FAQs

1. Conditional Advanced Training - how does it work? 

2. I am considering applying for Conditional AT but don’t want to pay the fee until I have passed. Can I just ask for it retrospectively after I pass?

3. Training Fee Instalments – How do I pay and when are payments due?

4. What if I have missed the deadline for submission of application forms to the College?

5. I want to submit my application/supervisor’s report but my supervisor is on leave for the next month. What should I do?

6. My training for 2009 still says deferred on the MyTraining website and I submitted my revised supervisor’s report a month ago. Why hasn’t this been changed? 

7. I need a confirmation of training letter. How long will it take for it to be completed?

8. I have been offered a great job overseas but am not sure if it will count to my training. What should I do?  

9. What do I do if I want to end my training job earlier than stated on my application?

10. I am planning on taking leave and am not sure what I need to provide the college with. 

11. Is there a centralised selection process for my subspecialty in my state?

12. I am unsure of the training guidelines for my subspecialty. 

13. My committee has changed from an SAC to an STC. Does this affect me?

14. I am currently living and working in New Zealand but am thinking of training in Australia for a year. Do I need to transfer to the Australian office of the College?

15. I am training under two subspecialties. Do I need to submit two applications?

16. I know when undertaking dual training trainees are only required to submit one form.  However, advanced training in General Paediatrics has different deadlines so does that mean I would need to submit two forms in that instance?

17. I started Advanced Training in previous years, but in 2011 I changed specialties. Am I a PREP trainee?

18. I started Advanced Training in previous years, but in 2011 I commenced dual training with another specialty. Am I a PREP trainee?

19. I started Advanced Training in 2011, but received recognition of prior learning (RPL) for training in previous years. Am I a PREP trainee?

20. I am a dual trainee. What are my minimum requirements?

21. I am recently married and my surname has now changed. I have also recently moved house. Do I need to notify the college of this?

22. I am an International Medical Graduate. Can I start Advanced Training without having passed the AMC Exams?

23. I am nearing the end of my training. I would like to apply for Fellowship and make sure all my paperwork is in order. May I receive an Application for Admission to Fellowship form?   

 

For further information, please contact:
New Zealand Ph: (+64 4) 472 6713 Fax: (+64 4) 472 6718 Email: advancedtraining@racp.org.nz The Royal Australasian College of Physicians P.O. Box 10 601 Wellington 6143 NEW ZEALAND	Australia Ph: (+61 2) 9256 5445 Fax: (+61 2) 9256 9698 Email: advancedtraining@racp.edu.au The Royal Australasian College of Physicians 145 Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000 AUSTRALIA

1. Conditional Advanced Training - how does it work?    

If you have already completed the requirements of Basic Physician Training but have not yet passed the Written and Clinical FRACP Examinations, you may be eligible to apply for approval of advanced training in the year that you are attempting the Examinations. If the advanced training is approved, it is called ‘Conditional Advanced Training’ as it is dependent upon the results of the exams. If you are unsuccessful in the examinations, the training cannot be counted towards your advanced training program. 

Please check the vocational guidelines within the College handbook for the subspecialty you wish to train in, as some subspecialties do not allow conditional advanced training. 

The due date for applying for approval of the entire calendar year towards conditional advanced training is 31 March, after the results for the Written Examination are released.  Application forms can be downloaded from this page.

If you wish to apply for approval of only the second half of the year, the due date is 31 August.   

2. I am considering applying for Conditional AT but don’t want to pay the fee until I have

 passed. Can I just ask for it retrospectively after I pass?      

Fees for conditional advanced training is paid for six months at a time as per below due dates.

The due date for the application for the first six months of the year is due after the written exam results are released, i.e. 31 March, so trainees will know whether or not they have passed the written exam before applying for prospective approval of training. The due date for the application for the second six months of the year is due after the clinical exam results are released, i.e. 31 August. So trainees will know whether or not they have passed the clinical exam before applying for prospective approval of training for the second six months. 

Retrospective accreditation will under no circumstances be considered for the year or part of the year in which the FRACP examination is passed if prospective approval of the training program was not sought. 

3. Training Fee Instalments – How do I pay and when are payments due? 

Due to the increase in fees, trainees are now able to pay for their College fees in three installments if they are training full-time for 12 months (paying the full annual fee). When first applying for training, the application form needs to be submitted with a payment of one third of the total amount due for that year. This will then be considered the first installment. The second installment needs to be paid by 15 April and the third installment needs to be paid by 15 June. The second and third installments can be paid online (trainees will be sent email reminders in due course) or the trainee can complete a payment page (as used in all applications) and send it into the College. For more information on training fees, click here. 

