Two gates, neither of them a ranking. You get an ED job first (there is no national match; states recruit ED SRMO/HMO/PHO/registrar posts through their campaigns), then you apply to ACEM once a year in one of two rounds…
Typical start years; people vary by a year or two. Diamonds are exams. Stage list and sources in the pathway tab.
1 = uncontested, 5 = extremely competitive. Ratings are the encoder's 1–5 call from college numbers and r/ausjdocs; applicant-to-place ratios double-count people who apply in several states. Evidence rows are in getting selected.
with a structured CV, four referees from one ED placement and an institutional reference from its Director. Selection is standards-based — no interview, no exam, no quota, no points matrix — and 55% of accredited EDs reported trainee vacancies in 2025. The filter is later: the Primary and especially the Fellowship SAQ. Five-year program, average 7.0 years to finish.
While on a panel I have seen too slow for ED should do OK in Psychiatry on a reference report.
you can phone literally any hospital in QLD whenever and walk into a SHO job. relax
If you felt really confident in a section but still failed it, that’s a bad sign. I find that most people who feel super confident do worse than those who feel less confident.
Very do-able in ED, almost routine the more senior you get in training
All 168 curated quotes by topic, trajectories and threads.
acem.org.au for the facts and summary, read 12 Sept 2026 · rating and pathway encoded by hand from the same sources · quotes are verbatim r/ausjdocs comments, community view not policy
Number = distinct authors who said it; dashed chips are single reports (under three authors). Hover or long-press a chip for the why.
Stages: policy.acem.org.au, acem.org.au · terms: r/ausjdocs term-strategy collection, counted by distinct author, community view not policy
"Mandatory" is the college's word. Amber "community" rows are what the sub says panels actually want.
From August 2027 ACEM is abolishing tiers, TS4 status and Linked ED/EMTN status entirely — do not build persistent UI around tier labels.
MR/non-MR classifications are being abolished from August 2027.
Canberra Health Services. Emergency Medicine is the earliest registrar stream advertised; RMO/SRMO follow 31 Aug–27 Sep. The Canberra Hospital is the sole MR + 36-month ED; small cohort, high DEMT contact.
ACEM selection is national, two rounds a year, one application per calendar year for commencement the following year. Components: Structured CV Form, four Selection References, Institutional Reference. No interview, MMI, SJT or entry exam. Enrolment by 18 January 2027 for the 2027 year.
2027-cycle ACEM dates not yet published; the May/June and Aug/Sep pattern has held for years.
One centralised campaign via the JMO Career Portal (not eCredential). The Emergency Medicine stream explicitly covers Senior Registrar, Trainee Stages 1–4 and Rural Generalist — accredited and unaccredited ED registrar posts both go through it. Training runs through five HETI Emergency Medicine Networks (~600 trainees, ~40 accredited hospitals). Titles: RMO, SRMO (award class Resident), "Trainee – Stage 1" (ED-specific accredited title, award class Registrar), "Trainee – Unaccredited Position" (PGY4+, paid at Registrar), CMO.
HETI's ED recruitment page still shows 2020/2021 content — link the networks page and the campaign dates page instead.
Top End and Central Australia recruit separately; ED applications accepted year-round. Alice Springs offers a streamed 12-month rotational RMO/ED-SRMO → 12-month Registrar pathway and satisfies RRR. Royal Darwin is the sole MR + 36-month ED.
NT RMO dates sourced partly from third-party trackers — re-verify.
Single RMO and Registrar campaign, no late applications. Round 1 (Registrars + PHOs) offers 3 Aug–2 Sep; Round 2 (SHO/JHO) offers 28 Sep–21 Oct; Round 3 open round from 9 Nov. Titles: JHO (L2, ≈PGY2), SHO (L3, ≈PGY3), PHO (L4–L7, registrar-grade non-training, usually PGY4+), Registrar (L4–L9). EDs commonly advertise "Registrar or PHO" for a middle-grade slot fillable by either; PHO and Registrar are paid identically at the same level. QLD hosts 43% of Australia's RRR placements.
SA MET PGY2+ EOI for prevocational roles (interviews August, offer rounds 17 & 24 Sep, 1 & 8 Oct), but SA MET does not allocate registrars — ED registrar jobs go direct to the LHN (e.g. CALHN ED Junior Doctors and Registrars, RAH + TQEH; SALHN ED pool at MDP2, open to TS1–TS4 trainees). SA's Prevocational Acute and Critical Care (ED/ICU/anaes) program is withdrawn for 2027. Titles: MDP1 (intern), MDP2 (RMO/registrar band), "Service Registrar" for non-accredited.
Statewide RMO campaign for rotational PGY2+; registrars advertised separately in the Doctors in Training campaign, including a dedicated ED SRMO recruitment campaign cross-posted to jobs.acem.org.au. Royal Hobart is the sole MR + 36-month ED.
No Emergency Medicine match. PMCV's Computer Match covers Intern, PGY2, BPT, Cardiology, Geriatrics, Rural Generalist and Unaccredited Orthopaedics only, and the PGY2 Match allocates to a health service which then assigns rotations. ED HMO / ED HMO3 / Critical Care HMO3 and ED registrar jobs are advertised direct by each health service on careers.vic.gov.au and hospital portals. Titles: HMO2, HMO3, ED HMO, Critical Care HMO, Emergency Registrar.
