Cardiothoracic Surgery
A general overview of the requirements and criteria for selection into the Cardiothoracic Surgery training program in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Selection information and tools
Cardiothoracic Surgery 2022 Selection regulations for the 2023 Intake (PDF 208.43KB)
These Regulations are applicable for the 2023 intake conducted during 2022 only.
Any regulations for the SET Program from any previous years are not applicable and cannot be relied on for meeting the SET Program requirements for the 2023 intake unless specifically stated in the current regulations.
The Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery and its staff will not enter into any form of advice, pre-scoring or interpretation of the Regulations outside of the formal application and scoring process.Evidence of procedures
Applicants must submit the three Cardiothoracic Eligibility DOPS forms provided below with their online application. Refer to the Selection Regulations for further information.
- Competently insert a Chest Drain (DOCX 32.82KB)
- Competently harvest a Long Saphenous Vein (DOC 71.5KB)
- Competently harvest a Radial Artery (DOC 80.5KB)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Selection Initiative
The Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery implemented the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Selection Initiative policy in the 2018 Selection Process. Please refer to the Selection Regulations for further details.
Semi-structured interviews
Date of interview: Saturday 11 June, 2022
Future eligibility requirement
Changes to the RACS Clinical Examination (CE)
- 2024 SET Selection (for the 2025 intake) - successful completion of the CE will be a mandatory eligibility requirement
- 2023 SET Selection (for the 2024 intake) - successful completion of the CE is preferred by not compulsory.
If selected without the CE, Trainees commencing in 2024 will be required to complete the examination as per the RACS Clinical Examination (CE) policy. Further information about the RACS CE can be found here. - 2022 SET Selection (for the 2023 intake) - is not compulsory
Trainees commencing in 2023 will be required to complete the examination as per the RACS Clinical Examination (CE) policy. Further information about the RACS CE can be found here.
Announcement of offers
Announcement of offers to successful applicants will be made by the end of July 2022. Any final offers will be made by Friday 11 November 2022.
Past offers
In 2015 eight (8)* Trainees were appointed into the SET Program to commence in 2016
In 2016 five (5)* Trainees were appointed into the SET Program to commence in 2017
In 2017 eight (8)* Trainees were appointed into the SET Program to commence in 2018
In 2018 three (3)* Trainees were appointed into the SET Program to commence in 2019
In 2019 thirteen (13)* Trainees were appointed into the SET Program to commence in 2020
In 2020 there was no selection process
In 2021 six (6)* Trainees were appointed into the SET Program to commence in 2022
*Includes deferred offers