Physician training in Australia

All doctors wishing to practise adult internal medicine at a consultant level in Australia are required to be Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP).  A doctor must fulfil all training requirements of the RACP for admission into the Fellowship.  The training program in adult internal medicine consists of at least three years each of basic physician training and advanced physician training.  Basic physician training may commence from the beginning of the second medical postgraduate year; registration as a basic physician trainee with the RACP is optional in that year and mandatory in the third medical postgraduate year.  The Fellowship Examination is an ‘entry' examination; it has two components - a written and a clinical - which are usually conducted in the final year of basic physician training.  Success in both components of the examination and completion of the accredited basic physician training program are prerequisites for recognition of advanced physician training.

Basic physician training in Australia

Basic physician training consists of at least 24 months of core training, to be completed in internal medicine rotations, and up to 12 months of non-core training, which may be completed in medical and/or non-medical rotations which have been approved by the hospital's Director of Physician Training.  Detailed guidelines on the content of basic physician training may be obtained from the RACP website.

International Medical Graduates (IMG's)

For IMG's who wish to join the RACP training program, the Committee of Physician Training of the RACP is responsible for assessing eligibility to enter the program and obtain exemptions for training undertaken overseas.  At least two years of training must be completed in Australia or New Zealand, one year of which is generally required to be in basic physician training.  All trainees must pass both the written and clinical components of the Fellowship Examination.