Court of Examiners - FEX
The Court of Examiners is appointed by the Council of the College.
Its purpose is to conduct the Fellowship Examination and to assess the knowledge, clinical skills, judgement, decision making and professional competencies of candidates, in order to ensure that they are safe and competent to practise as surgeons.
Overview
The number of Examiners varies in each specialty in line with the number of trainees and examination candidates.
Clinical/viva examinations
The clinical/viva examinations are generally conducted during May and September each year in venues across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand and alternate between the following locations:
- Australia- Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney
- Aotearoa New Zealand- Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington
Written examinations
The written exams are normally conducted in April and August each year in the following locations:
- Australia- Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney
- Aotearoa New Zealand- Auckland and Wellington
Court of Examiners Membership List
2023 Court of Examiners Members (pdf 79KB) (PDF 119.16KB)
Court of Examiners
Court of Examiners
Chair:
Professor Raymond Sacks
Deputy Chairs:
Dr Catherine Ferguson
Associate Professor Anil Keshava
Dr Paul Pincus
Members
Dr Aubrey Almeida - Cardiothoracic Surgery
Dr Charles Mosse - General Surgery
Associate Professor Matthew Clark - General Surgery
Dr Nazih Assaad - Neurosurgery
Dr David Veivers - Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery
Dr Alison Taylor - Orthopaedic Surgery
Dr Christopher Hoffman - Orthopaedic Surgery
Dr Deborah Bailey - Paediatric Surgery
Dr Yugesh Caplash - Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Dr Gregory Malone - Urology
Dr Allan Kruger - Vascular
Notification of vacancies
Vacancies on the Court are advertised each year from September to November in:
- Surgical News
- Fax Mentis
- RACS website
Eligibility
Court of Examiners Terms of Reference (PDF 39.17KB) (PDF 39.17KB)
Appointments to the Court of Examiners (PDF 57.58KB) (PDF 142.7KB)
Fellowship Examination (PDF 92.07KB) (Regulation)
Interested in becoming an examiner?
Contributing to the RACS examinations is a valuable accomplishment for Fellows.
Examiners receive CPD hours for accredited examiner activities while also experiencing a high level of collegiality and professional pride.
Applications for the 2024 examiner intake will open from September - November 2023.
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- General Surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
- Paediatric Surgery
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Urology
- Vascular
Note: the number of vacancies for each of the Specialty Courts will be confirmed at the February meetings.
Application process
Applications open:
25 September 2023
Application Form for Appointment to Court of Examiners (PDF 142.7KB)
Appointments to the Court of Examiners
Application with CV submitted by:
29 November 2023
Eligibility/Governance verification and referee checks completed
December 2023-January 2024
Applications considered by Specialty Courts
February 2024
Applicants notified, appointment confirmed
End of February 2024
Examiner induction and training, including observation of the May* examination
March - May 2024
Appointment to the Court (tenure) commences
June 2024
Policies and Terms of Reference
Application Form for Appointment to Court of Examiners (PDF 142.7KB) (PDF 142.7KB)
Appointments to the Court of Examiners (PDF 57.58KB) (Policy)
Court of Examiners Terms of Reference (PDF 39.17KB) (PDF 39.17KB)
Fellowship Examination (PDF 92.07KB) (Regulation)
Conduct of the Fellowship Examinations -EDA-EXA-010 (PDF 149.53KB)
Position Description: Senior Examiners and Deputies -EDA-EXA-019 (PDF 76.94KB)
Position Description (PDF 87.37KB): Deputy Chair of the Court of Examiners (PDF 87.37KB)
Position Description: Chair of the Court of Examiners - EDA-EXA-022
Contact
Examinations Department
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
250-290 Spring Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9249 1222
Email: Court.Examiners@surgeons.org