Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

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Plastic and reconstructive surgery is concerned with improving bodily function and performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumours or disease. Cosmetic plastic surgery is designed to improve a person’s aesthetic appearance by altering or reshaping a bodily feature whereas plastic surgery encompasses both cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery.
Minimum Time to Completion: 8 years

Details

Eligibility Requirements

Prospective applicants must apply through RACS SET training and indicate interest in Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS).

  • Doctors intending to apply to SET must register via the RACS website within the published timeframe.
  • Registrants must be citizens or permanent residents of Australia or New Zealand.
  • Registrants must be registered with the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) or the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) as specified in the Medical Registration for the Surgical Education and Training Program policy.
  • Prior to registering doctors must have completed the Hand Hygiene Australia – Royal Australasian College of Surgeons specific Learning Module (note: the Medical Module for Doctors is not acceptable).
  • Registrants must complete the RACS “Operating With Respect” eLearning module to be eligible to apply to SET. The module must be completed within the time limits specified on the RACS website.
  • Consent to a police check is a condition of registration.
  • A fee is payable at the time of registration and is non-refundable.
  • Registrants will be advised of their eligibility to apply to SET after verification of information supplied, prior to the commencement of the application period.

Examinations

Applicants for selection must pass the following examination(s) prior to the Application closing date:

  • RACS Generic Surgical Sciences Exam (GSSE)
  • RACS Clinical Examination (CE)

A maximum of 3 attempts at applying to program from 2020 onwards applies.

Rotations:

  • ED rotation of at least 8 weeks duration (PGY1+)
  • Plastics rotation within last 5 years – of at least 10 weeks duration, 5 of which must be consecutive (PGY1+)
  • General Surgical rotation within last 5 years – of at least 26 weeks duration (PGY2+)

Further information can be found here.

Application Process

The Board applies three selection tools in assessing an applicant’s suitability for the training program: the Structured Curriculum Vitae, the Referee Report, and the Semi-Structured Interview.

The weighting of each of these tools is:

  • Structured CV = 20%
  • Referee Reports = 35%
  • Interview = 45%

The CV scoring process is designed to capture information on aspects of the applicant’s surgical experience, publications and presentations, research and educational qualifications, and special skills.

The Referee Report is a confidential report gathered from several evaluators who are familiar with the professional and/or technical capabilities of the applicant. The report is an indicator of applicant skills and is divided into several categories of professionalism.

Applicants must provide the following information:

  • All plastics consultants from most recent Plastics rotation
  • Between 3-5 consultants from each Surg rotation from last 3 years
  • At least 1 nursing colleague from each surgical rotation from last 2 years

Successful applicants begin their five years of training in the RACS Surgical Education and Training (SET) program in either February or August rotations. Each year of training is divided into two surgical terms. Trainees advance from general surgical assisting to undertaking more advanced plastic surgical procedures. Trainees always work under supervision.

All Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery trainees are required to successfully complete by the end of SET 4, the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Science and Principles (PRSSP) Examination.

Successful completion of this examination is a pre-requisite to present for the Fellowship Examination in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.

  • Logbook of all surgical procedures
  • Research component in SET5
  • Emergency Management of Severe Burns in SET5

Trainee evaluation & logbook

Trainees are required to submit a Trainee Evaluation Form and a Logbook Summary every six months.

Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand trainees and SIMGs use MALT for their Logbooks.

Trainees are strongly advised to keep a copy of their logbook summary for their personal records.

Assessment

Professional Performance Assessments (PPA) are the main summative assessment for the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery SET program.  Two PPAs are completed per term.

The PPA relates to the Trainee’s overall performance during each six months of training and takes into account all aspects of performance including:

  • attitude (rapport with patients, peers and supervisors)
  • clinical skills (medical recording, judgement interpretation and management)
  • technical skills (diagnostic interpretation, aseptic technique, therapeutic procedures and operative technique)
  • teaching/continuing professional development (CPD) (participation at education and audit meetings, etc., and instructor/teacher to interns and students)
  • research/CPD (presentations, publications and patient management review)
  • logbook statistics.
Annual Fee:

AUD $6,242

Exam Fee:

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Science & Principles Examination: AUD $3,240
GSSE: AUD $4,650
Speciality Surgical Science Examination: AUD $2,150
Clinical Examination: AUD $3,270

Other fees:

Application fee: AUD $886.00 for ASPS.

