Selection Requirements and
SET Application
Registration for the 2020 SET Program intake is now closed.
Applications to the 2020 SET Program will open on Wednesday 27
February 2019 at 12 noon (AEDT).
Please download and read the Registration for Selection into SET Policy
prior to applying for SET
You will find detailed information about SET
training in the Guide to SET Booklet (PDF 658
KB)
For further enquiries that cannot be answered by the
website information, please contact: SET.Enquiries@surgeons.org
Generic eligibility
requirements for selection into the SET program
Any person wishing to apply for selection into the training
program of one (or more) of the surgical specialties must fulfil
all of the generic eligibility criteria, plus the eligibility
criteria for the specific specialty (or specialties).
The generic eligibility requirements which apply across all nine
specialties are:
- Permanent residency1 or
citizenship of Australia or New Zealand at the time of
registration.
- General (unconditional) registration in Australia or general
scope or restricted general scope registration in the relevant
specialty2 in New Zealand.
- Successful completion of the RACS Hand Hygiene Learning Module
from Hand Hygiene
Australia since 1 January 20133
(NZ registrants please note: Hand Hygiene New Zealand uses the
Australian Learning Module as its default program. NZ registrants
must also complete the Hand Hygiene Australia Learning Module.)
Registrants must complete the RACS Module which is available on the
Hand Hygiene Australia website. No other module will be
accepted.
- Completion of the RACS Operating with Respect eModule4
All generic eligibility requirements must be satisfied at the
time of registration. At the time of registration applicants must
consent to a full criminal history check including submission of
relevant documentation on request to enable this to be undertaken.
Registrants are required to download and read the following
documents prior to registration, to ensure that they are fully
informed about the SET Program registration and selection
process:
Notes:
- Permanent (non-citizen)
residents of New Zealand are not automatically entitled to
residential approval in Australia. New Zealand (non-citizen)
residents who apply for a program with Australian rotations will be
responsible for securing a visa. In the event that a visa cannot be
obtained no special arrangements can be made, and the offer of a
place on the program may be withdrawn, or the trainee
dismissed.
- Doctors with restricted
general scope registration can only apply for training in the
specialty to which they are restricted.
- Hand Hygiene module must
have been completed since 1 January 2013. Your certificate must
reflect this otherwise you will be asked to complete it again to
ensure recency of skills. Your certificate must be the RACS
specific Hand Hygiene Australia module.
- You must have completed the
RACS Operating with Respect eModule prior to registering for SET.
Please log into your RACS Profile to access. If you have any
problems please contact elearning@surgeons.org
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Specialty-specific
eligibility requirements and selection processes
Applicants may apply for selection into SET if they can
demonstrate, at the time of submitting their application that they
have completed, or will complete prior to the start of the next
training year, all the mandatory clinical requirements of the
specialty to which they are applying. If a selected applicant does
not fulfil the specialty requirements prior to the start of the
next year of training the offer will be withdrawn.
For those specialties that conduct separate selection processes
in Australia and New Zealand, an applicant may only apply for
selection in one or the other country. Applicants will be required
to nominate which country they are applying for at the time of
registration.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Selection Initiative
(ATSI)
As outlined in the Diversity and Inclusion Plan, RACS is committed
to promoting an increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander doctors within the medical workforce. This
selection initiative is designed to address the low participation
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors in the surgical
specialties that RACS trains in.
The following surgical specialties have implemented the
initiative within their selection processes for 2019:
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery AU
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery AU
- Paediatric Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
Generic Surgical Sciences
Examination (GSSE)
All specialty training boards have now made the successful
completion of the GSSE a mandatory eligibility requirement for the
2019 (2020 intake) selection process.
All enquiries regarding the GSSE should be directed to the RACS Examinations Department.
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Stages of the Selection Process
There are two stages in the selection process:
Stage 1
Stage 1 is the registration stage.
Anyone intending to apply for selection in 2019 must have
registered their intention to apply within the specified
time-frame. At the time of registration applicants must be able to
meet the generic eligibility requirements. The fee for registration
must be paid by any applicant who is not a current trainee in SET
programs or Fellow. IMGs who have been recommended to apply to SET
must pay the registration fee. All stage 1 registrations are
conducted on-line through RACS. Potential applicants for selection
into SET cannot register via specialty societies and
associations.
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Stage 2
Stage 2 is the application and selection stage.
Doctors who have registered for selection and have been
confirmed as satisfying the generic eligibility requirements may
lodge an application for selection from 27 February 2019.
The following specialties accept applications for selection
through the RACS web-based application system:
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Australia and New
Zealand
- Paediatric Surgery
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, New Zealand
The following specialties accept applications for selection
through their specialty societies:
Applications for selection to Surgical Training close at 12pm
(AEDT-Australian Eastern Daylight Time) on Wednesday 27 March
2019. No extensions will be available. Applicants are
therefore encouraged to submit their applications as soon as
possible.
Fees for selection
Stage 1:
- Selection Registration Fee AU $570 (incl GST) - There is no
refund on this fee
Stage 2:
- Selection Processing Fee for AU only or bi-national programs
$880 (incl GST1) - There is no
refund on this fee
- Selection Processing Fee NZ programs $995 (incl GST2) - There is no refund on this
fee
Note 1: AU GST only
payable by AU residents
Note 2: NZ GST only
payable by NZ residents
This Selection Processing Fee applies to:
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (Australia and New
Zealand)
- Paediatric Surgery
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, New Zealand
The following specialty programs will publish their own
Selection Processing Fees:
- General Surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Orthopaedic Surgery - Australia and New Zealand
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Australia
- Urology
- Vascular Surgery
Applicants applying to more than one specialty are required to
pay for a Selection Processing Fee for each specialty at the time
of submitting their application/ CV.
Timeline for selection
2019
Stage 1 Selection registration Opens: Friday 4 January 2019
(12.00 noon AEDT) Closes: Friday 1 February 2019 (5.00 pm
AEDT)
Stage 2 Selection application Opens: Wednesday 27 February 2019
(12.00 noon AEDT) Closes: Wednesday 27 March 2019 (12.00 noon
AEDT)
Stage 3 Referee reports collected 24 April 2019 - 22 May 2019
(5.00 pm AEST)
Stage 4 Interviews June / July 2019
Stage 5 Announcement of offers NZ only 1 July 2019
Stage 6 Announcement of offers AUS and bi-national programs 22
July 2019
If you wish to apply in 2019 for
the SET program, you must have registered for selection between 4
January and 1 February 2019.
Applicants offered a position on
a training program must accept within stated time frame in letter
of offer. Offers not accepted within the nominated timeframe will
be automatically rescinded.
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Specialty-specific
eligibility requirements for selection into the SET program
Cardiothoracic Surgery
General
Surgery - Australia
General
Surgery - New Zealand
Neurosurgery
Orthopaedic
Surgery - Australia
Orthopaedic
Surgery - New Zealand
Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery - Australia
Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery - New Zealand
Paediatric
Surgery
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Australia
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - New Zealand
Urology
Vascular Surgery
Contact
For further enquiries that cannot be answered by the website
information, please contact SET.Enquiries@surgeons.org
or phone +61 3 9249 1114
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