Direct PGY3+ ED/crit care streams advertise earlier (Apr–Jul) than the PMCV window.
RMO/SMR Centralised Recruitment: one application, preference hospitals, choose RMO or SMR level. SMR (Service Medical Registrar) is WA's non-training registrar — "known by different titles in other states, such as unaccredited trainee". Registrar training campaigns run separately from ~May; midyear round opens January. The three MR + 36-month EDs are FSH, RPH and SCGH.
Mid-year pool date is 'January' — first-of-month placeholder.
Dates drift a week or two each year; the calendar has confirmed vs expected windows.
Standards-based, not ranked: "Applications are reviewed against a standard deemed by the College to be required of a doctor commencing FACEM Training." No quota, no interview, no weights. Gate: ≥6 FTE months in a single Level 3+ ED at ≥0.5 FTE, each contributing placement ≥2 consecutive FTE months, leave ≤5 weeks; plus 3 full terms in 3 different non-EM disciplines (≥8 FTE weeks each); PGY3. 4 nominated referees (DEMT, term supervisor, senior FACEM ≥3 yrs, senior clinician o…
Requirements and rubric: acem.org.au, policy.acem.org.au · state mechanics: canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au, acem.org.au, health.nsw.gov.au +6 · community rows from r/ausjdocs
Dots are sittings the college has dated; "approx." means only a month was published.
Hollow dots are hearsay — the poster was not citing a figure. A bar spans the components or years quoted; hover for the exact words.
"Cost to get on" is a name-based pick of the one-off fees paid before or at selection. The college schedule is a lifetime-of-training list at each item's own year, not one bill; community amounts overlap it and are never summed. Courses, travel and repeat sittings are the part the sub complains about.
Not shown: 2 paid products under three independent authors.
Exams and fees: acem.org.au, medicalboard.gov.au · claims, prep and costs quoted: r/ausjdocs exams-and-costs collection, community view not policy · paid prep products need three independent non-suspect authors and a free alternative to appear
Scored by the Emergency Medicine rules — whether or not the title names the specialty — highest first, closing soonest next.
Faded bars are expected, not confirmed. Only 4 dated offer reports mention Emergency Medicine, too few for a chart. Full detail on the calendar.
Jobs: last night's scrape, scored by hand-written rules (no AI) · units and offer reports: r/ausjdocs, counted by distinct author · campaign windows: canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au, health.nsw.gov.au, healthjobs.nt.gov.au +4
Verbatim, one caution beside one encouragement per topic where both exist, the rest folded. Every quote links to the comment.
Late stage ED trainee here. Questions like this I think can be difficult to answer because tbh a lot of it will come down to what best aligns with your individual circumstances and preferences and that is hard/impossible for strangers on reddit to discern. I do have some general thoughts though - Firstly, I think…
1- Enjoy medical school, pass your exams, try to get as broad and rounded experience as possible which helps for ED. There are some super keen beans who did projects and audits for the department but these are rare and certainly not necessary. Speak to as many ED docs as you can ensure that it is the specialty that you…
If you felt really confident in a section but still failed it, that’s a bad sign. I find that most people who feel super confident do worse than those who feel less confident.
1. Emergency Medicine, dual training Adult and Paediatrics. 2. I did a JMO term and really enjoyed it. My then DEMT, sat me down after the term and said I’d be good at it. Also found out at that time, after that term, that I was pregnant with my second one. He was a surprise, I struggled with fertility issues with my…
Okay, first of all, do not give up. You’re going through a hell of a shit time right now, but it will pass and being an emergency consultant is much much better than being a trainee. Also easier to navigate being a parent when you can actually afford decent childcare. I find it absolutely shocking that ACEM can…
This exact scenario happened to me. I applied for ACEM training and wasn’t successful due to some of the references. I was hesitant about moving hospitals but decided to take a leap of faith and moved to a different hospital in the same state ( which I will add is usually more reputable and harder to get a job at than…
Go find enjoyment from non work activities and look for new challenges in your current specialty to get the enjoyment back at work. Don't jump on to another training program grind.
Hi I just got onto the program! I don't know anything but to answer your questions: 1. Get involved in your ED term (if not already done), it's a great opportunity to work up real patients from the start that will serve you well ok any rotation. Do more ED for your elective.
You have the rest of your career to do ED terms. Getting a broad range of exposure in JMO years will make you a better Emerg doc than hanging around in ED that whole time. Do one ED term any time in PGY1, then one in T1 or T2 in PGY2 (so they know and like you pre-interviews).
I feel you bud. Found out I failed today too. All we can do is dust ourselves off, practice self-kindness, and get back on the study horse. 5 months until the resit, plenty of time to close those knowledge gaps and smash it to pieces.
Remove the current model where you have 1-2 FACEMs per ED wing. Make it 4-5 per wing. That way they can actually see more patients. A FACEM could see 20 fast track patients per shift if they didn't have to supervise. That's more cost effective than having 2 NPs who will cost more or similar to 1 FACEM and only cherry…
Not an ED reg myself but someone who has spent a substantial amount of time in ED as a junior doctor, here is my perspective. If your supervisor has been supportive, then you need to approach other consultants directly and ask for genuine feedback on how you can improve. Rather than speculating or trying to figure it…
As a junior doc who doesn’t have and never will have young children, but would be one of the people picking up the slack, I gotta say that feels very unfair on the rest of us
My one regret was getting onto ED too soon and not doing some more subspecialty medicine / surgery. It's useful experience to see how patients are managed "on the other side" once they leave the ED. It's a generalist speciality so any experience is useful IMHO. Some maybe more than others? Obvious thoughts are ICU,…
ACEM now requires unaccredited time (6 months) to apply to training.
