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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 Court is composed of surgeons representing the nine different specialties in which the College conducts the examination.

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, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney
  • Aotearoa New Zealand- Auckland and Wellington

Court of Examiners Membership List

You can download the document below to find a list of current examiners.

List of Examiners (PDF 108.16KB)


Court of Examiners

Court of Examiners

Chair:

Professor Raymond Sacks

Deputy Chairs:

Dr Catherine Ferguson

Professor Susan Stott

Dr Paul Pincus

Dr Gregory Keogh

Members:

Dr Aubrey Almeida, Senior Examiner for Cardiothoracic Surgery

Dr Carina Chow, Senior Examiner for General Surgery (Australia)

Dr Siraj Rajaratnam, Senior Examiner for General Surgery (Aotearoa)

Dr Nazih Assaad, Senior Examiner for Neurosurgery

Professor Kelvin Kong, Senior Examiner for Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery

Dr Harvinder Bedi, Senior Examiner for Orthopaedic Surgery (Australia)

Dr Christopher Hoffman, Senior Examiner for Orthopaedic Surgery (Aotearoa)

Adjunct Professor Deborah Bailey, Senior Examiner for Paediatric Surgery

Dr Robert Coren, Senior Examiner for Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

Dr Gregory Malone, Senior Examiner for Urology

Dr Allan Kruger, Senior Examiner for Vascular Surgery

Notification of vacancies

 Vacancies on the Court are advertised each year from September to November in:

  • Surgical News
  • Fax Mentis
  • RACS website 

Eligibility

Before applying to the Court of Examiners, Fellows are asked to read the following policies and regulations, paying particular attention to the selection guidelines:

Court of Examiners Terms of Reference (PDF 39.17KB) (PDF 121.05KB)
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 period for the 2025 examiner intake is now closed, and we are no longer taking applications for 2025. 

  • Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Neurosurgery
  • Orthopaedic Surgery 
  • Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
  • Paediatric Surgery
  • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Urology
  • Vascular Surgery 

Note: the number of vacancies for each of the Specialty Courts will be confirmed at the February Examiners' Workshops. Applicants will be notified via email in March. 

 

Application process

Applications open:
Tuesday 1 October 2024
Application Form for Appointment to Court of Examiners (PDF 142.7KB)

Appointments to the Court of Examiners (PDF 57.58KB)

 

Application with CV submitted by:

30 November 2024

Eligibility/Governance verification and referee checks completed
December 2024 - January 2025

Applications considered by Specialty Courts
February 2025

Applicants notified; appointment confirmed
End of February 2025

Examiner induction and training, including observation of the May* examination
March - May 2025

Appointment to the Court (tenure) commences
1 June 2025

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) (PDF 57.58KB)
Court of Examiners Terms of Reference (PDF 39.17KB) (PDF 121.05KB)
Fellowship Examination (PDF 92.07KB) (Regulation) (PDF 202.5KB)

(PDF 202.5KB)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

Please contact the Examinations Department for further information.

Examinations Department
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
250-290 Spring Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia

Telephone: +61 3 9249 1280
Email: [email protected]