ASPS publishes the only attempt-level data in surgery: 31.45% selected overall (2020-24), 15% on the first attempt, 11% second, 4% third - and you get three.
Typical start years; people vary by a year or two. Diamonds are exams. Stage list and sources in the pathway tab.
Roughly two-thirds of everyone who ever applies never gets on (three-attempt cap x published per-attempt success). 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.
Research output is a hard gate, not a bonus. From the 2027 selection round (2028 intake) the CV stops scoring and becomes eligibility-only because applicants were maxing every section; the score becomes interview + structured referee reports from every consultant you worked with in two years (no nurses).
I find it crazy how colleges switch up so suddenly like that. Was talking to a plastics reg earlier this year who knew someone that did a MSurg at a uni that was initially accredited, but by the time they finished, the new SET guidelines came out and it wasn't accepted anymore
Ask someone who's actually on the program. You'll get jaded medical registrars on here and RMOs who've been rejected twice telling you it's all about demographics or whether you have a family member on the panel. It's kind of BS. … Those who I know that did get into plastics set were women, and ethnic minorities. N=3.
The competitiveness will still remain though - only shifted towards references and interviews. Could possibly make nepotism even bigger of an issue or give seniors even more power to use and abuse unaccredited registrars
Depending on the actual outcomes and specifics of how final rankings are determined, this could be a good thing as it may help fix the point grind and stop doctors having to spend a small fortune attaining CV points
All 13 curated quotes by topic, trajectories and threads.
plasticsurgery.org.au for the facts and summary · 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: surgeons.org, ausdoc.com.au, plasticsurgery.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.
Gate wording is from the 2028-intake notice; ASPS current-round (2027 intake) CV point values are not publicly available.
From ASPS archive of selection notices.
Society-set SET fees are not published centrally by RACS; scrape each society annually.
Canberra Health Services campaign May 2026 - Feb 2027; most registrar and unaccredited registrar positions opened 29 Jun and closed 2 Aug 2026; RMO and Service SRMO 31 Aug - 27 Sep. CHS publishes standalone PDs per role that disclose unit composition. Plastics unaccredited registrar jobs are direct-to-employer except the QLD SET1 PHO central allocation (the only jurisdiction centrally allocating plastics pre-SET jobs) and the WA SSR scheme.
SET selection is national (college). Feeder jobs (SRMO, Trainee-Unaccredited Position PGY4+) sit in the NSW Health Annual Medical Recruitment main round on the JMO Career Portal, but the LHD/unit selects - no surgical specialty is a statewide centralised panel. HETI's six Surgical Skills Training Networks list PreSET jobs in the same campaign. SRMO is paid at Resident award rates; Trainee-Unaccredited at Registrar rates. Plastics unaccredited registrar jobs are direct-to-employer except the QLD SET1 PHO central allocation (the only jurisdiction centrally allocating plastics pre-SET jobs) and the WA SSR scheme.
Separate Top End and Central Australia campaigns (~1-28 Jun 2026) via jobs.nt.gov.au. Registrar contracts must start 1 Feb or 31 Aug - a formal mid-year entry point. Plastics unaccredited registrar jobs are direct-to-employer except the QLD SET1 PHO central allocation (the only jurisdiction centrally allocating plastics pre-SET jobs) and the WA SSR scheme.
NT dates triangulated from secondary aggregators; verify on jobs.nt.gov.au.
SET selection is national (college). One RMO & Registrar Campaign covers registrars, PHOs (QLD's unaccredited-registrar grade, L4-L7), SHOs and JHOs. Round 1 = registrars + PHOs; Round 2 = SHO/JHO; Round 3 open round for remaining vacancies from 9 Nov. QLD also centrally allocates SET1 PHO posts in General Surgery and Plastics inside the campaign. Late applications are not accepted. HHS-level ads also run on SmartJobs outside the window. Plastics unaccredited registrar jobs are direct-to-employer except the QLD SET1 PHO central allocation (the only jurisdiction centrally allocating plastics pre-SET jobs) and the WA SSR scheme.
SET selection is national (college). SA MET centralised PGY2+ EOI (up to 4 program preferences). The Surgical Resident Medical Officer program (PGY2+, up to 3 years, 83 posts: CALHN 50, SALHN 25, NALHN 8) is purpose-built with rotations 'designed to provide the mandatory requirements for SET entry'. Registrar-grade unaccredited roles are advertised individually as Service Registrar / Senior Service Registrar (MDP2) on careers.sahealth.sa.gov.au. Plastics unaccredited registrar jobs are direct-to-employer except the QLD SET1 PHO central allocation (the only jurisdiction centrally allocating plastics pre-SET jobs) and the WA SSR scheme.
