Ophthalmology

An ophthalmologist is a specialist who handles all the medical aspects of eye care, including treatment, surgery and the prescription of contact lenses and glasses, as well as medicines for eye problems.

Minimum Time to Completion: 7 years from graduation

Details

How to Apply

Eligibility Requirements

Prospective trainees must:

Hold a medical degree with full registration to practice medicine in either Australia or New Zealand at the time of application.
Hold citizenship or permanent resident status of Australia or New Zealand by 1 April prior to the multiple mini interviews (MMI).
Have completed a minimum of two years (including the intern year) full-time postgraduate pre-vocational experience at the commencement of ophthalmology training including a minimum of 18 months of broad experience in non-ophthalmic medical, clinical and surgical settings within such posts.

RANZCO’s selection criteria are the seven key roles which underpin the work of a specialist ophthalmologist: medical expert, scholar, communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate and professional.

Application Process

RANZCO’s selection criteria comprise:

Curriculum vitae (25%) – scholar (6%), medical expert (4%), rural exposure (5%), indigeneity (5%) and other attributes (5%)
References (30%) – medical expert (20%) and professional attributes (communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate and professional) (10%)
Situational Judgement Test (20%)
Multiple Mini Interview (25%)

Program Structure

Training consists of 60 months of certified training time, and is taken in three stages:

Basic Training (two years)

Trainees learn/demonstrate integrated clinical skills and knowledge in the Ophthalmic Sciences (OS) and the Ophthalmic Basic Competencies and Knowledge (OBCK)

Advanced Training (2 years)

Trainees learn/demonstrate integrated knowledge, clinical and surgical skills as documented in the clinical standards

Final Year Training

Trainees develops their specialist experience in preparation for specialist qualification and to function in the community as an independent general ophthalmologist.

Fees

Annual Fee:

Training Fee: AUD $4,500
Overseas Training Fee: AUD $750

Exam Fee:

Anatomy: AUD $1,998
OBCK: AUD $1,998
COPEM Module 1: AUD $585
COPEM Module 2: AUD $585
Optics: AUD $585
Physiology: AUD $585
RACE Clinical: AUD $2,760
RACE Written: AUD $920
RACE Written and Clinical: AUD $3,680
Ophthalmic Pathology: AUD $920

Registration Fee:

Registration Fee: AUD $1,660

Other Fee(s):

Eye Camp: AUD $4,250

Useful Resources / Courses / Conferences

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

PGY2 year (some hospitals offer ophthalmology rotations)

Year 3

Unaccredited Ophthalmology Registrar or other stream registrar

Part Time Option: No

Last Updated: May 25, 2022

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.