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How do I get onto paediatrics training?

RACP allows entry from PGY2, but the employer decides and most states want PGY3 1. Victoria is the only PGY2 door — the RCH JRMO, applied for as an intern, no paeds needed 23. NSW is one application across three networks; Queensland goes through the June RMO campaign; WA and Tasmania want you in a paeds job first 4.

The position is the accreditation. RACP permits entry from PGY2 but notes employers may require PGY2 to be complete 1. What matters more is that only a centrally recruited network position counts — the VBPTC says plainly that positions are accredited only if recruited through it, so a paediatric hospital job you arranged yourself does not confer training accreditation 2. Same principle everywhere.

Five different front doors. Victoria: the RCH JRMO, a PGY2 entry you apply for as an intern with no prior paediatrics required, direct to the RCH portal rather than PMCV — 18 May – 7 Jun 2026, interviews 13–30 Jul, outcomes late August for the 2027 year 23. NSW: one application across Sydney Children's, Children's Hospital at Westmead and John Hunter Children's, applied for in PGY2 to start PGY3, on a three-year joint training-and-employment contract 4. Queensland: completed PGY2, starting PGY3+, through the June RMO and Registrar campaign, with a mandatory CV template, written statements and a seven-station virtual MMI 5. WA and Tasmania: get the paediatric RMO or SRMO job first, then the local selection runs 4. SA runs a statewide "Paediatric 1st Year Trainee" round from about May 6.

Referees are specified, not generic. Victoria wants three reports — two medical consultants plus a senior nurse — due 15 June; Tasmania wants three consultants; Queensland two, as a shortlisting gate 35.

How hard is it. Harder than adult BPT, nowhere near surgical. No jurisdiction publishes an applicant-to-position ratio. Queensland's intake is the biggest at roughly 60 5; the community read is one to three attempts in Queensland 7 and a common recovery of one unaccredited paeds year between tries 8.

Sources

  1. RACP — Prevocational training and entry to basic training (PGY2 minimum; employers may require more) racp.edu.au collegeofficial
  2. VBPTC — Getting into the program (JRMO PGY2 entry; only centrally recruited positions are accredited) vbptc.com.au employerofficial
  3. Royal Children's Hospital — JRMO recruitment (2026 dates for the 2027 year; three referee reports) rch.org.au employerofficial
  4. RACP — Entry into basic training, NSW Paediatrics & Child Health (three networks, one application) racp.edu.au collegeofficial
  5. Queensland Health — Basic Paediatric Training (campaign entry, CV template, virtual MMI, intake size) careers.health.qld.gov.au campaign pageofficial
  6. Women's and Children's Health Network SA — TMO positions (statewide Paediatric 1st Year Trainee round) wch.sa.gov.au employerofficial
  7. r/ausjdocs — Getting into paeds program reddit.com r/ausjdocslore
  8. r/ausjdocs — I am a paediatrics registrar in Australia, AMA reddit.com r/ausjdocslore

What the sub said

r/ausjdocs — community view, not policy; verbatim, cautionary beside positive where both exist, every quote linked to the comment.

I got onto paeds training my second try after doing one unaccredited year.

u/adveturer321 · dual paeds/neonatal trainee · Sept 2023 · comment

Apply interstate/NZ as well then.

u/Rare-Definition-2090 · Mar 2025 · comment

RCH preferentially hires PGY2s onto the RMO program. You need to have your referees write sentences and mark you highly.

u/fernflower5 · Oct 2023 · comment

It's fairly reasonable here in QLD, based on my and peers experiences on the whole. The vast majority get on within 1 - 3 attempts.

u/ParleG_Chai · Oct 2023 · comment

Threads

Asked 57 times on r/ausjdocs (title-regex count) · encoded by hand from the numbered sources, retrieved 12 Sept 2026; no AI wrote any of it.

how the count was madeasked_count = posts in the 19,145-post r/ausjdocs dump (2022-09-13 to 2026-09-12) whose title matches /(?=.*(paeds|paediatric|pediatric))(?=.*(get(ting)? (on|onto|into)|\bapply\b|applic|applying|selection|pathway|how (do|to)|training|\bBPT\b|interview))/i. Quotes are the highest-scoring comments that name a state-specific mechanic or an attempt count, since the per-state differences are the whole answer here.
The Paediatrics (Basic Training in Paediatrics & Child Health) guide has the pathway, requirements and campaign dates.