4. What if I have missed the deadline for submission of application forms to the College?     

Late applications are not usually approved. If you submit a late application, you must attach a covering letter explaining why you were not able to submit your application by the deadline. This will then be considered by the relevant Committee. 

5. I want to submit my application/supervisor’s report but my supervisor is on leave for the next month. What should I do?

Obtain your supervisor’s signature upon their return from leave and attach a covering letter to the form explaining why it was submitted late. This will then be considered by the relevant Committee. Please also ensure every section of the form is completed prior to submitting, as forms will not be processed until all relevant sections are completed.   

6. My training for 2009 still says deferred on the MyTraining website and I submitted my revised supervisor’s report a month ago. Why hasn’t this been changed?

Supervisor’s reports are considered by training Committees at a designated time of the year (usually during a bi-annual meeting). All late supervisor’s reports with accompanying explanatory notes will be forwarded to the relevant Committees for accreditation outside the usual timeframes. Once the updated accreditation decision is available, it will then be amended and reflected on the MyTraining website.  

7. I need a confirmation of training letter. How long will it take for it to be completed?  

It usually takes up to one week for the confirmation letter to reach you. If it is an urgent request, please inform the Education Officer for the subspecialty you are training under and he/she will endeavor to accomplish this as soon as possible.  

8. I have been offered a great job overseas but am not sure if it will count to my training. What should I do?

Contact the hospital or site which you wish to train overseas and ask them for information on the job, e.g. job description, timetable, supervision, etc, attach this information with a covering letter pertaining your intent and submit them to the College. This will then be considered by the relevant Committee for prospective approval. 

9. What do I do if my training details change from what was stated on my training application?     

Please inform the Education Officer for the specialty you are training under. A revised application form will need to be completed and submitted to the College indicating the changes to your training term. This will then be considered by the relevant Committee for re-approval. 

10. I am planning on taking leave and am not sure what I need to provide the College with.    

If you are planning to take leave from your training that amounts to less than 8 weeks over the course of a whole year of full time training, you do not need to notify the college. These periods of leave should still, however, be recorded in the Final Supervisor’s Report submitted at the end of each training term.

If you are planning on taking an extended period of leave from training (i.e. more than 8 weeks), for any reason (e.g maternity/paternity, sick, annual, study leave), you will need to notify the College. Please download a copy of the Annual Application for Interruption of Training from this page and submit it to the College before you begin the period of leave.

Part time training must meet the same requirements as full time training. Part time training is defined as continuous training equal to at least 20% of a full time clinical training position at any time. When applying for approval of part-time training or periods of less than 12 months, a pro rata fee is payable.

11. Is there a centralised selection process for my subspecialty in my state?    

State based centralised selection of advanced trainees will be conducted in the following specialties/states through the RACP for the 2012 training year: Cardiology (NSW/ACT and VIC/Tas), Endocrinology (VIC), Gastroenterology (NSW/ACT, VIC/Tas, SA, WA and QLD), Infectious Diseases (VIC), Medical Oncology (VIC/Tas), Nephrology (VIC), Respiratory and Sleep (VIC/Tas) and Rheumatology (NSW/ACT, VIC and SA).

For any subspecialty not listed here, please contact the Specialty Society directly. 

The closing date for registration will vary for different specialties/states. For the latest information please click here.

12. I am unsure of the training guidelines for my subspecialty. 

Guidelines and training requirements for each subspecialty can be found on the specialty specific webpages available here. Please make sure that you are aware of both the generic and the subspecialty specific training requirements. 

13. My committee has changed from an SAC to an STC. Does this affect me?

The formation of a Specialty Training Committee from a Specialist Advisory Committee has meant certain structural changes on the way the Committee operates. The training curricula currently being further developed are due to be implemented in 2011 which will affect the first year advanced trainees in 2011, thus existing trainees should not be affected in general.  

14. I am currently living and working in New Zealand but am thinking of training in Australia for a year. Do I need to transfer to the Australian office of the College?

 

If you are planning to only work in Australia for a temporary period, you will not need to seek a transfer of your records to the Australian office.  However it is recommended that you advise the New Zealand office of your intention and seek further advice.

 

However, if you are planning to work in Australia long term, you will need to advise the New Zealand office and request a transfer of your training records to Australia.  You will also need to download the appropriate advanced training application for the Australian SAC/JSAC/STC and submit it to the Australian office with a covering letter.

