Intensive Care Medicine
College of Intensive Care Medicine
Competition
High
Qualification
FCICM
Training duration
Minimum 6 years (varies with prior experience and qualifications)
Applications
Two intakes per year since 2025, introduced to align with the 6-month Foundation Time requirement. 2026 cycle, as published by the College: intake 1 opened 16 March and closed 30 March, references due 13 April, outcome May 2026, training commencing July or August 2026. Intake 2 opens 17 August and closes 31 August, references due 14 September, outcome November 2026, training commencing January or February 2027. The first step is a pre-registration that determines eligibility before the full application form is released. Check cicm.org.au for current dates.
Selection format
No interview. Selection is centralised through the CICM Trainee Selection Panel, assessing a Structured Reference (SR) and a Structured Curriculum Vitae (SCV). The T-1 policy describes electronic score calculation for the SR; whether the SCV still carries numeric point values after the College's 2024 selection changes is not stated in any published document (the previously published scored SCV form was withdrawn, and documentary evidence is no longer required). A pre-registration eligibility screen precedes the full application; the application counts as submitted only once the form, fee, and all references are in.
When to apply
Most applicants are PGY3–5. Foundation Time is the hard eligibility bar: 6 months of supervised intensive care experience in a CICM-accredited unit within the past 3 years, plus full registration with AHPRA, MCNZ, MCHK, or MCS.
Competition
Competitive, particularly in major tertiary ICUs. Dual training with anaesthesia or emergency medicine is common and increases options. Maximum three unsuccessful selection attempts — after that, applicants are ineligible to reapply.
Selection criteria
Clinical experience
Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure
- Foundation Time — 6 months of supervised intensive care experience in a CICM-accredited unit within the past 3 years (hard eligibility requirement)
- ICU rotations — volume and variety including medical, surgical, cardiothoracic, and neuro ICU
- Anaesthesia exposure (airway management)
- Emergency medicine experience
- Procedural skills: intubation, CVC, arterial line, chest drain, bronchoscopy
Rural & regional
Rural, regional, and remote experience
Nothing captured yet — verify with CICM.
First Nations
Selection points and pathways for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori applicants
Nothing captured yet — verify with CICM.
Academic
Exams, qualifications, courses, and teaching
- CICM Primary Examination — a training milestone taken after entry, not part of selection
Publications & research
Papers, impact factor, audits, and QI
- Research — CICM values evidence-based practice; a publication or ongoing project strengthens the structured CV
Extracurricular
Leadership and roles beyond clinical work
Nothing captured yet — verify with CICM.
Distinction
Prizes, awards, and academic standing
Nothing captured yet — verify with CICM.
Eligibility & application
Prerequisites, referees, interviews, and fees
- Structured Curriculum Vitae (SCV) — assessed centrally by the Trainee Selection Panel (whether it still carries numeric point values after the 2024 selection changes is not published)
- Structured Reference (SR) — three referees, each of whom worked with you during Foundation Training immediately before application
- Trainee registration fee — payable at the time of application (application incomplete until paid)
Entry tips
Sourced from Australian medical community discussion. Always verify with CICM.
Recent updates
Verified 2026-08-05 against the College's published intake table: both 2026 intakes confirmed (intake 1 opened 16 March, closed 30 March, references 13 April; intake 2 opens 17 August, closes 31 August, references 14 September), as is the three-unsuccessful-attempts limit in the T-1 Trainee Selection Policy. Note the College's own page prints two copies of the intake table and they disagree on the intake 2 outcome month (November 2026 in one, November 2025 in the other) — the November 2026 reading is carried here as the only one consistent with a January or February 2027 commencement.
SCV scoring status clarified (14–15 July): CICM's previously published scored SCV form (out of 50) was withdrawn around its 2024 selection changes and no current scored form is published anywhere; T-1 §5.1 describes electronic score calculation for the Structured Reference, and documentary evidence for the SCV is no longer required — so whether the SCV still carries numeric points is not confirmable from published material. The intoSET calculator discloses this and grounds its approximation on the recovered superseded forms.
Re-verified against cicm.org.au: selection has no interview — a centralised Trainee Selection Panel scores a Structured Reference plus Structured CV (aggregate score decides). CICM moved to two intakes per year from 2025 (2026: intake 1 closes 30 March, intake 2 pre-registration closes 31 August). Foundation Time eligibility: 6 months supervised ICU experience in an accredited unit within 3 years. Maximum three unsuccessful attempts. CICM states final selection is merit-based; the Kanyini & Whanaungatanga Bursary ($4,500/year) supports Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori and Pasifika trainees after entry.
CICM updated examination fee structures. Check the CICM website for current examination dates and fees.
Indicative only. Check the CICM website for current information.
Official resources
State workforce data
Queensland Health’s medi-nav is the only state health department currently publishing the workforce and selection figures this section shows. We have not verified equivalent data for Northern Territory yet — the selection criteria and requirements above apply Australia-wide regardless of state. See the Queensland figures.
Fields of practice
Community discussions
Recent discussion about Intensive Care Medicine training from Australian doctors.
Search r/ausdocs and r/doctorsofaustraliaRequirements, windows, and criteria change annually. Verify with College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM) before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.