I have had a similar scenario this year except I did not end up applying. I was going to apply to ACEM this year having worked in the ED in Australia for 8 months prior and before that in the UK. The day I was planning on submitting the ACEM application the DEM pulled me aside and advised that he would not support my…
It would be pretty weird to apply to a speciality having never worked in it before beyond being an intern. You can try it out. They can try you out. It’s not unpaid don’t worry
I was ED keen as a med student too. Still love the work but could not see myself doing FACEM for many reasons you'll soon discover. Best piece of advice I ever got on ED as a med student was my supervisor who said to be aware that the nature of the job changes drastically as you progress from Med student -> Intern ->…
From what I have heard in other states, consultant positions are rare everywhere The common problem everywhere is that Australian EDs are very bottom-heavy because a lot of their budgets were set up when the speciality was kind of new and there was still a general shortage of FACEMs - so they were structured to work…
Maybe too many people in training, dragging out the years instead of getting through the exams asap Or the dept just won’t support you bu won’t tell you to your face so you’re stuck in limbo
I assume you are talking about the institutional reference. This is written by the head of unit following a discussion/ vote with the whole consultant group. There are a couple of options for the outcome of this vote: - “Do not recommend this person for training” - “Recommend this person” - “Strongly recommend” The…
You need the data point of "What were the concerns raised by the consultant group?" to inform any decision you make or advice you get. I've been in plenty of consultant meetings where institutional references are discussed and, at least in my experience, the reasons for a "not this time" are always discussed…
Resident time counts for ACEM applications “One 6-month (FTE) ED placement that must have been completed: in a single\* Emergency Department where the applicant assesses and manages all types of patients in that Emergency Department (i.e. not only fast-track patients)”
If you want to do ED training, do some non-ED terms. ED time is important, but it's good to know how the upstairs guys do their things.
And as of 2027 ACEM will be requiring rural terms for trainees anyway
I would save it and do relief as an intern. You generally get the opportunity to do 2 ED terms as a resident / PGY2.
The institutional reference is compiled by the DEM with a minimum of 4 other members. There must be the term supervisor present and at least 1 senior emergency nurse present NUM, ANUM, or even CCRN is allowed. The DEMT is not required, though is usually included. Do you have a good relationship with nursing staff? As…
I second above that caffeinated-turtle already said, but just wanted to add some specifics. Anaesthetics wants people who have generally done a minimum of 6 months of anaesthetic experience already as an SRMO to be considered for junior registrar positions. This can take 2 years to achieve post resident year. In…
Reality check. Nights/rotating shifts does get harder. And ED regs do A LOT of nights. Also, if you are a woman, peri/menopause. I used to be the best sleeper, no worries for nights. Now, urghh. I get what others were talking about. Also, your ability to continue to empathise, put up with BS tends to lessen as you get…
I thought most specialty colleges and hosptital training networks already required most of their trainees to spend at least a term in a rural region, and have been doing so for some time now. I'm obviously biased because I'm a FACRRM and I'm inherently supportive of most intiatives that get more doctors working in…
I can see why they introduced it. I can also be unhappy about the fact that it is yet another blow to working parents in medicine or people with other caretaking obligations. Do these colleges think we’re all young carefree lads happy to go anywhere across the country, with maybe a stay at home wife we drag along on…
Well that sounds like you actually do mind nights/evenings/weekends, because that is exactly whay is going to happen. You can mitigate it somewhat with a supportive and well staffed department, but it is always an issue.
I am just at the tail end of ED training now, did medicine as a second career so have been ACEM reg aged 35-40. Honestly the shifts/nights were fine when I didn’t have kids, recovery post nights much harder now that I do. Not so much the age as a factor, more how freely your personal life can accommodate you being…
From what I have seen, most split their FTE across multiple sites, sometimes traveling great distances each week (4.5 hours to regional areas). Having that said, I have seen anaesthetic do that as well. So it’s not limited to just ED, more the reality of consultant job these day. Which is ironic because there…
“We dont work THAT hard”??? This is absolutely location dependant. Day shifts at my place are not chill, usually plenty waiting to be seen at all hours, although not the 100+ patients in the department like afternoons I guess. This is the difference between better resourced, inner city ‘name’ hospitals, and outer…
31 y/o TS2 here, BPT prior, wife does a typical 9-5 mon to friday job - ACEM is a relaxed college compared to others abd part time training is not discouraged. The shift patterns can really work to your advantage. Much preferred the shift pattern to the physician training. Theres potential to do teaching, ultrasound,…
ED trainee in final year here. Do it if you don't mind doing night or evening shifts and lots of weekends. The worst part is the actual training. I gritted my teeth and did my 30 months of core ED full-time, now I'm only left with critical care and non -ed time. There are several niches such as ultrasound, trauma,…
I would disagree with this. I work 0.75FTE as a FACEM - I have 4 days off a week to spend with kids and work 3. There is a bit of flexibility even around these days worked (set days/ regular patterns). At my place weekends are optional as a FACEM. I'd say I average around 1 on call evening a month which is not really…
One thing to remember, ED is often the first rotation in your junior years where you’re treated as an adult doctor, so for the mature age recruit, it can be enticing since you’re used to being treated with some autonomy. The shift work gets much harder as you get older though. I’m in my final year of training and am…
I completely agree. As a trainee, I was disgusted by consultants who weaseled their way out being present for an on call, where they would argue that their presence "wouldn't change anything". A well rested (i.e. One that is on a good sleep cycle in preparation for nights) is a better decision maker and proceduralist…
1. How hard is it to get in? Do you have a pulse, a medical degree and the few other pre-reqs as stated by the college? If so, welcome, walk right in. 2. How taxing is the shift work over the course of a career? If I went full time, over the average week how many hours do I work and how is that split across days /…
For a specialty boasting about being the only 24/7 specialty, you are far more likely to see a unicorn in an ED after midnight than a FACEM. I love ED don't get me wrong and this is nothing against consultants. We all get night shifts are shit. But I do find it quite strange the complete aversion for…
I write the roster for a large metropolitan ED and have a hard upper limit of 33% nights.
