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Generic eligibility requirements for selection

Any doctor who applies for selection into the training program of one (or more) of the surgical specialties must meet all of the generic eligibility criteria as well as the relevant specialty eligibility criteria.

The following generic eligibility requirements must be met at the time of registration for all surgical specialties:

  • permanent residency1 or citizenship of Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand
  • medical registration
    • In Australia: General (unconditional) registration, or
    • In Aotearoa New Zealand: General scope or restricted general scope registration in the relevant specialty2 
  • You must have completed either the Operating with Respect eModule (retired late 2023) or Introduction to Operating with Respect. Both online courses are provided by the RACS Professional Development team. Note: Only one of these courses needs to be completed to meet this eligibility requirement.
  • Generic Surgical Sciences Exam (GSSE) must be passed either at the time of registration or by the close of SET applications. Refer to the relevant specialty selection regulations for confirmation of when this requirement must be met. 

Note: The RACS Hand Hygiene module is no longer a generic eligibility requirement from the 2024 SET Selection process. The regulation is being updated to reflect this change and will be published in mid-December 2023.

Recommended reading

To ensure you are fully informed about the SET Program registration and selection process, we recommend that potential applicants read the following documents before registration:

Notes:

1. Permanent (non-citizen) residents of Aotearoa New Zealand are not automatically entitled to residential approval in Australia. Aotearoa New Zealand (non-citizen) residents who apply for a program with Australian rotations are responsible for securing the appropriate visa. If a visa is not granted, no special arrangements will be made, and the offer of a place on the program may be withdrawn, or the Trainee dismissed.
2. Doctors with restricted general scope registration can only apply for training in the specialty to which they are restricted