Orthopaedic Surgery

An orthopaedic surgeon is a medical professional who specialises in diagnosing, treating, preventing and rehabilitating musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, both surgically and non-surgically, in people of all ages.

Minimum Time to Completion: 8 years from graudation

Details

How to Apply

Eligibility Requirements

Basic requirements:

Permanent residency or citizenship of Australia or New Zealand
General (unconditional) medical registration
Successful completion of the Generic Surgical Sciences Exam (GSSE)

Orthopaedics specific requirements

Completion of at least 26 working weeks of orthopaedic surgical experience within the last two (2) years (commencing 26 February 2018 at the earliest), at PGY 3 or higher
Successful completion of a state-licensed Radiation Safety Course

Application Process

Applications must be submitted via the AOA online application system during the published dates. The online application includes the following components:

Personal Profile
Eligibility Criteria
Curriculum Vitae
Professional Experience
Regional Preferences
Application Fee
Applicant’s Statement

Applicants will then be ranked based on:

Referee Reports 25%
Interview 75%
NOTE: You may apply for a maximum of four times to the orthopaedic training program

Candidates must achieve a minimum score of six (6) points on the CV in order to progress to the next stage of Selection.

The components scored are:

Surgical and Medical Experience (Maximum 4 points)
Skills Courses (Maximum 3 points)
Higher Education Qualifications (Maximum 3 points)
Research Presentation (Maximum 2 points)
Research Publications (Maximum 4 points)

Candidates will have the opportunity to provide information on the following unscored components

Rurality
Community Service

AOA will collect Referee Reports from each site at which the applicant has worked in the previous two (2) years. An orthopaedic departmental report will be collected along with reports from non-orthopaedic colleagues.

Interviews will be conducted by a series of six (6) interview panels, each comprised of at least two (2) members. Interview panels are comprised of AOA members, surgeons from other specialties and nonsurgical representatives.

More information regarding Selection and Training can be found here.

Program Structure

The Orthopaedics Surgery Advanced Training program is structured in three sections:

Introduction to Orthopaedics (12-18 months)
Core Orthopaedics (36 months)
Transition to Consultant Practice (12 months)

Further information regarding the curriculum can be found here.

Fees

Annual Fee:

AUD $3590

Exam Fee:

GSSE: AUD $4,650.00
Clinical / OSCEs: AUD $3,270.00
Specialty Surgical Sciences exam: AUD $2,150.00
Orthopaedic Principles & Basic Science Examination Fee: AUD $3,175.00
Fellowship exam: AUD $8,950.00

Registration Fee:

AUD $575

Useful Resources / Courses / Conferences

AOA National Annual Scientific Meeting
AOA Branch Scientific Meetings
AOA Undergraduate workshop
AOA Joint Scholarship Program
Research/Book Chapters/Diploma of Surgical Anatomy/Masters/PhD

Key Information

PGY Intake Year (earliest)

PGY4

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

Surgical HMO / Unaccredited Registrar Year

Year 4

Commence Orthopaedics Advanced Training (PGY4+)

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.