Statewide RMO application for resident-level roles; registrar-level 'Doctors in Training Recruitment Campaign 2027' roles advertised individually with rolling Aug-Sep closes. Clinical year starts 11 Jan 2027. Tasmanian orthopaedic unaccredited posts (RHH, LGH) go through the Victorian PMCV match. Plastics unaccredited registrar jobs are direct-to-employer except the QLD SET1 PHO central allocation (the only jurisdiction centrally allocating plastics pre-SET jobs) and the WA SSR scheme.
SET selection is national (college). Feeder jobs: PGY2 HMO2 via the PMCV PGY2 Match (some competitive surgical HMO2 roles sit outside the match and are managed directly by health services); HMO3+ and unaccredited registrar roles direct to each health service. Only orthopaedics has a centralised unaccredited-registrar match; everything else is direct. Plastics unaccredited registrar jobs are direct-to-employer except the QLD SET1 PHO central allocation (the only jurisdiction centrally allocating plastics pre-SET jobs) and the WA SSR scheme.
SET selection is national (college). WA runs the cleanest unaccredited-surgical mechanism in the country: the Service Surgical Registrar (SSR) centralised recruitment - 'ONE application to cover THREE site and specialty preferences', self-described as 'ideal for doctors aspiring to enter surgical training'. Salary ~$155,932-$208,619, 1 Feb 2027 start. Separate RMO/SMR centralised round for resident-level jobs. Plastics unaccredited registrar jobs are direct-to-employer except the QLD SET1 PHO central allocation (the only jurisdiction centrally allocating plastics pre-SET jobs) and the WA SSR scheme.
Dates drift a week or two each year; the calendar has confirmed vs expected windows.
Structured CV becomes a minimum-eligibility gate only - no ranking points Gate option A: 1 publication (accepted journal list or IF > 2.5) PLUS 1 national/international oral presentation (last 5 years) Gate option B: awarded research-based higher degree - MSurg (research), MPhil or PhD only One reserved post (per cv-rubrics derived summary)
Requirements and rubric: surgeons.org, plasticsurgery.org.au · state mechanics: canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au, health.nsw.gov.au, jobs.nt.gov.au +5 · 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.
Exams and fees: surgeons.org, 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 Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery rules — whether or not the title names the specialty — highest first, closing soonest next.
Faded bars are expected, not confirmed. 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.
I find it crazy how colleges switch up so suddenly like that. Was talking to a plastics reg earlier this year who knew someone that did a MSurg at a uni that was initially accredited, but by the time they finished, the new SET guidelines came out and it wasn't accepted anymore
Ask someone who's actually on the program. You'll get jaded medical registrars on here and RMOs who've been rejected twice telling you it's all about demographics or whether you have a family member on the panel. It's kind of BS. … Those who I know that did get into plastics set were women, and ethnic minorities. N=3.
The competitiveness will still remain though - only shifted towards references and interviews. Could possibly make nepotism even bigger of an issue or give seniors even more power to use and abuse unaccredited registrars
Depending on the actual outcomes and specifics of how final rankings are determined, this could be a good thing as it may help fix the point grind and stop doctors having to spend a small fortune attaining CV points
I don't think it will change competitiveness, or at least not reduce it. The same people will still be vying for the same spots. This necessarily means that the differentiation will shift to other assessed areas (references, interviews). … This change removes the pressure to publish heaps, so I would hope it reduces…
Like most competitive specialties, it's not a meritocracy. It's who you know and who likes you. It's a club and if you ain't in the club, you ain't in SET
I agree with this somewhat but I also think that there are undeniable hidden factors. … Most of the time it's not malicious and overtly discriminatory; it's just human nature. Structured selection processes exist precisely to counteract these tendencies, but no framework eliminates them entirely.
So all the plastics registrars who completed or are completing pHd's for extra points just got completely screwed over. Not to mention all the leadership points, other higher degrees, awards etc. that some of the registrars have grinded for now mostly become redundant
Plastics CV has functionally been a hurdle last few years away, with the hurdle being full points.
I'm a unaccredited plastics reg, going on 3 years unaccredited and ready to apply now. I work 140-170 hours a fortnight routinely (depending on weekends on call). I hate the political game, but I LOVE plastic surgery
Plastics reg in NSW - in my first year of registrar work (as an unaccredited during PGY3) I did 0.7FTE Public and 0.3FTE private assisting and made around 200k … Pay has gone up subsequently since then and I average around 240-250k (I work in QLD now).
I did the RMO rotation at Dandenong several years ago and enjoyed it despite having no interest in plastics.
The honest answer. People with research, surgical patent, masters, teaching experience, able to solo operate, and adored by bosses and juniors alike aren't getting in and after expending all application attempts needing to pivot. I'm not PRS, but I think those guys are in hell.
r/ausjdocs comments and posts, hand-curated from the surgery, employers 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.