20-25% is ideal. 30% is pragmatic / likely / possible 50% is a glaring incompetent oversight, or intentional evil, on the part of the rostering person. Either way they need a slap. What's a "HMO", btw? Bespoke regional term for an RMO / CMO?
I do ED in both Aus and NZ, my NZ job is relatively cruisy, my Aus job feels like taking grenades in the trenches while trying to put out fires left and right for 10 hours straight.
Oof. I'm a TS3 trainee in my mid 30s. Married (husband works a 'normal hours' job). The flexibility of ED is variable. Yeah, I love never having to do my groceries at the busiest time but I miss so many family/social events because they're organised after roster has come our or requests have closed. I failed my first…
Does your ED have NPs? This shifts the nights burden increasingly onto (junior) medical staff. Where there is less supervision, less teaching, and a far greater personal health burden.
There is a balance to be targeted in rostering and removal of nights. If I remove nights for those with young families then the staff without young families will have to work significantly more night shifts to compensate. I work in line with relevant legislation and also with the ACEM position statement on parenting…
Not ACEM- but responding as a fellow medical colleague Have you spoken to the marker of the original ITA to Re clarify the steps done? Would this be backed by your notes on the patient file? If she amends your ITA, could this time now be accredited or is there too much of a time lapse? Before dropping the course,…
Joke answer: get into rock climbing and cycling Real answer: you really don't have to do anything special just be a decent person With regards to rostering: usually 10 hour shifts and cycles between day, afternoons and nights. Varies between departments. Most consultants don't do nights, some do, again depends where…
I ask this out of genuine confusion at the disparity I see between testimonies such as yours and the actual demographics of ED Trainees: Are the unfriendly hours not made up for by the predictability and flexibility of the hours? There are so few specialties and pathways in existence where your start and finish time on…
I really feel for FACEMs as they cop shit from every other specialty and get pressured to focus on traffic rather than good medicine by the beaurocrats. This specialty is fine if you like chaos, and a x days on x days off roster. You only have to take responsibility for patients until they are admitted under a team…
🤷♂️ Start lobbying your state and federal politicians to dramatically increase the FTE for staffing of Emergency Departments and the tangible and intangible benefits offered for staff to work in EM
I’m a 39 year old (trying not to think about turning 40 later this year) ACEM trainee who is giving my Fellowship exam in 16 days (don’t ask what I’m doing here, that’s not the point). I’ve been a trainee since 2020. I’m also a dual trainee, so I’m also a PEM pursuant, which means in my 7th Registrar year, I’ve also…
I think your final sentence has the answer. I also tried to do it with little local teaching. Also failed. I was pregnant at the time and this meant that I needed to study next time with a small child, and I had to move to have any hope of passing. My partner was amazing (he still is). When I went to a place that…
I know an excellent doctor who passed everything until their 'OSCE' style stations, they repeated it as many times (?3) as they could and were unable to continue. They were an excellent trainee and it was outrageous that they couldn't be allowed any way to proceed or get their FACEM.
Out of 100 trainees, the exam pass rates are the big bottle neck. The past few years, primary pass rates are also dropping to the 60%, so trainees drop out here.
Yeah this is what I’m scared of…not to brag but I’ve always had excellent feedback, my last DEMT meeting I got told I was “our stand out registrar” and yet I just cannot pass even an entry level exam. I’m just so frustrated at myself and I have no idea how I’m supposed to improve, I’m scared as well as my permanent…
Government: - Fails to find preventative/primary care - Fails to find public specialist clinics - Pays subpar NPs more than senior regs - Enforces unsafe nursing ratios - Does nothing about unsafe hours - Does nothing about bed block and ramping times Also Government when people quit: 😮
You won't be able to appeal simply based on being a good performer at work (references, good feedback etc...). You can appeal for an extra attempt if you have exceptional circumstances but ACEM are quite strict about what constitutes this -…
After 3 attempts you may be 'considered for removal from the training program', in reality it seems like a lot of people get a 4th shot.