 

Please note if you wish to undertake your advanced training in the following subspecialties, all advanced training documentation should be submitted to the Australian office (and the NZ office notified) as all administration occurs in Australia only:

 

• Clinical Genetics
• Community Child Health
• Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine
• Paediatric Emergency Medicine
• Palliative Medicine 

15. I am training under two subspecialties. Do I need to submit two applications?   

Dual trainees are asked to submit ONE application form for each period of training. The application should be completed on the form provided by your chosen primary training committee, and the other subspecialty will be your secondary training committee. This needs to be indicated on the first page of the application form.  Dual trainees only need to pay the one fee if it’s the same period of training.

16. I know when undertaking dual training trainees are only required to submit one form.  However, advanced training in General Paediatrics has different deadlines so does that mean I would need to submit two forms in that instance?

All dual trainees are required to submit ONE application form and comply with all the relevant deadlines of the primary training committee for submission of documentation. If the SAC in General Paediatrics is your chosen primary training committee, you will need to follow the due dates of General Paediatrics for all your forms. If the other subspecialty. e.g. Cardiology is your chosen primary training committee, then you will need to follow the due dates of Cardiology for all your forms.

17. I started Advanced Training in previous years, but in 2011 I changed specialties. Am I a PREP trainee?

PREP is the type of program that you are enrolled in, rather than your universal trainee status. A trainee is in a PREP Advanced Training program if they first enrolled in that program from 2011 onwards. So, you will be considered a PREP trainee for your new program.  

18. I started Advanced Training in previous years, but in 2011 I commenced dual training with another specialty. Am I a PREP trainee?

PREP is the type of program that you are enrolled in, rather than your universal trainee status. A trainee is in a PREP Advanced Training program if they first enrolled in that program from 2011 onwards. So, you will be in PREP and pre-PREP training programs simultaneously.  

19. I started Advanced Training in previous years, but received recognition of prior learning (RPL) for training in previous years. Am I a PREP trainee?

PREP is the type of program that you are enrolled in, rather than your universal trainee status. A trainee is in a PREP Advanced Training program if they first enrolled in that program from 2011 onwards.  Although in chronological terms your first year of training was prior to 2011, your first intentional, prospectively approved year of Advanced Training was completed with reference to the PREP program. 

20. I am a dual trainee. What are my minimum requirements?

In 2011, you must complete the requirements for the training program that you have nominated as your primary specialty for the current period (usually the program in which you are completing core training).

Some examples:

Trainees enrolled in both a pre-PREP and a PREP program:

Specialty 1 (primary and pre-PREP) requires 1 project per core year.

Specialty 2 (secondary and PREP) requires 4 LNA and 2 mini-CEX  per non-core training year.

You must complete one project over the core year. We also recommend that you consider completing 4 LNA and 2 mini-CEX per non-core training year. The LNA should relate to your overall goals for each training period and may or may not include learning objectives from each specialty's curriculum. You can use your discretion to determine which specialty each mini-CEX relates to.

Trainees enrolled in two PREP programs:

Specialty 1 (primary) requires 2 LNA, 2 CbD and 2 mini-CEX per core training year.

Specialty 2 (secondary) requires 4 LNA and 2 mini-CEX per non-core training year.

You must complete 2 LNA, 2 CbD and 2 mini-CEX over the year. We also recommend that you consider completing 2 additional LNA. The LNA should relate to your overall goals for each training period and may or may not include learning objectives from each specialty's curriculum. You can use your discretion to determine which specialty each Case-based Discussion and mini-CEX relate to.

21. I am recently married and my surname has now changed. I have also recently moved house. Do I need to notify the college of this?

Trainees are required to notify the College of any changes to their personal details change during the training term. For a change of surname please submit a JP certified copy of your marriage certificate along with a covering letter explaining that you were recently married and would like to change your name so that your records can be amended accordingly. 

22. I am an International Medical Graduate. Can I start Advanced Training without having passed the AMC Exams?     

At present, it is strongly recommended that you hold the Australian Medical Council (AMC) certificate before you enter into Advanced Training, however it is not compulsory for IMGs if you entering the training program prior to 2010.

Evidence of satisfactory completion of the AMC Certificate will be required for international medical graduates who are seeking to join the basic physician training program from January 2010. Click here to view the College’s IMG Policy.

23. I am nearing the end of my training. I would like to apply for Fellowship and make sure all my paperwork is in order. May I receive an Application for Admission to Fellowship form?     

You will be sent an Application for Admission to Fellowship form towards the end of your training. Please make sure that all outstanding documents such as Final Supervisor’s Reports are submitted to the College at least 6 weeks before completion of training or the applicable Fellowship round, whichever is earlier. Fellowship admissions take place four times a year, March, June, September and December. If you have any queries, contact the Education Officer for your subspecialty.