General Surgery

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A General Surgeon is a Specialist who is trained to provide expert treatment across a broad range of emergency and planned surgical procedures. General surgeons work within both public and private facilities, providing emergency and elective surgical services and outpatient care. General Surgeons also often provide outreach surgical services to regional, rural and remote patients. Procedures commonly performed by a general surgeon may include; oesophagectomy, gastrectomy, hiatus hernia repair, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, splenectomy, hemicolectomy, hysterectomy, and mastectomy.
Minimum Time to Completion: 8 years from graduation

Details

Eligibility Requirements

Minimum Eligibility Requirements and Rotations – a minimum period of eight (8) continuous weeks and completed prior to the application closing date (not the date you lodge your application). Rotations are to be in a full-time capacity, with part-time hours to be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

  1. The 26 weeks may include up to maximum of three (3) weeks leave. The leave will be considered and must have been taken during the General Surgery rotations utilised for minimum eligibilty purposes only. Documentation confirming the leave was taken during a General Surgery rotation must be provided.
  2. Leave will only be considered for minimum eligibility (General Surgery rotations) purposes and therefore leave will be deducted from the rotation for any other surgical rotations. The remaning balance of the rotation must be at least eight (8) weeks to be considered eligible.
  3. The 26 weeks must be completed by 31 December 2021 as well as be in line with validity period specified in the Regulations. Vascular, thoracic, head and neck or paediatric rotations being used as General Surgery rotations – the documentation must state you were working for a General Surgeon and on the General Surgery on call roster.

Application Process

Doctors wishing to apply to the SET Program in General Surgery in Australia must first submit a completed Registration Form to the RACS via the RACS website by the published closing date.

Stage 1 – Selection registration
Stage 2 – Selection application
Stage 3 – Referee reports collected
Stage 4 – Interviews
Stage 5 – Announcement of offers (New Zealand only)
Stage 6 – Announcement of offers (Australian and bi-national programs)

Applicants who complete the three components of the selection process, that is CV, Referee and Interview, will be ranked. The ranking will be determined by applying the following weightings to the percentage adjusted score out of 100 obtained for each of the three (3) selection tools, providing an overall percentage score:

  • Structured Curriculum Vitae (35%)
  • Structured Referee Reports (25%)
  • Semi-Structured General Surgery Panel Interview (40%)

The Structured Curriculum Vitae has a maximum of 28 points. The components scored are:

  • Surgical Experience (Maximum 8 points)
  • Rural and Remote Surgical Experience (3 points)
  • Qualifications (Maximum 4 points)
  • Presentations (Maximum 3 points)
  • Publications (Maximum 5 points)
  • Prizes/Awards for Excellence (Maximum 2 points)
  • Scholarship and Teaching (Maximum 3 points)

Further information can be found on the General Surgery Selection Regulations.

GSET is a five (5) year training program structured into two stages – Core and Principal.

Core Training GSET Levels 1 – 3 and focuses on the foundation skills relating to general surgery
Principal Training GSET Levels 4 – 5 where the trainees’ involvement and clinical complexity is increasing

Further information can be found here.

Annual Fee:

AUD $3,155

Exam Fee:

GSSE: AUD $4,650.00
Clinical / OSCEs: AUD $3,270.00
Specialty Surgical Sciences exam: AUD $2,150.00
Fellowship exam: AUD $8,950.00

Selection Processing Fee:

AUD $935

Registration Fee(s):

AUD $570

Key Information

PGY Intake Year (earliest)

PGY3

Training Duration (minimum)

5 years FTE

General Progression

Note that this represents one of the quickest routes to specialty training, and may not reflect additional HMO or unaccredited years of training.
Year 1
Internship
Year 2
Surgical HMO Year
Year 3
Commence General Surgery Advanced Training (PGY3+)
Part Time Option: Yes
Last Updated: January 30, 2023
The information found in this portal has been painstakingly collated by JMOs for JMOs, and is intended as a career progression guide for every aspiring JMO. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and currency of the information presented on this website, but recent changes made by Specialist Medical Colleges may not be reflected in real time; please consult with the respective Specialist Medical College websites for the latest information. PMCV and JMO Victoria accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. Please feel free to contact our team with suggestions or comments via the feedback form.