I left ED training due to a bunch of issues I had: - It’s the only specialty where you can be forced to care for patients that aren’t within your scope of practice. You wouldn’t go to gynaecologist for prostate cancer, you wouldn’t go to a cardiologist for bronchiolitis… Yet you can show up to the emergency department…
* ANZCA part 1 pass rate ranges 60-70% * ANZCA part 2 pass rate ranges ~70-80% * CICM part 1 pass rate ranges 40-50% (lowest ever was 2007, 14% passed) * CICM part 2 pass rate ranges 31-50% * RACP Adult division exam averages 80% pass rate * surgery - too many different sub exams * GP 68%…
Anaesthetics always quotes '1000 hours' of prep for the primary for ANZCA - that usually means 20hrs a week for 9 months of prep (usually).
Liverpool ED, SWSLHD has a great work culture and has a great Fellowship pass rate, comparable to Royal North Shore Hospital, which also has a good Fellowship pass program, good support but I can’t speak for RNS having never worked there.
Since previous post I have decided to resign from hospital and quit ACEM, restart my journey into ACRRM.
I don’t know, I’ve never seen it. Like I said, I used the Tamworth syllabus. It front loads the stuff that really just needs to be known in absolute detail (cardiac/resp physiology, upper/lower limb, general + CV pharm, inflammation, coagulation and wound healing) and for the first 10-12 weeks you feel pretty terrible…
There isn't (or at least not a hard one) a set cutoff score. It's standard set. What I am referring to is the intra-exam discrepancy in passing rates. There are also significant discrepancies between years. For example, a. OSCE 2023.2: Cohort 1@ 56.5% vs. Cohort@ 71.6% b. 2022.2: Cohort 1@ 59.3% vs Cohort 2@…
It varies wildly. 2022.1 had a pass rate of only 55%, whereas 86% passed 2024.2. Without doing an actual average over the past decade, it seems to be in the ballpark of 70%.
Pass rate was 59.5% which just shows how many had issues with this exam.
Have sat both ACEM primary and ANZCA primary. They’re not even on the same planet. 6-9 months of proper study without totally killing your social life is fine. Everyone is different so there’s no minimum number of hours (same for other exams).
I failed too mate. So did all the trainees in my Dept who sat it. And we have good teaching. And chatting to people I know across 3 other hospitals, I haven't spoken to anyone who has passed yet. I think the exam was a bit of an outlier. But the 59% pass rate is a reflection of something. I don't know what that is, but…
I took about 6 months of full time study for the primary and about 18 months for the fellowship
All candidates have a maximum of three attempts at each of the Primary Examinations (Written and Viva).
Hey did your result also say "the pass rate for this examination was 84.3%"?
Pass rate of the written is relatively high most years (80-90%). Viva pass rates are lower.
The reporting on this is a bit sensationalist and misses some of the deeper context. I’m not saying things are great, but if you look at the ACEM workforce report, the numbers for people wanting to cut hours or quit in the next decade (page 9) are basically identical to the 2022 survey. It’s a chronic, baseline issue…
1. No department cares about your clinical skills. You have your letters. Everyone has their letters. Everyone is assumed to be at the same clinical level. 2. Start developing a non clinical portfolio from the start of training. You want to demonstrate a proven track record of skills in clinical governance,…
You can just say you work for HNE Health and they suck. Western Sydney is busy and pretty good. Liverpool will give you great trauma. Qld will give you better pay and a better life.
you can phone literally any hospital in QLD whenever and walk into a SHO job. relax
One word of advice: leave NSW Health. Two words if you’re smart: Now
I'm a new FACEM, and have worked at a number of regional and tertiary hospitals in a couple of different states during my training. In my experience you will have exposure to most procedures like procedural sedation, casts, fracture reduction, and suturing in any ED you work in. More uncommon procedures like chest…
Very big department. Worked there 4 years including as an ACEM registrar - don’t think the head of department knew my name and can’t remember him ever speaking to me. Difficult to get procedures done as lots of competition from other trainees. Very difficult to get an anaesthetics rotation there. Very little…
I found Gold Coast University Hospital in Queensland to be one of the best emergency departments I have had the pleasure of working at. Down-to-earth, supportive and knowledgeable emergency physicians on staff that promote a safe and healthy workplace culture. There were opportunities to upskill and get decent exposure…
The last one is the kicker. Can you expect someone to turn up to work, be unresourced to do the job they trained for, and have them plod along for an entire career just sucking it up?
I'd say Liverpool. As someone that trained in UK before coming to Aus and now consultant level and having working around Sydney, Liverpool offers the best exposure to training, the best teamwork, the best examination prep. It is hard, don't get me wrong, but if you survive Liverpool then you can survive anywhere and…
I'm an ED ward clerk in a rural 134 bed hospital. We don't have a FACEM in the hospital. Our ED HOD was a FACEM but was based in Sydney and was supposed to visit two days a week. Narrator: She did not visit two days a week. Most of our senior ED doctors are GPs.
