Public Health Medicine

Public health medicine is the branch of specialist medical practice that is primarily concerned with the health and care of populations. It is concerned with the promotion of health and the prevention of disease, illness and injury, the assessment of a community’s health needs, and the provision of services to communities in general and to specific groups within them.

Minimum Time to Completion: 7 years from graduation

Details

How to Apply

Eligibility Requirements

Prospective trainees must have:

full general medical registration with the Medical Board of Australia

medical registration with general scope of practice with the Medical Council of New Zealand and a current practising certificate

New trainees must hold 3 years of postgraduate clinical experience comprised of:

an internship year containing regular face-to-face clinical patient contact
at least 1-year full-time equivalent clinical experience in a well-structured position in addition to an internship, with appropriate supervision with regular face-to-face patient contact
a further clinical year or 1 year in a health-related field

Prospective trainees must have completed a Master of Public Health (MPH) (or equivalent) that satisfiesthe 5 Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (AFPHM) compulsory core discipline areas:

Epidemiology
Biostatistics
Health Protection (includes Environmental Health and/or Communicable Disease Prevention and Control)
Health Promotion
Health Policy, Planning or Management

Application Process

Applicants must first apply for and be accepted for an Advanced Training Position.

Program Structure

Trainees undergo 36 months of certified training time comprising:

36 months of core training
1 x Advanced Training Research Project (trainees who commenced in 2017 onwards)
3 x Direct Observations of Practical Professional Skills
1 x Formative Oral Presentation Assessment
1 x Oral Examination
3 x Professional Qualities Reflection
2 x Summative Oral Presentation Assessments
Workplace Reports:
- 3 x Reports (trainees who commenced before 2017 or trainees who have been granted Recognition of Prior Learning for the Advanced Training Research Project)
- 2 x Reports (trainees who commenced in 2017 onwards)
Attend the National Training Days once over the course of training (trainees who commenced in 2022 onwards)
Attend the National Training Days each training year (recommended for trainees who commenced before 2022)
Attend Trainee Video Conferencing Sessions each training year (recommended)
Cultural Competence module (recommended)

Fees

Annual Fee:

AUD $3,690.00 (reduced fee of 50% for trainees in research)

Exam Fee:

AFPHM Oral Examination: AUD $3,039.00

Admission to Fellowship Fee:

AUD $1,344.00

Useful Resources / Courses / Conferences

Involvement in AFPHM events
Research relevant to public health medicine
PhD

Key Information

PGY Intake Year (earliest)

PGY4

Training Duration (minimum)

3 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

General

Year 3

General

Year 4

Commence Public Health Medicine Advanced Training

Part Time Option: Yes

Last Updated: March 1, 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.