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RACS / AOA
When Orthopaedic Surgery applications run, and what the round looks like.
Applications
Register with RACS first. That window is separate from the application and closes before it opens.
Minimum PGY3 at application, with at least 26 working weeks of orthopaedic surgical experience in the last 2 years (Selection Regulations section 4.2.6). Most successful applicants are PGY3 to PGY6.
Training positions and workforce figures below are limited to New South Wales. Selection criteria, requirements and application dates are set by RACS / AOA nationally and apply in every state.
Very high
How Orthopaedic Surgery training is structured.
Minimum 12 months
Minimum 24 months
Minimum 12 months
Orthopaedic Principles and Basic Science Surgery examination
One successful attempt is required.
During training
Fellowship Examination
One successful attempt is required.
During training
Bone Camp
During training
Bone School
During training
CCrISP, Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient
During training
TIPS, Training in Professional Skills
During training
EMST, Early Management of Severe Trauma
During training
AOA 21 workshops
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%, across the two tools that are scored
Five panels of at least two assessors, up to 10 minutes each.
At least three reports, collected without the applicant involved.
A minimum score of 6 is needed to progress. Surgical and medical experience, skills courses, higher education, research presentations and research publications.
Scoring more than one standard deviation below the mean stops the application.
Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure
Rural, regional, and remote experience
Sourced from Australian medical community discussion.
At least two years before you apply
Before the February the applications open
In the first week applications are open
Well before you apply
When you complete the form
Recent intakes appointed 52 to 61 trainees a year across Australian and New Zealand networks, at roughly 4 to 5 applicants per post.
There is no cap on how many times you can apply. Review the written feedback before reapplying.
Selection and workforce history, transcribed as published.
295
Applicants
2025 round, five regions combined
56
Offers
2025 round, five regions combined
19.0%
Offer rate
2025 round — calculated from the published figures
53
Modelled 2027 vacancies
Across seven training regions
The association is blunt that it receives a very high number of applications for a limited number of posts, and that the number of posts moves each year with post accreditation and trainee progression. Across the five regions, applicants rose from 190 in 2020 to 295 in 2025 while offers stayed between 43 and 64, so roughly one applicant in five has received an offer in recent rounds.
Applicant numbers are based on each applicant's region of first preference, so a person appears in one region only.
| Year and stage | NSW | SA/NT | QLD |
|---|
Queensland Health is the only state department publishing these figures so far.
No published figures exist yet for New South Wales. This is being worked on. The selection criteria and requirements above apply Australia wide regardless of state. See the Queensland figures.
40 posts across 39 hospitals in New South Wales. Each circle counts hospitals.
Royal Newcastle Hospital is not shown on the map, with no location on file. Their posts are still counted above.
Show these kinds of site
Select a region to see the hospitals inside it. A numbered circle is several too close to draw apart, so open it to zoom in.
Hospital locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. State boundaries from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Published by RACS / AOA 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 / AOA before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.
During training
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
| VIC/TAS |
|---|
| WA |
|---|
| 2020 — applicants | 69 | 11 | 48 | 42 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 — interviewees | 67 | 13 | 36 | 36 | 12 |
| 2020 — offers | 23 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| 2021 — applicants | 76 | 11 | 60 | 49 | 22 |
| 2021 — interviewees | 71 | 9 | 41 | 36 | 14 |
| 2021 — offers | 16 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 6 |
| 2022 — applicants | 78 | 21 | 63 | 49 | 21 |
| 2022 — interviewees | 74 | 8L | 32 | 44 | 14 |
| 2022 — offers | 17 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 5 |
| 2023 — applicants | 90 | 16 | 68 | 65 | 26 |
| 2023 — interviewees | 90 | 20 | 35 | 56 | 23 |
| 2023 — VRR | 44 | 10 | 18 | 33 | 12 |
| 2023 — offers | 20 | 5 | Not published | 13 | 7 |
| 2024 — applicants | 98 | 21 | 74 | 62 | 28 |
| 2024 — interviewees | 76 | 17 | 42 | 49 | 20 |
| 2024 — VRR | 60 | 10 | 29 | 27 | 13 |
| 2024 — offers | 29 | 3 | 18 | 8 | 6 |
| 2025 — applicants | 94 | 27 | 70 | 78 | 26 |
| 2025 — interviewees | 80 | 24 | 56 | 60 | 18 |
| 2025 — VRR | 51 | 11 | 36 | 30 | 14 |
| 2025 — offers | 15 | 5 | 17 | 13 | 6 |
The five published regional columns added together. The association does not publish these totals; they are arithmetic on its figures.
| Year | Applicants | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 190 | 43 | 22.6% |
| 2021 | 218 | 51 | 23.4% |
| 2022 | 232 | 51 | 22.0% |
| 2024 | 283 | 64 | 22.6% |
| 2025 | 295 | 56 | 19.0% |
The association's initial modelling. It states that actual vacancy numbers in each region are subject to change.
| Training region | Anticipated posts |
|---|---|
| Western Australia | 4 |
| South Australia / Northern Territory | 4 |
| New South Wales SS (your selected state) | 9 |
| New South Wales NS (your selected state) | 11 |
| New South Wales NC (your selected state) | 4 |
| Victoria / Tasmania | 11 |
| Queensland | 10 |
The association states that actual interview numbers in each region are subject to change.
| Training region | Interview spots |
|---|---|
| New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory (your selected state) | 72 |
| Victoria / Tasmania | 48 |
| Queensland | 56 |
| South Australia / Northern Territory | 17 |
| Western Australia | 20 |
Source: Australian Orthopaedic Association. Selection applications for the 2027 intake — historic data by region for the last six years, plus modelled 2027 vacancies and interview spots. Figures are transcribed as published.
Check the current figures at Australian Orthopaedic Association — selection into training.