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RACS
When Cardio-Thoracic Surgery applications run, and what the round looks like.
Applications
Registration opens 6 January and closes 30 January, 12:00 AEDT. One national round, run by the Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Committee.
After the interviews, the highest ranked applicants go through a confidential telephone reference check that is scored into the final ranking.
Dates are set for each cycle, so check the current Regulations.
No single PGY floor. Eligibility: general (unconditional) AHPRA (or MCNZ general-scope) registration; a GSSE and RACS Clinical Examination pass by application close (the CE is being retired RACS-wide from the 2028 intake); at least 12 months of cardiothoracic experience in the last 7 years in 6-month blocks at PGY3+; at least 12 months of other surgical rotations at PGY2+; AU/NZ citizenship or permanent residency; and Operating with Respect. The stacked experience means most applicants are well past PGY3.
Training positions and workforce figures below are limited to Northern Territory. Selection criteria, requirements and application dates are set by RACS nationally and apply in every state.
Very high
How Cardio-Thoracic Surgery training is structured.
Year 1, two 6-month terms
To complete
Years 2 to 4
To complete
Years 5 and 6
To complete
ASSET, Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Surgical Skills Education and Training
Two days of basic surgical skills, with ten eLearning modules beforehand. Mandatory for every surgical specialty except neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery in Australia and paediatric surgery.
SET 1
CCrISP, Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient
Also required at application, so it cannot be left until SET 1.
SET 1
EMST, Early Management of Severe Trauma, or an equivalent ATLS course
Also required at application.
SET 1 and SET 2
RACS eLearning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety courses 1, 2 and 3, with at least two further eLearning modules
An alternative intercultural competency course of at least one day, being 8 hours, is accepted.
Required at application
Cardiothoracic Surgical Sciences and Principles examination
SET 2 to SET 4
Entry gates that are not scored, such as a visa, residency status, or the type of medical registration required.
One set of categories across every specialty, so two can be compared. Only those with criteria recorded for this specialty are shown.
Total 100, before the reference check is applied
Additional qualifications, publications, presentations, involvement in Te Ao Maori and rurality.
A consensus rating from the consultants of one nominated cardiothoracic unit.
The combined curriculum vitae and unit assessment rank decides who is interviewed.
Two referees drawn at random from the three to five nominated, five questions each marked out of ten. The score divided by 100 multiplies the interview total.
Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure
Rural, regional, and remote experience
Sourced from Australian medical community discussion.
From your first surgical term
Before the year you apply
At least 12 months before you apply
Before the close of applications
Plan for multiple cycles — only 6 to 13 posts exist nationally each year and just 36 interview places, with a 3-attempt cap from the 2026 round.
Recheck the regulations every year — eligibility bars move (non-cardiothoracic terms tighten to PGY3+ and 3-month minimums from 2027 applications, and the 3-attempt cap is new from the 2026 round).
The Clinical Examination is still required for the current (2027 intake) round, but RACS has now confirmed it is being retired for every SET specialty from the 2028 intake — verify current requirements each year on the college website.
Selection and workforce history, transcribed as published.
8
Trainees appointed
Selected in 2025, commencing 2026
6 to 13
Range
Across the selection years shown
A very small program. Between six and nine trainees have been appointed in each selection year since 2021, and there was no selection process at all in 2020. Eight were appointed in 2025 to commence in 2026.
Includes deferred offers.
| Selected in | Commencing | Trainees appointed |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2020 | 13 |
| 2020 | 2021 | No selection process |
| 2021 |
Queensland Health is the only state department publishing these figures so far.
No published figures exist yet for Northern Territory. This is being worked on. The selection criteria and requirements above apply Australia wide regardless of state. See the Queensland figures.
Changes published by RACS.
Advance notice in the regulations: the non-cardiothoracic surgical-experience requirement tightens from PGY2+ in 10-week terms to PGY3+ in 3-month terms from the 2027 applications. A maximum of 3 interviewed attempts applies from the 2026 round.
No Cardio-Thoracic Surgery training positions recorded in Northern Territory. See all 28 across Australia.
Published by RACS and the Medical Board unless stated.
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 RACS before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.
Fellowship Examination
SET 5 and SET 6
The annual cardiothoracic course
Every year, SET 1 to SET 6
The ANZSCTS annual scientific meeting and its trainee wetlab
Every year, SET 1 to SET 6
Selection points and pathways for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori applicants
Exams, qualifications, courses, and teaching
Papers, impact factor, audits, and QI
Who is asked to report on you, and what they are asked
Format, stations, and what the interview assesses
How the application is marked and weighted
Application, interview, and registration costs
Registration mechanics and logistics not covered above
| 2022 |
| 6 |
| 2022 | 2023 | 7 |
|---|
| 2023 | 2024 | 6 |
|---|
| 2024 | 2025 | 9 |
|---|
| 2025 | 2026 | 8 |
|---|
Source: Royal Australasian College of Surgeons — Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Past offers — trainees appointed into the SET program, selection years 2019 to 2025. Includes deferred offers. Figures are transcribed as published.
Check the current figures at RACS — cardiothoracic surgery selection.