Personally I think it's a great idea. However I'm biased as I work in smaller site and have been pro this idea for a while. There are many chronically understaffed EDs struggling around Australia with no trainees and shoestring staff. Often these places are where newer FACEMs end up. Certainly trainees will benefit…
Yeah these are all definitely some of the major downsides of ED. I suspect the first issue is very physician dependent. It's often easier to end up supervising juniors rather than taking on a patient load. In my shop if you're running the floor it's not available to take on a patient load and supervision itself is…
As a ex trainee in NSW and now consultant I would recommend places like Liverpool / Campbelltown. Reasons being - high acuity, high numbers, less competition than the inner / metro places. If you struggle to get to Liverpool consider Campbelltown as the trainees often rotate between the 2 so you will get access to…
Coffs Harbour is pretty good for training. It’s a hidden gem on the Mid North Coast NSW. I did most of my training in metro Sydney but learned way more when I rotated Coffs. It’s a regional centre with a good proportion of trauma and interesting pathology. Has an excellent teaching program with good support for both…
I have never formally worked in paeds and my student rotation at TPCH Children's ED remains one of the most horrendous experiences of my life, but I was rather awed by how some of the staff were able to interact with children and get them to do go along with blood tests and procedures.
Logan - sounds like a shit show in ED but great teaching.
Paeds exposure is next to zero (not counting rotations to Auburn ED) unless you are one of the lucky few who score a term at CHW ED or gen paeds.
Speaking to colleagues ED training at SVHM, RMH and Alfred is very good and supportive.
Dr Mullaley, who had continued working at JHC as an ED consultant in the years following the incident, was stood down by the hospital pending investigation following the findings.
@ OP - hopefully you get some actual ED trainees weighing in, but from the limited perspective of having done one JMO term there I can say that the JHH ED bosses were overall supportive & good, the case mix was very interesting and very acute, there was decent teaching, the ED-specific admin were quite helpful.
Been offered a job at Peninsula Health / Frankston in their ED haven't accepted yet- just after any feedback on what its like to work there at as a resident and registrar (hoping to stick around long term .
Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD has a GP/Rural ED term in Milton which I highly recommend
I know that Bendigo can support all requirements of ACEM training (apart from tertiary trauma - has to be RMH/Alfred) and they sometimes rotate you out to Echuca.
I've only worked in ED in Eastern Health- I enjoyed there, can be busy enough at times but generally pretty well supported, I thought teaching was good and HR were pretty good about arranging swaps/taking leave for travelling etc.
My thoughts are that TPCH I could potentially get a paeds ED term but QEII and Ipswich are more commutable.
I think ED term would still be secondment to a public qh hospital like Mt Isa, but not sure (I dont think Mater ED is accredited for junior doctor rotation but i may be wrong).
JHC, Midland, Rockers, Armadale (you’ll probably have most luck here) & FSH all have paeds within their EDs (to varying extents) but you typically can’t get a job in Paeds ED only you cover it all so your daily paeds exposure can vary.
SA Health is actively recruiting ED medical practitioners into Port Pirie and describes the role as offering broad regional exposure including emergency care, airway management, trauma, resuscitation and retrieval-related training.
I've seen ADF GPs and GP trainees in ED who get an occasional week of hospital exposure.
Yes that’s the NSW staff specialist award, plus onerous duties and special allowance etc. But lower than registrars or fellows in other states. But on top of the salary you do also get the benefit of toxic NSW health admin so there’s that… 🤷♀️
Each shift is 10 hours, my boss is very happy to pay any overtime but it's not really needed. You're on call / on floor shifts have admin time built in so you're not on the floor the whole time. The evening on call shift is probably the worse as that is a 10 hour shift with you being on call overnight so could be…
If the NPs were not there, you'd be in fast track more days learning to suture better and there would be more doctors around to share the nights, just saying. Let's say you need 10 "practitioner" staff for your ED. If you have just two NPs; that's now 8 people for the nights instead of 10. You just got 20% more…
1. Not that hard 2. 40 hrs per week, mix of day 8-6, evening 2-00 and nights. Nights coverage is 3 - 4 nights maybe once a month or so depending on coverage. 3. You can go part time but need to ask at interview and have a good reason. You cannot opt out of weekends / nights otherwise everyone would do it. If you…
Benefits includes the Special Allowance and Private Practice Allowance (PPA) and Emergency Physician Allowance (if you elect to be Level 1 of the PPA and take on a non clinical portfolio to do your part to manage the medical admin side of the ED). It boosts the salary by about $50-100K with these allowances.
QLD base salary is about 250. Add in weekends, public holidays, evenings, on calls, PDL allowance, vehicle allowance, ED loading (basically instead of private practice allowance or doing private clinics, recruitment and retention) and take home is 450-600. The reason for this ultimately is to make sure benefits paid…
$275/hr for regional VMO is the published award rate
As a year 2 full timer FACEM, I got 340k gross for the last FY. When you add TESL (40k pa) into the mix, it isn't terrible. It still isn't as good as other states.
A lot of specialties have a similar shift type roster with evenings and nights. To be honest pre children it was fine and easy to do. I actually quite enjoyed each week being different and having free time in the middle of the week to get your life admin sorted. A lot of people struggle who have specific activities on…
Busiest OMFS ED for OMFS is RMH and you aren't a consultant there or a registrar at the moment, I know that to be a fact.
She told the committee that at the time of the big move there was a belief within the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, which managed the hospital, that there would be direct admissions to the wards, an easy way of getting patients in and then out of ED.
Applied for an accepted an RMO job in ED at Royal Perth - they only just sent my contract.
There are some registrar level jobs that are research focused (I've seen Endocrinology Research Registrar at The Austin, Emergency Research Registrar at The Alfred) but it's more common to see research fellow positions.