General Surgery

A General Surgeon is a Specialist who is trained to provide expert treatment across a broad range of emergency and planned surgical procedures. General surgeons work within both public and private facilities, providing emergency and elective surgical services and outpatient care. General Surgeons also often provide outreach surgical services to regional, rural and remote patients. Procedures commonly performed by a general surgeon may include; oesophagectomy, gastrectomy, hiatus hernia repair, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, splenectomy, hemicolectomy, hysterectomy, and mastectomy.
Minimum Time to Completion: 8 years from graduation

Details

How to Apply

Eligibility Requirements

Minimum Eligibility Requirements and Rotations – a minimum period of eight (8) continuous weeks and completed prior to the application closing date (not the date you lodge your application). Rotations are to be in a full-time capacity, with part-time hours to be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

  1. The 26 weeks may include up to maximum of three (3) weeks leave. The leave will be considered and must have been taken during the General Surgery rotations utilised for minimum eligibilty purposes only. Documentation confirming the leave was taken during a General Surgery rotation must be provided.
  2. Leave will only be considered for minimum eligibility (General Surgery rotations) purposes and therefore leave will be deducted from the rotation for any other surgical rotations. The remaning balance of the rotation must be at least eight (8) weeks to be considered eligible.
  3. The 26 weeks must be completed by 31 December 2021 as well as be in line with validity period specified in the Regulations. Vascular, thoracic, head and neck or paediatric rotations being used as General Surgery rotations – the documentation must state you were working for a General Surgeon and on the General Surgery on call roster.

Application Process

Doctors wishing to apply to the SET Program in General Surgery in Australia must first submit a completed Registration Form to the RACS via the RACS website by the published closing date.

Stage 1 – Selection registration
Stage 2 – Selection application
Stage 3 – Referee reports collected
Stage 4 – Interviews
Stage 5 – Announcement of offers (New Zealand only)
Stage 6 – Announcement of offers (Australian and bi-national programs)

Applicants who complete the three components of the selection process, that is CV, Referee and Interview, will be ranked. The ranking will be determined by applying the following weightings to the percentage adjusted score out of 100 obtained for each of the three (3) selection tools, providing an overall percentage score:

  • Structured Curriculum Vitae (35%)
  • Structured Referee Reports (25%)
  • Semi-Structured General Surgery Panel Interview (40%)

The Structured Curriculum Vitae has a maximum of 28 points. The components scored are:

  • Surgical Experience (Maximum 8 points)
  • Rural and Remote Surgical Experience (3 points)
  • Qualifications (Maximum 4 points)
  • Presentations (Maximum 3 points)
  • Publications (Maximum 5 points)
  • Prizes/Awards for Excellence (Maximum 2 points)
  • Scholarship and Teaching (Maximum 3 points)

Further information can be found on the General Surgery Selection Regulations.

Program Structure

GSET is a five (5) year training program structured into two stages – Core and Principal.

Core Training GSET Levels 1 – 3 and focuses on the foundation skills relating to general surgery
Principal Training GSET Levels 4 – 5 where the trainees’ involvement and clinical complexity is increasing

Further information can be found here.

Fees

Annual Fee:

AUD $3,155

Exam Fee:

GSSE: AUD $4,650.00
Clinical / OSCEs: AUD $3,270.00
Specialty Surgical Sciences exam: AUD $2,150.00
Fellowship exam: AUD $8,950.00

Selection Processing Fee:

AUD $935

Registration Fee(s):

AUD $570

Useful Resources / Courses / Conferences

Key Information

PGY Intake Year (earliest)

PGY3

Training Duration (minimum)

5 years FTE

General Progression

Year 1
Internship
Year 2
Surgical HMO Year
Year 3
Commence General Surgery Advanced Training (PGY3+)
Part Time Option: Yes
The information found in this portal has been painstakingly collated by JMOs for JMOs, and is intended as a career progression guide for every aspiring JMO. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and currency of the information presented on this website, but recent changes made by Specialist Medical Colleges may not be reflected in real time; please consult with the respective Specialist Medical College websites for the latest information. PMCV and JMO Victoria accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. Please feel free to contact our team with suggestions or comments via the feedback form.
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