STANDARD PATHWAY

PGY 1 - learn how to be a doctor.

PGY2 - aim for terms in Anaesthesia (not possible at all hospitals) or ICU

PGY3 - aim for Critical Care SRMO position. Request as many anaesthetic terms as possible (many hospitals will only allow 1)

PGY4 – aim for Anaesthetic Scheme Registrar. NB Many people don’t get in the first year they apply and having 2 or 3 goes before getting in is not unusual. Be persistent. An Independent Anaesthetic Registrar job is an excellent bridge.
Good alternatives are ICU Reg positions and further Crit Care SRMO jobs

COURSES

There are NO required courses. Specifically, the Masters in Critical Care Medicine is NOT a requirement, it’s just an expensive urban myth!

Be self-analytical: Look at the skills/knowledge deficits you have and choose courses to plug the gaps. Then use the learning you get. It’s better to relate the courses you do to skills/knowledge you require than some random course you think/have heard may be good for anaesthetics but which you have no real interest in.

All emergency response courses (ATLS, ALS, APLS etc) are useful as are difficult airway courses.

RESEARCH/ AUDITS

Audit is part of QI and therefore involves us all. It’s good medicine and looks good on a CV but that doesn’t mean it needs to be huge, nor does it need to relate to anaesthetics – For example, a simple audit on compliance with falls prevention guidelines when you did a geriatrics term is highly appropriate and far more sensible than trying to audit some aspect of anaesthetics when you’re working in a different clinical area.
I think most anaesthetic departments would expect to see some evidence of audit activity from those they shortlist.

Research, if you get the chance to be involved, is great, but isn’t expected. We realise that many won’t have access.

ANZCA REGISTRATION

This is a requirement for most hospitals from the commencement of an accredited job. To register as a ‘Trainee’ member of ANZCA requires you to have been offered and accepted a recognised training position.
You can register as an ‘Applicant’ member of ANZCA whenever you wish and well before you get a training job. This is relatively cheap (compared to Trainee membership) and gives you access to the ANZCA library and to Networks, a member-only area of the ANZCA site with useful podcasts about getting a job, training and exams, amongst other things.

PRIOR TO JOB INTERVIEW/APPLICATION

Many training sites hold “Meet and Greet” (aka speed dating!) evenings where an SOT or HOD usually tells people a bit about the department, answering commonly asked questions, followed by a chance to chat briefly with members of the department (principally SOT’s and HOD) – this is the speed dating bit because people are usually limited to no more than 5 minutes with any 1 person so everyone gets a chance to chat.
The principle purpose of these meetings is to satisfy the applicants wish to meet with members of the department prior to applying without it consuming excessive amounts of the consultants’ time. Currently there seems to be no central site for advertising the dates and times of these meetings and they can begin anywhere from late May to late July. Contacting departments directly is probably the best.

Some departments will still permit individual informal chat’s, by phone or in person. Again contact the department directly to find out and try to go prepared with some questions and your CV.

Basic Physician Training (BPT) is the training pathway for doctors aspiring to be Physicians.

College Website: https://www.racp.edu.au/trainees/basic-training

Internship

• Try to get two medical terms if possible so that you can show interest.

• Meet different physicians and get involved in audits, research projects or other clinical opportunities.

Residency

• Aim to fill your year with medical rotations.
  Interviews occur towards the end of Term 3, or beginning of Term 4. It is important to nail down a couple of referees by this stage.

• Involvement in audits, research, committees, clinical projects or other curricular opportunities will help your application.

• If still available, count your residency year towards your 36 month BPT training requirements. RACP plan to remove this option soon.

Application Process

• Follow the steps on the RACP site as above.

• It is common for Central Coast JMOs to work in the RNSH BPT Network - rotating between Royal North Shore Hospital, Gosford Hospital & Lismore Hospital.

• Email Dr. Rishi Sud (Rishi.Sud@health.nsw.gov.au) to register your interest with him for BPT. Dr. Sud is the supervisor that signs off on your BPT application in late February.

There are two colleges that provide GP fellowship in Australia: RACGP (Royal Australian College of General Practice) & ACRRM (Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine)
Training is provided via GP Synergy in NSW.

RACGP: https://www.racgp.org.au/

ACRRM: https://www.acrrm.org.au/

GP Synergy: https://gpsynergy.com.au/

GENERAL PATHWAY:

PGY 1: Internship

PGY 2: Residency

• Aim to get a Paediatrics Term (required for GP training)

  • Alternatives: 2x ED terms with a Paediatrics Log Book

  • Sydney Child Health Program

• High Yield Terms:
  Paediatrics, O&G, Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, Endocrine, Drug & Alcohol, Geriatrics, Acute Surgical Unit, ENT.

• Sit exams & apply for the program.

PGY 3: SRMO or GP Registrar

• Many doctors choose to complete a further SRMO year(s) to gain extra hospital experience before going into the community.

• Some count this year towards their 6 months of Special Skills Training.
  Popular training terms include ED or Paediatrics SRMO.

PGY 4+: GP Registrar

Key Dates: https://gpsynergy.com.au/key-dates/

Check out the College Website: http://www.surgeons.org/becoming-a-surgeon/

Internship

• Try to get your compulsory Surgical Term in Terms 1-3. Ideally try to get an extra Surgical Term during intern year.

• Let the surgeons know you are interested in surgery.

