Cardiology

RACP

Competition: Very high
Qualification: FRACP (Cardiology)

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Applications

When Cardiology applications run, and what the round looks like.

Timeline

Feb

Advanced Training (Cardiology): register with RACP by 28 February (first half or whole year) or 31 August (second half).

Cardiology positions at accredited hospitals are applied for directly and are highly competitive.

When to apply

FRACP Written Examination must be passed during BPT. FRACP Clinical Examination must be passed before commencing Advanced Training. Cardiology-specific procedural exposure (echocardiography, coronary care) during BPT is highly valued.

Competition

Very high

In the published 2026 Queensland round, 31 of 132 eligible applicants were selected. No national applicant or position figures are published.

Program structure

How Cardiology training is structured.

TAS

ACT

NT

Training positions and workforce figures below are limited to Australian Capital Territory. Selection criteria, requirements and application dates are set by RACP nationally and apply in every state.

Before you start

Advanced Training follows Basic Training in Adult Internal Medicine, and this curriculum is written to be used with that one. Both Divisional examinations have to be passed to finish Basic Training and become eligible. The Advanced Training position itself is arranged with an accredited department rather than with the College.

Training duration

3 years of Basic Physician Training, then 36 months full-time equivalent of Advanced Training in cardiology, of which at least 24 months has to be in Australia or New Zealand. About 6 years in all.

Training pathway

1
Advanced Training in cardiology
3 years
Competencies
- Prevention, investigation, treatment and research across cardiovascular disease, to the point of practising unsupervised at consultant level
- Close working relationships across internal medicine, because the breadth of cardiovascular disease reaches most of it
- Every procedure is logged with its precise number and whether it was supervised, so the logbook doubles as the map of what is still missing
To complete
- A logbook of eleven named procedure types, reviewed with your supervisor at regular intervals, which the Specialty Training Committee may call in at any time
- Echocardiography is the largest block by far: 600 reported under supervision with at least 50 transoesophageal, 300 transthoracic performed and reported, 50 transoesophageal observed or assisted, and 25 stress echo
- 150 left heart catheter and coronary angiography cases, and 25 right heart catheter cases of which 10 are performed and reported by you
- 100 Holter monitors and 100 exercise tests reported under supervision, 10 direct current cardioversions, and 6 pericardial aspirations under supervision
- 10 temporary transvenous pacemaker insertions, 10 permanent pacemaker implantations observed or assisted, and 100 pacemaker function tests in follow-up clinics
- Cardiothoracic surgical cases and the number of outpatients seen, both logged across core training

Required courses

Cardiothoracic Surgical Unit attachment

10 days attached to the unit. 3 coronary artery bypass grafting cases, including an off-pump case where the site performs them, and 2 valve surgery cases covering one aortic and one mitral. 10 ICU or CICU ward rounds, which is daily participation for the length of the attachment. Two of the cases are presented for 10 minutes each to a working meeting of the unit, with the supervising surgeons there.

During core training

Selection criteria

One set of categories across every specialty, so two can be compared. Only those with criteria recorded for this specialty are shown.

Score your portfolioagainst RACP criteria

Clinical experience

Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure

Cardiology rotations during BPT — coronary care unit (CCU), cardiac ward, and cardiac investigations exposure

Academic

Exams, qualifications, courses, and teaching

FRACP Divisional Written Examination — sat during Basic Training (sitting early is strongly recommended)
FRACP Divisional Clinical Examination — both Divisional exams must be passed to complete Basic Training and become eligible for Advanced Training

Publications & research

Papers, impact factor, audits, and QI

Research publications — first-author cardiology publication strongly differentiates Advanced Training applicants

Application process

Registration mechanics and logistics not covered above

Selection format: BPT selection is hospital-based. Cardiology Advanced Training positions are secured directly at the accredited hospital — each department runs its own selection. Research output and procedural exposure are major differentiators.

Entry tips

Timed steps, grouped by when each one is worth doing.

Basic Training

Sit the Divisional Written examination in your first Basic Training year. A pass early leaves room for a re-sit and clears the later years for Advanced Training applications.
Start the research in a cardiology department rather than anywhere, and aim it at a first-author publication.
Work in the department you want the Advanced Training position in. Positions are offered by the accredited department rather than centrally, so the people deciding are the ones you have worked for.

First year of training

Open the echocardiography logbook in the first week. 600 studies reported under supervision is the largest single requirement in the program, and the logbook is reviewed with your supervisor quarterly.

During training

Plan the cardiothoracic attachment as its own block. It is 10 days inside a surgical unit with named cases, ward rounds and two presentations to the surgeons, and it does not happen alongside a normal cardiology week.

State workforce data

Queensland Health is the only state department publishing these figures so far.

No published figures exist yet for Australian Capital Territory. This is being worked on. The selection criteria and requirements above apply Australia wide regardless of state. See the Queensland figures.

What the college has changed

Changes published by RACP.

2024-01
RACP new curriculum for Advanced Training in Cardiology implemented from 2024. Trainees starting AT in 2024 or later follow the new curriculum and work-based assessment tools.

Available Cardiology training positions

2 posts across 2 hospitals in Australian Capital Territory. Each circle counts hospitals.

Show these kinds of site

Select a circle to see the hospital.

Official resources

Published by RACP and the Medical Board unless stated.

Official links

Colleges, portals and rubrics

Connected to this specialty by the Medical Board’s specialty structure, by college, or by a shared training pathway.

Requirements, windows, and criteria change annually. Verify with RACP before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.