ED SRMO year - Eastern vs Monash vs Frankston
Like Gladstone hospital was supporting IMGs with getting general registration, with several RMOs in ED (one who used to be an ENT surgeon).
I might get RMO position at Ipswich Hospital in ED or Medicine.
I’m starting as a SRMO in the ED at Canberra Hospital, full-time, with a basic pay of AUD 112k.
I was an intern in Alice Springs and ED regg'ed a bit in ASH and RDH, I imagine regional WA and NT have a lot in common.
This agreement made between the Union and employer allowed for the changes to the Award which led to the inclusion of emergency physicians as shift workers with penalty rates into the agreement and an ancillary NSW Health policy which brought in the 25% special allowance.
As a rural trainee - Mt Isa just throws $75k at you as a thanks for coming - the inference is - it’s a doghole of a place to live 😂 I’m sure the ED is great though 👍
In my years, people either did two ED terms or got one rural term (unless they specifically asked for more), and then in general you’ll be assigned a few terms between St George and Sutherland.
I work in regional qld and have colleagues who’ve done their PEM year at Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane post exams while working FACEM locums/casual shifts elsewhere.
Rural generalist here, you can also look into some great programs like the Murray to Mountains program, where you're based in a rural community in general practice/small rural hospitals for 20 week rotations, then go back to slightly bigger spots (Albury wodonga/Wangaratta) for emergency/gen med/surg rotations.
Geelong ED has a great track record with supporting trainees through difficulty, is in that awkward growth of regional to major centre and new children's ED, so is struggling for staff, and their previous director was Scottish.
The only way I can see this going is ACEM making places like Tamworth and Bendigo count as rural and they become like the Victorian trauma centres where literally every Victorian registrar has to rotate through during training if they want to stay in the state.
Just AVOID working at SCUH ED as regs and they will realise if hiring more PAs is useful OR training regs.
My husband has just accepted a job at SCGH, but I was hoping to apply for an ED job at RPH or FSH as I’ve heard they’re more supportive.
Exact google search shows Canberra Health Service, a job application for "Data Manager - Medical Emergency Team - Division of Surgery"
However, Dr Brooks, the former director of the ED at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), went before MPs to offer a deeper insight into the realities that would be almost comic if the consequences were not so tragic.
I recently heard about an intern at RPA who did a external jugular cannulation in ED with out supervision, got in trouble then did it again.
Don't apply to SCUH ED, or SCUH in general and let the hospitals who prioritise your training get your application instead.
Will be a part usually of the Crit care stream for residents with an external rotation (Colac or Hamilton ED) and a UHG ED.
Been offered a job at Peninsula Health / Frankston in their ED - just after any feedback on what its like to work there at as a resident and registrar (hoping to stick around long term .
Wow, emergency medicine is known for being an "easier" specialty to get into, and even a "fall back" specialty for those who couldn't get into a competitive specialty. But the emergency medicine training program is by no means "easy", far from it.
I completely disagree with this, I find other specialties to be much more likely to cause burn out. They just don't acknowledge or identify it. Yes the work can be tough, it's mostly busy and you're on the front line but the college actually do quite a bit to prevent and identify burn out. Very few FACEMs work full…
It's almost like our government never invested in training / spots and just got addicted to bringing in doctors from overseas, but now almost every country is experiencing the same problem and it's gonna get alot more competitive and expensive that wells gonna be tapped out.
It's often joked that acem will take anyone with a pulse, however it's just that, a joke.
Procedural exposure is shop dependent, but everyone gets there (and you can always move around). I've trained at the one network and probably need to move... And I'm basically time complete (whoops). ED training is very much a choose your own adventure so long as you're not breaching site accredited time limits and…
Yep, I heard due to bullying, the whole ED reg team in Caboolture Hospital mass resigned in 2006.
I've worked at the RAH ED - it's a great place to work.
It’s been a while since I’ve worked at Gold Coast and Robina Hospitals, but I found the clinical and admin teams in emergency, psychiatry, rehab, surgery and medicine to all be reasonable and supportive.
I absolutely hate to defend Logan ED, if I was working there and needed to go to ED I would get in the car and drive elsewhere.
If someone can shed some light on the working culture, environment, senior support in the medicine or ED in Ipswich hospital, I shall be really grateful.
Rural ED unaccredited about 230k.
Very do-able in ED, almost routine the more senior you get in training
Take the consultant post. You can always apply back to the larger centre when jobs become available and you will have a much better CV as you have already worked as a FACEM. It's much easier to build your CV once you are a FACEM as well e.g. you can do some trauma QI stuff at the smaller hospital. Even from a financial…
Emergency physician. NSW. FT 341k gross.
The letter sent by Nepean Hospital’s administration to junior medical officers last week is emblematic of the ongoing tension – expressed in all caps – between NSW’s public hospitals’ attempts to adequately staff increasingly busy emergency departments and inpatient units, and overworked junior doctors who are expected…
The exact opposite happens at Shellharbour hospital where the ED CMO/Reg gets the in-charge allowance and the med reg covering the ward doesn’t
Wagga Wagga radiology was great - they pay a bucket load of money to have everything reported privately so all ED scans were reported in less than an hour as executive have strict KPIs they put on the radiologists.
