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Pathology covers Chemical Pathology, so this is the parent specialty entry.
RCPA
When Chemical Pathology applications run, and what the round looks like.
Eligibility requires current general (AHPRA) medical registration and at least two years of clinical experience after the primary medical degree — so typically PGY3+ at commencement. In exceptional circumstances, applicants without two years may be considered if they can show alternative relevant experience of a similar level; Overseas Trained Specialists assessed by the College as requiring no more than two years of additional assessment/training may also apply.
Training positions and workforce figures below are limited to Queensland. Selection criteria, requirements and application dates are set by RCPA nationally and apply in every state.
Moderate
How Chemical Pathology training is structured.
5 years, or 4 on the joint route
Competencies
To complete
Basic Pathological Sciences examination
Open to medical, science and dental students, interns and resident medical officers as well as registered trainees, and cheaper as a student. A pass or an exemption is required of everyone. Not a prerequisite for Part I, but required before sitting any component of Part II.
Before training starts, or early in it
Chemical Pathology Part I
Written, and sat online from home or a venue of your choice. There is no slide or practical paper to travel for.
After a set period of accredited training
Chemical Pathology Part II
Written, and sat online the same way.
Ordinarily the final year
1 year retrospectively accredited
A joint program of the two colleges, overseen by the Committee for Joint College Training. Completing RACP Basic Physician Training is credited back as one of the five pathology years. Clinical and laboratory training cannot both sit inside one institution, and the part-time floor is 16 hours a week rather than 8. From 2026 the supervisor reports are separate, clinical through the RACP and laboratory through risr/advance, and a paper form is not accepted.
Queensland
One set of categories across every specialty, so two can be compared. Only those with criteria recorded for this specialty are shown.
Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure
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
Registration mechanics and logistics not covered above
Timed steps, grouped by when each one is worth doing.
Before applying
First year of training
During training
Queensland Health is the only state department publishing these figures so far.
A centrally coordinated Queensland Health pathway or network
Queensland pathway
Swipe to see every column
| Discipline | Selected | Specialists, Queensland | Trainees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anatomical pathology (2026) | 23 of 117 | 200 | 58 |
| Chemical pathology (2026) | 1 of 2 | 15 |
3 posts across 3 hospitals in Queensland. Each circle counts hospitals.
Show these kinds of site
Select a circle to see the hospital.
Hospital locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. State boundaries from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Published by RCPA and the Medical Board unless stated.
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 RCPA before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.
| 5 |
| Forensic pathology (2026) | 2 of 5 | 14 | 1 |
|---|
| General pathology (2026) | 0 of 0 | 15 | 1 |
|---|
| Genetic pathology (2026) | 2 of 6 | 3 | 2 |
|---|
| Haematology (laboratory) (2025) | 11 of 11 | 115 | 37 |
|---|
| Immunopathology (2026) | 2 of 4 | 13 | 2 |
|---|
| Microbiology (2026) | 3 of 8 | 55 | 12 |
|---|
Appointments to the Queensland Pathology Training Programs are coordinated by the Medical Support Unit, Pathology Queensland (Health Support Queensland), working with the State Directors and the Coordinators of Education and Training of Pathology Queensland. Recruitment is centralised by discipline or sub-specialty rather than by facility, so you apply to a discipline state-wide, not to a hospital
Sequencing matters — you must be employed in a training position at an accredited site before you register with the college, so the job comes first and college registration follows
Anatomical pathology is by far the largest intake in the Queensland source — 117 eligible applicants and 23 selected, more eligible applicants than every other discipline combined
General pathology ran no effective round in 2026 — no eligible applicants and none selected
The laboratory haematology figures above are for 2025; every other discipline is 2026. They are shown in their own published year rather than restated as a single round
Figures are not summed or averaged across the disciplines, because they cover different years and different programs — a combined total would describe no real selection round
Queensland Health, medi-nav, 31 July 2026. Selection numbers are for first-year entry and vary year to year.