Radiology covers Diagnostic Radiology, so this is the parent specialty entry.

Diagnostic Radiology

RANZCR

Competition: High
Qualification: FRANZCR
Application fee: AUD $800

Score your portfolio Hospital posts Research projects Mentors

Applications

When Diagnostic Radiology applications run, and what the round looks like.

Timeline

Feb

Jurisdiction-based, not a single national window: all Australian jurisdictions except Victoria advertise training positions externally (apply directly to hospitals/networks on their own timelines); Victoria's recruitment is managed internally by the College, and New Zealand runs a centralised College round (2026: applications closed noon 26 February, interviews 16 June).

All applicants first need a College Registration Verification Number (CRVN).

When to apply

Typically PGY2 to 5. Clinical breadth across medicine and surgery is valued.

Selection format

Panel interview

Competition

High

Competitive, particularly in metropolitan hospitals. Interventional radiology subspecialty training is extremely competitive.

TAS

ACT

NT

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

Program structure

How Diagnostic Radiology training is structured.

Before you start

Entry is to the Clinical Radiology Training Program, which is one of the two the College runs. Two full years in an accredited hospital as an intern or resident, measured to the planned commencement of the advertised position rather than to the date of application. General registration without restriction, condition, suspension or cancellation is needed at the time of applying, and no jurisdiction considers an application without a College Registration Verification Number.

Training duration

5 years. Phase 2 completes at the end of year 4, and Phase 3 follows it.

Training pathway

1
Phases 1 and 2
Through to the end of year 4
To complete
- All Phase 2 requirements of the training program
- A pass in the Clinical Radiology Phase 2 Examinations
- System focused training, the work-based assessment requirements and research, all finished before a subspecialty program is commenced
2
Phase 3
The balance of the program
Competencies
- The phase the three subspecialty programs are entered in, being interventional radiology, interventional neuroradiology and nuclear medicine
- A subspecialty is chosen from inside training rather than after Fellowship, and it leads to one Fellowship rather than two
To complete
- Interventional radiology and interventional neuroradiology need all Phase 2 requirements completed, or expected to be completed, at the time of applying
- Nuclear medicine needs Phase 2 complete, its examinations passed, and a minimum of 4 years of accredited radiology training
- And RANZCR certification confirming the system focused training, work-based assessment and research requirements are complete

Required courses

Clinical Radiology Phase 2 Examinations

A pass is required before nuclear medicine training commences in Phase 3.

By the end of Phase 2, which completes at the end of year 4

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 RANZCR criteria

Clinical experience

Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure

Broad clinical experience (radiology benefits from understanding clinical context)

Rural & regional

Rural, regional, and remote experience

Rural — CV scoring recognises Rural/Regional Origin (5+ consecutive or 10+ cumulative years in MMM 2 to 7) and Experience (12+ months residing in MMM 2 to 7), points set per jurisdiction; a Regional and Rural Training Pathway pilot offers dedicated positions

Academic

Exams, qualifications, courses, and teaching

Physics and imaging science background

Publications & research

Papers, impact factor, audits, and QI

Research — publication or presentation in radiology or clinical imaging
Audit in a radiology or clinical department

Fees

Application, interview, and registration costs

College Registration Verification Number (CRVN) — mandatory before applying in any jurisdiction; AUD $800 registration fee

Application process

Registration mechanics and logistics not covered above

Eligibility — registration plus at least two years as a junior doctor in an approved hospital
Selection format: Panel interview, with network representatives in the centralised rounds and hospital panels elsewhere. Some networks include structured imaging interpretation assessments. Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori applicants who self-identify in the initial application are offered an interview place. Applicants should not meet one on one with a Director of Training or anyone else involved in the interview before it is held. Every interviewee applying to the same jurisdiction is asked the same questions, drawn from a standardised set of domains. After the interviews a ranking list is made and positions are offered down it in order.

Entry tips

Sourced from Australian medical community discussion.

Before applying

Obtain the College Registration Verification Number first. It is valid for applications in the calendar year it was obtained, and inside that year there is no limit on how many jurisdictions, networks or training sites you apply to, or on applying to more than one intake.
Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori applicants pay no College registration or enrolment fee, and contact the College for the fee instructions before submitting the registration application rather than after it.

During your prevocational years

Aim for first authorship. Priority is given to first author papers in journals with higher impact factors, so the order of names on a paper written early is worth settling early.

Each year you apply

Rebuild the application rather than resubmitting it. No application data carries from one year to the next, and evidence accepted in a previous round is not accepted on the basis that it was accepted before.

Before a fourth application

Count the attempts. Applications are capped at four non-consecutive attempts, and an attempt counts once you hold a registration number and apply to at least one trainee position. Being deemed appointable on the fourth without securing a position allows another application the following year.

Before applying to a subspecialty program

Expect the process for interventional radiology and interventional neuroradiology to still be settling. Applying depends on the accreditation of the hospitals and settings, and more about it is published as settings become accredited from 2026 onwards. Nothing else about either program is published yet.

Demonstrating an understanding of the clinical value of imaging — not just reporting — impresses interviewers.

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 RANZCR.

2024-09
RANZCR updated the FRANZCR examination structure.

Official resources

Published by RANZCR 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 RANZCR before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.