Training post accreditation

Significant reforms are underway in how RACS accredits hospital training posts across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

To support the national health workforce policy the Australian Medical Council (AMC) is working with specialist medical colleges and jurisdictional health authorities to enact the requirements of Ministerial Policy Direction 2023-01 and implement the recommendations from the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman (NHPO) report.

The NHPO report identified inconsistencies in how medical colleges applied accreditation standards and recommended that the AMC provide clearer guidance. The AMC created Model Standards to establish a consistent accreditation process, while still allowing colleges to add College Specific Requirements (CSR)

RACS has been been accepted as an early adopter of the AMC Model Standards and Procedures.

Further details about these changes are included in the FAQs about post accreditation.

Trainees progress through an integrated program that provides them with increasing professional responsibility under appropriate supervision. RACS approves training posts that enable Trainees to acquire the needed competencies to become consultant surgeons who are able to practise independently or as part of a multidisciplinary team.

For hospital posts supported by RACS, the RACS accreditation standards can be found in the Accreditation of Hospitals and Posts for Surgical Education and Training booklet (PDF 345.22KB). The current version of the booklet was released in June 2016.

All decisions can be reviewed according to RACS Reconsideration, Review and Appeals Policy. Information about the process is available here. 

The Application for accreditation form (PDF 132.31KB) can be downloaded for all RACS supported posts.

Accreditation of all posts must comply with the RACS Training Post Accreditation and Administration policy. (PDF 57.1KB)

Read the FAQs about post accreditation.

RACS accredits individual training posts in nine surgical specialties, with each specialty determining the accreditation standards that training posts must meet.

The Application process for accreditation contains links to the Standards and Application form and list of accredited posts for each specialty.

HTP Project Manager
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
250-290 Spring Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002
Email: [email protected]