I was interested in surgery. Before I was going to apply I asked several consultants about how much time they spent with their kids and their families. All of them spent minimal, and for that reason alone I decided to not pursue it. I am now a new ED consultant, and I have done the exact thing I never wanted to do.…
I think it is an expectation change mostly. Or eventually growing up and finding out that what you are currently doing was the dream anyway? I was super keen on O&G. I lived in the US for a few years and I did my steps and applied to O&G residency programs and I wasn’t able to get in. It was very depressing but I…
I have the attention span of a gnat. Also I got two pieces of good advice as a student- what specialty would you most want to go to the pub/hangout with? And what specialties 'worst bits' do you find the least shit? The idea being everyone's cool bits are cool, but what day to day bullshit will drive you the least…
Illawarra/Shoalhaven ED SRMO offers came out today
Was an error, got this afterwards: Please disregard the email you have just received regarding results for the 2025.1 Primary Written Exam. This appears to have been distributed to all candidates due to a technical issue. Please accept our apologies for the confusion and for any inconvenience caused. We are…
Has anybody applied for ED PHO Position at Bundaberg WBHHS and heard back ?
I didn’t got it the first time (after service reging 6 months) but got on last year. It hurt quite a lot since the joke has always been “you could sneeze on that app and get in” however at least a third of my departments applicants didn’t get on.
ACEM does not guarantee you a job. It accredits your training placements for which you have to organise independently / with your training network. I would suggest applying now as a prospective TS1. Your placements are your responsibility. Your department will usually take you back if they have supported your SIFT…
Very hard to get PGY2 locums particularly at the start of the clinical year. Might get a bit easier half way through PGY2. PGY3 it becomes a bit easier but locum market is still quite competitive and saturated. PGY4 and onwards is where it gets considerably easier, particularly if you already have specialised…
Well since you asked for any.... I did a term at The Canterbury Hospital. Avoid. Compared to other hospitals I've worked in, toxic culture permeated from the top by the current ED Director who herself is a psychopath and some psychopathic consultants. Typical cliquey and 'mean girl' behaviour you would expect from…
Are you in hunter New England by any chance? They have previous form Had this happen unjustifiably to a couple of colleagues. One of them they were letting run the dept in-charge overnight but then they weren’t fit to even *begin* training?? Bullshit They moved to another department/network and sailed onto training…
While on a panel I have seen too slow for ED should do OK in Psychiatry on a reference report.
13 people, counts not rates; median 0.8 yr to getting on from the 4 whose start and outcome both fell inside the dump.
Nah. I'm just an HMO so plenty of time to be convinced otherwise though! I did grad med starting at 27 after working in a different (also challenging) career. All jobs have their bad parts.comment ↗
I'll be a PGY3 HMO in 2025 while applying. What do you do until you're on the program? Just a PGY3 general year trying to get useful rotations? SHMO/unaccredited ED reg terms (can you get credit for…comment ↗
I'm still an HMO but feel my memory improving slowly. You start to develop a mental heuristic - age sex presenting complaint +/- pertinent factors, plan/progress.comment ↗
Hi I just got onto the program! I don't know anything but to answer your questions: 1. Get involved in your ED term (if not already done), it's a great opportunity to work up real patients from the…comment ↗
(Laughs in parent/crit care trainee) I gave up on "feeling healthy" a looooong time ago. Nothing wrong with pursuing a training pathway that suits this aspect of your needs/preferences.comment ↗
Auburn crit care srmo would be rotation of 6 mts Ed and 3 mts anaesthetic and 3 mts somewhere. Auburn has very good reputation if you want to do anaesthetic for your future. I've seen many srmo doing…comment ↗
My last attempt osce I didn't make it. My last attempt osce. I don't know what to do next hence posting.comment ↗
I decided after discussion with demt and my wife, switch to accrm. I don't have and do not want to spend much energy being angry or sad. Last two attempts they failed me by 1% with no obvious reason…comment ↗
Since previous post I have decided to resign from hospital and quit ACEM, restart my journey into ACRRM.comment ↗
Recently I also quit ed training at the end (had final exam. Over two years tried four times and college said no). First thing first is make sure you have support. Family or your mentor. If you don't…comment ↗
I can't say much about the RG path as I've not commenced training, but I've enjoyed my time working in regional centres. There's something appealing about being able to manage someone's acute problem…comment ↗
I changed to GP this year and I had to write a short essay for why O&G was relevant in terms of fulfilling the surgical term requirement. Didn’t have a problem getting RPL after submitting it, but j…comment ↗
I got open heart surgery in my PGY-7 year midway through training for a life threatening condition. I am on lifelong medication now that causes daily side effects, one of which includes chronic fatig…comment ↗
I am a GP that works in ED. I’d never wear black scrubs with the ACEM logo on it despite working at SMO level. Because I’m not a FACEM. Why is OP’s complaint considered petty? You wouldn’t expect a…comment ↗
Reconstructed from what people said about themselves on a public forum. Self-report only; no verification against any register. Survivorship and self-selection are severe (people post when things go wrong and when they get on, rarely in between). Handles are public usernames; nothing here is combined with any off-platform data.
r/ausjdocs comments and posts, hand-curated from the emergency, employers, cross-cutting, term-strategy, state-campaigns, exams-and-costs, trajectories, missed-cycle-and-mobility collections; scores as at the dump · community view, not policy
Knowledge rows last loaded 13 Sept 2026, encoded by hand from the sources linked on each panel; no AI wrote any of it. Compare specialties · calendar · all guides.