Pain Medicine
Faculty of Pain Medicine (ANZCA) / RACP
Competition
High
Qualification
FFPMANZCA or FRACP (Pain Medicine)
Training duration
2 years post-specialist qualification (FPM pathway, after a primary fellowship such as anaesthesia, physician, or another approved specialist qualification)
Applications
Doctors must apply to join the FPM training program before commencing a training position — there is no single fixed national intake window. A trainee application fee is payable at the time of submitting the application. Check the ANZCA FPM website for current process.
Selection format
Application-based entry (not a competitive interview round in the way SET or AGPT are) — applicants must hold or be completing an approved primary specialist qualification and apply directly to join the program.
When to apply
Requires prior completion of, or concurrent enrolment in, an approved primary fellowship (e.g. FANZCA or FRACP). Applications are typically mid-fellowship or post-fellowship.
Competition
Requires prior completion (or near-completion) of a primary fellowship. Training positions must be at an ANZCA FPM-accredited site. Research in pain science is valued.
Selection criteria
Clinical experience
Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure
- Pain clinic rotations
- Multidisciplinary pain management experience
Rural & regional
Rural, regional, and remote experience
Nothing captured yet — verify with FPM / RACP.
First Nations
Selection points and pathways for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori applicants
Nothing captured yet — verify with FPM / RACP.
Academic
Exams, qualifications, courses, and teaching
Nothing captured yet — verify with FPM / RACP.
Publications & research
Papers, impact factor, audits, and QI
- Research in pain medicine or neuroscience
Extracurricular
Leadership and roles beyond clinical work
Nothing captured yet — verify with FPM / RACP.
Distinction
Prizes, awards, and academic standing
Nothing captured yet — verify with FPM / RACP.
Eligibility & application
Prerequisites, referees, interviews, and fees
- Prior or concurrent primary fellowship (e.g. FANZCA or FRACP) — see ANZCA by-law 3.1.3 for the approved qualifications list
- Training position at an ANZCA FPM-accredited site (40+ accredited multidisciplinary pain units across Australia, NZ, Hong Kong, and Singapore)
- Trainee application fee AUD $3,300 and annual training fee AUD $3,195 (2026; reduced fees and hardship bursary available under by-law 4.11)
Entry tips
Sourced from Australian medical community discussion. Always verify with FPM / RACP.
Recent updates
Re-verified against anzca.edu.au FPM pages: 2026 trainee application fee AUD $3,300, annual training fee AUD $3,195 (due 31 January; hardship bursary offers a 50% reduction). 40+ accredited training units across Australia, NZ, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Duration confirmed as 2 years post-specialist qualification.
Indicative only. Check the FPM / RACP website for current information.
Official resources
State workforce data
2024 first-year selection
6 of 12
eligible applicants selected
- Specialists in QLD
- 77 / 411 AU
- Trainees in QLD
- 19
- New fellows in QLD
- 1 / 21 AU
- Average week
- 40.2 hrs
How you reach a post
- An individual Queensland Health facility accredited for training
- Allocated by an individual Queensland Health facility accredited for training — there is no centralised Queensland pathway
- A post-specialisation program: applicants must already hold a primary specialist qualification, or have completed at least three years full-time equivalent training within that specialty
- Trainees complete two mandatory stages of approved clinical experience — core training and practice development
- Flexibility — minimum 50% of a full-time commitment; training must be completed within five years
- Only one new Queensland fellow was recorded in the published year, against 19 trainees in the state
Queensland figures published by Queensland Health (medi-nav). Selection numbers are for first-year entry and vary year to year — confirm the current round with the college and with Queensland Health before relying on them.
Community discussions
Recent discussion about Pain Medicine training from Australian doctors.
Search r/ausdocs and r/doctorsofaustraliaRequirements, windows, and criteria change annually. Verify with Faculty of Pain Medicine (ANZCA) / RACP (FPM / RACP) before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.