Medical Administration
Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators
Competition
Moderate
Qualification
FRACMA
Training duration
Minimum 3 years FTE (full-time or part-time) — two phases, Foundation and Advanced, each a minimum of 18 months FTE
Applications
Structured annual Application Periods, not rolling admissions: Application Period 1 (standard) and Application Period 2 (25% fee surcharge), plus a restricted Period 2b tied to recent employment-offer dates. Check racma.edu.au/training/fellowship-training-program/key-dates for the current cycle.
Selection format
Entry is eligibility- and post-based rather than a competitive national interview round: applicants need general or specialist medical registration, a minimum of 3 years full-time clinical experience involving direct patient care, and a RACMA-accredited training post (held or provisionally accredited). Progression is assessed through a Training Portfolio Review.
When to apply
Requires a minimum of 3 years full-time clinical experience involving direct patient care before entry — typically PGY4+. Hospital management, quality improvement, or administrative leadership experience strengthens the application.
Competition
Less competitive than clinical specialties. Valued for doctors transitioning to health system leadership, policy, and hospital management roles.
Selection criteria
Clinical experience
Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure
- Healthcare management or administration experience (hospital, health service, or policy setting)
- Training Portfolio Review — required to progress to completion of Fellowship
Rural & regional
Rural, regional, and remote experience
Nothing captured yet — verify with RACMA.
First Nations
Selection points and pathways for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori applicants
Nothing captured yet — verify with RACMA.
Academic
Exams, qualifications, courses, and teaching
- Approved Masters-level study — five named core subjects (evidence-informed decision making, financial management in health, health care systems, health law and ethics, leadership) from a RACMA-approved Masters program (Requirements Policy v1.0, October 2025)
Publications & research
Papers, impact factor, audits, and QI
- Quality improvement or patient safety projects
Extracurricular
Leadership and roles beyond clinical work
- Leadership role in a healthcare organisation
Distinction
Prizes, awards, and academic standing
Nothing captured yet — verify with RACMA.
Eligibility & application
Prerequisites, referees, interviews, and fees
- Eligibility — general or specialist medical registration plus a minimum of 3 years full-time clinical experience involving direct patient care
- Training position — a RACMA-accredited training post, held or provisionally accredited, at the time of application
Entry tips
Sourced from Australian medical community discussion. Always verify with RACMA.
Recent updates
Eligibility criteria obtained verbatim (14 July, eligibility-requirements page + the Fellowship Training Program Requirements Policy v1.0, Board-approved October 2025): (1) general and/or specialist registration; (2) no suspension, condition, restriction or undertaking on registration; (3) minimum 3 years full-time-equivalent clinical experience involving direct patient care; (4) a RACMA-accredited or provisionally accredited training post. The Requirements Policy names five core Masters subjects and 138 weeks of supervised practice. Note: "leadership/management experience" is NOT among the published eligibility criteria (leadership is one of the named core Masters subjects) — the intoSET calculator was corrected accordingly.
Entry corrected against racma.edu.au: the college is RACMA (Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators) — the previous "ACMA / acma.org.au" reference was wrong (that domain is the Australian Communications and Media Authority). Admissions are via structured annual Application Periods (Period 2 carries a 25% surcharge), not rolling. Program is minimum 3 years FTE in two phases with an approved Masters-level study requirement, entered from a RACMA-accredited training post with 3+ years of clinical experience.
Indicative only. Check the RACMA 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 New South Wales yet — the selection criteria and requirements above apply Australia-wide regardless of state. See the Queensland figures.
Community discussions
Recent discussion about Medical Administration training from Australian doctors.
Search r/ausdocs and r/doctorsofaustraliaRequirements, windows, and criteria change annually. Verify with Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.