dates of your current approved short-term training, please email the following documents to SIMG.Enquiries@surgeons.org:

• correspondence from the hospital or site outlining the reason for the change and confirming the requested dates;
• Position Description and/or Training Plan (as provided in your current approved short-term training application).

Change of date requests will only be considered where the requested dates do not exceed the duration of your current approved short-term training.

If you wish to extend your short-term training please refer to the section of this page relating to extension applications.

There is no fee to submit a request to change the dates of your short-term training.

• If you have any questions about applying to RACS for assessment of a short-term training position, please contact the RACS SIMG Department at SIMG.Enquiries@surgeons.org or call +61 3 9276 7479 .
• If you experience any difficulties with the online application, please contact the RACS Help Desk via email at help.desk@surgeons.org or call +61 3 9249 7422.
• If you have any questions relating to primary source verification please contact the Australian Medical Council (AMC) or visit their website.
• For more information on medical registration in Australia, please visit the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) website.
• To learn more about the process of becoming a Fellow of RACS, please refer to Australian specialist pathway & NZ vocational pathway.

The Special Purpose Pathway is for Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) who intend working in New Zealand for a fixed period of time for a specific purpose.

New Zealand application process - short or long-term