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RACP / AFRM
When Rehabilitation Medicine applications run, and what the round looks like.
Feb
Within training, prospective approval has the standard RACP deadlines: 28 February (first-half or full-year training) and 31 August (second-half training); late applications accepted up to one month after, fees may apply.
Entry applications are due at least 3 months before commencing training.
Entry (PREP pathway) requires general medical registration and 2 full-time-equivalent years of postgraduate supervised training in general medical and surgical areas within the last 5 years, plus documented appointment to an AFRM-accredited training position. Trainees starting from 2024 follow the new curriculum entry requirements.
Moderate
Training positions and workforce figures below are limited to South Australia. Selection criteria, requirements and application dates are set by RACP / AFRM nationally and apply in every state.
How Rehabilitation Medicine training is structured.
4 years
Competencies
External training module in administration and management of rehabilitation services and quality management
During Advanced Training
External training module in clinical research
Includes a supervised clinical research project.
The second or third year of Faculty training
Advanced Life Support
After 48 months of certified training
Cultural Safety
By the end of Advanced Training
One set of categories across every specialty, so two can be compared. Only those with criteria recorded for this specialty are shown.
Registration mechanics and logistics not covered above
Sourced from Australian medical community discussion.
The curriculum frames chronic pain and illness through a biopsychosocial model, and rehabilitation physicians consistently lead interdisciplinary teams — comfort working across medical, psychosocial and vocational domains, and leading team meetings, is core to the role.
Selection and workforce history, transcribed as published.
607
Fellows in Australia
At 31 December 2025
A specialty of 607 Fellows at the end of 2025, concentrated in New South Wales (242) and Victoria (165).
How many Fellows of this specialty were on the register in each state at 31 December 2025. This is workforce size, not intake — a large number here does not mean a large number of training places.
| Jurisdiction | Fellows |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | 7 |
| New South Wales | 242 |
| Northern Territory |
Queensland Health is the only state department publishing these figures so far.
No published figures exist yet for South Australia. This is being worked on. The selection criteria and requirements above apply Australia wide regardless of state. See the Queensland figures.
Changes published by RACP / AFRM.
Selection happens site by site rather than through a national ranked round.
6 posts across 6 hospitals in South Australia. Each circle counts hospitals.
Show these kinds of site
Select a region to see the hospitals inside it.
Hospital locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. State boundaries from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Published by RACP / AFRM and the Medical Board unless stated.
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 RACP / AFRM before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.
| Queensland | 107 |
|---|
| South Australia (your selected state) | 51 |
|---|
| Tasmania | 9 |
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| Victoria | 165 |
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| Western Australia | 23 |
|---|
| Australia, total | 607 |
|---|
Source: Australian Government Department of Health. Medical Education and Training (2025), Chapter 4: Fellows — College Fellows by state, as at 31 December 2025. Figures are transcribed as published.