SET application: $575.00

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 Plastics 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.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Plastic and reconstructive surgery is concerned with improving bodily function and performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumours or disease. Cosmetic plastic surgery is designed to improve a person’s aesthetic appearance by altering or reshaping a bodily feature whereas plastic surgery encompasses both cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery.
Minimum Time to Completion: 8 years

Details

How to Apply

Eligibility Requirements

Prospective applicants must apply through RACS SET training and indicate interest in Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS).

  • Doctors intending to apply to SET must register via the RACS website within the published timeframe.
  • Registrants must be citizens or permanent residents of Australia or New Zealand.
  • Registrants must be registered with the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) or the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) as specified in the Medical Registration for the Surgical Education and Training Program policy.
  • Prior to registering doctors must have completed the Hand Hygiene Australia – Royal Australasian College of Surgeons specific Learning Module (note: the Medical Module for Doctors is not acceptable).
  • Registrants must complete the RACS “Operating With Respect” eLearning module to be eligible to apply to SET. The module must be completed within the time limits specified on the RACS website.
  • Consent to a police check is a condition of registration.
  • A fee is payable at the time of registration and is non-refundable.
  • Registrants will be advised of their eligibility to apply to SET after verification of information supplied, prior to the commencement of the application period.

Examinations

Applicants for selection must pass the following examination(s) prior to the Application closing date:

  • RACS Generic Surgical Sciences Exam (GSSE)
  • RACS Clinical Examination (CE)

A maximum of 3 attempts at applying to program from 2020 onwards applies.

Rotations:

  • ED rotation of at least 8 weeks duration (PGY1+)
  • Plastics rotation within last 5 years – of at least 10 weeks duration, 5 of which must be consecutive (PGY1+)
  • General Surgical rotation within last 5 years – of at least 26 weeks duration (PGY2+)

Further information can be found here.

Application Process

The Board applies three selection tools in assessing an applicant’s suitability for the training program: the Structured Curriculum Vitae, the Referee Report, and the Semi-Structured Interview.

The weighting of each of these tools is:

  • Structured CV = 20%
  • Referee Reports = 35%
  • Interview = 45%

The CV scoring process is designed to capture information on aspects of the applicant’s surgical experience, publications and presentations, research and educational qualifications, and special skills.

The Referee Report is a confidential report gathered from several evaluators who are familiar with the professional and/or technical capabilities of the applicant. The report is an indicator of applicant skills and is divided into several categories of professionalism.

Applicants must provide the following information:

  • All plastics consultants from most recent Plastics rotation
  • Between 3-5 consultants from each Surg rotation from last 3 years
  • At least 1 nursing colleague from each surgical rotation from last 2 years

Program Structure

Successful applicants begin their five years of training in the RACS Surgical Education and Training (SET) program in either February or August rotations. Each year of training is divided into two surgical terms. Trainees advance from general surgical assisting to undertaking more advanced plastic surgical procedures. Trainees always work under supervision.

All Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery trainees are required to successfully complete by the end of SET 4, the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Science and Principles (PRSSP) Examination.

Successful completion of this examination is a pre-requisite to present for the Fellowship Examination in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.

  • Logbook of all surgical procedures
  • Research component in SET5
  • Emergency Management of Severe Burns in SET5

Trainee evaluation & logbook

Trainees are required to submit a Trainee Evaluation Form and a Logbook Summary every six months.

Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand trainees and SIMGs use MALT for their Logbooks.

Trainees are strongly advised to keep a copy of their logbook summary for their personal records.

Assessment

Professional Performance Assessments (PPA) are the main summative assessment for the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery SET program.  Two PPAs are completed per term.

The PPA relates to the Trainee’s overall performance during each six months of training and takes into account all aspects of performance including:

  • attitude (rapport with patients, peers and supervisors)
  • clinical skills (medical recording, judgement interpretation and management)
  • technical skills (diagnostic interpretation, aseptic technique, therapeutic procedures and operative technique)
  • teaching/continuing professional development (CPD) (participation at education and audit meetings, etc., and instructor/teacher to interns and students)
  • research/CPD (presentations, publications and patient management review)
  • logbook statistics.

Fees

Annual Fee:

AUD $6,242

Exam Fee:

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Science & Principles Examination: AUD $3,240
GSSE: AUD $4,650
Speciality Surgical Science Examination: AUD $2,150
Clinical Examination: AUD $3,270

Other fees:

Application fee: AUD $886.00 for ASPS.

SET application: $575.00

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 Plastics 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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