• Get involved in research - aiming to get a presentation or publication ready before PGY 2.

• Attend surgical skills courses in Gosford / RNSH JDOCS. Try to sign off on the skills as listed on the documents.

• Start studying for GSSE (Primary Examination).

• Put your name down for all the courses: EMST, ASSETs, CCrISP. Probably end up doing the courses in the next few years.

PGY 2:

• Put ICU down as your first preference - required for General Surgery.

• Sit (and pass!) your GSSE

• Do more research projects/ audits.

• Some people choose to enrol in a Masters of Surgery.

• Contact individual surgical consultants for advice.

• Apply for SET training (application opens late Feb/ early March).
  If you aren’t ready for SET applications, apply in July/Aug for HETI Surgical SRMO/ Unaccredited Registrar jobs.

PGY 3:

• Get a Surgical SRMO/ Unaccredited Registrar Job.

• Do more research projects/ paper.

• Repeat steps in PGY 2.

PGY 4 +:

• SET, ASSET, CCrISP, EMST (can be done while on SET but helps with applications if done prior)

General Advice:

• Register for relevant training bodies whenever able (as early as PGY 2)

• Meet relevant SOT’s/ HOD prior to job applications or interviews.

• Let Surgical SRMO supervisors know of your interest from internship onwards.

• RNSH runs informal interview practice prior to the HETI Job interviews.

• Dr. Rita Poon often runs informal practice with JMOs when she is not on the selection panel.

• Recommend contacting other General Surgeons or HOD to let them know you are interested.

“A doctor entering the training program in intensive care medicine will have the ability to achieve all the competencies and show all the values, attitudes and aptitudes required of a specialist in intensive care medicine” – definition of ICU trainee as per CICM.

Criteria to be able to be admitted to the CICM (College of Intensive Care Medicine) training program are:

ESSENTIAL CIRTERIA:

• Successfully completed 12 months of internship (Post Graduate Year 1)

• Completed 6 months of intensive care supervised experience in a CICM accredited unit within last 3 years

SELECTION CRITERIA:

• Two structured references from intensive care specialists (CICM or Non-CICM Fellows) who have directly supervised the trainee during the 6 months experience

• Sufficient academic achievement to meet the requirements of the training program

• Some basic knowledge of Physiology and Pharmacology

• A demonstrated commitment to pursuing a career in intensive care medicine

• A basic knowledge of the CICM training program

• A willingness to rotate to different hospitals, including the mandatory rural attachment

TRAINING PROGRAM

• The training program in intensive care medicine is a minimum of six years and each trainee’s requirements will vary depending on prior experience and qualifications.

• The required 42 months of specific intensive care is divided into three stages

OTHER REQUIRED TRAINING TIME

• Foundation Training: 6 months (undertaken prior to selection into the program)

• Core Training: 24 months

• Transition Year: 12 months

• Clinical Anaesthesia: 12 months

• Clinical Medicine: 12 months

• Elective: 6 months

• Rural exposure (any discipline): 3 months

• Paediatric exposure: 6-12 months

A TYPICAL PATHWAY MAY LOOK LIKE THIS:

Aim to fulfil the essential criteria

PGY 1 – Complete internship

PGY 2 – Aim for ICU and/or Anaesthesia term

PGY 3 – Critical Care SRMO year with ideally 6 months of ICU

• Aim to get references in these 6 months

• The first 6 months of ICU training will be counted as ‘foundation training’

• In fact, any ICU training before registration with the College will be counted as ‘foundation training’

PGY 4 – Register with CICM

• Aim for ICU trainee job

PGY 5-8 - ICU trainee job

• Medicine – 1 year (can include 6 months of emergency training)

• Anaesthesia – 1 year

Please note – CICM may accredit Medicine and Anaesthesia time retrospectively (each case will be assessed individually). But the ICU time (except foundation training) will only be accepted if done after registering with the college.

There are two examinations – Primary and Fellowship – must be completed as a registered trainee.

TIPS:

These are useful to help you “stand out “ at interview/Job selection time by demonstrating desire to improve clinical skills.

• BASIC course

• Ultrasound/Echo course

• Family Donation Conversation course (See CICM website)

• Audit/research experience

Contact the Director of ICU (Dr Michael Bastick) or the Supervisor of Training (Dr Sayek Khan) before or after applying for the job in the CCLHD.

STANDARD PATHWAY

PGY 1 - Internship.

PGY2 - Aim for O&G Terms. Ideally get multiple throughout the year.

PGY3 - O&G SRMO Positions.

PGY4+ - O&G Unaccredited or Accredited Registrar Positions.

Paediatric Training

General Pathway:

• PGY 1: Internship

• PGY 2:
  - Aim to get a Paediatrics term, ideally in Terms 1-3 to help gain references for interviews.
  - Recommend enrolling in the Sydney Child Health Program: https://schp.org.au/
  - Consider completing APLS
  - Talk to the bosses and current registrars and get involved with the department as much as possible.

• PGY 3: Paediatric SRMO or Training Position.

Paediatrics consists of at least 6 years of training.

• 3 years: Basic Training

• 3+ years: Advanced Training

The Paediatric Physician Training Network is comprised of three networks, administrated through the tertiary paediatric hospitals:

• Western (Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead)

• Northern (John Hunter Children’s Hospital, Newcastle)

• Eastern (Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick)