Prospective trainees FAQs
Is public health medicine right for me?
Do you find yourself frustrated by the ways your patients are affected by social and commercial determinants of health that are difficult to change from the bedside?
Public health physicians are interested in how health systems affect their work as clinicians, advocates, and community members
They are curious about research and contributing to the evidence base for health improvement. They're eager for their careers to contribute to the health of entire populations, not just the patients encountered through clinical practice.
These interests may have taken you to postgraduate studies of public health. Also, many of the advocacy, policy, research, and management activities you may have undertaken during your medical studies and junior doctor career may be relevant to public health practice. AFPHM training builds on these prerequisites through a structured curriculum. This training consolidates vocational and theory-based learning experiences and helps you become a public health practitioner capable of working independently and with multidisciplinary colleagues across government, clinical settings and academia.
There are also lifestyle attractors to a career in public health medicine. Some public health roles operate on a Monday to Friday schedule and keep general office hours. Many employment contracts support flexible work hours, which may be especially beneficial for parents and carers. In a pandemic context requiring surge capacity, public health roles involved in the response may however require extended hours and weekend work.
Can I work part-time as a trainee?
Yes! AFPHM training lends itself to part-time and flexible training options and it’s supported by the Faculty. You must independently negotiate this with your employer, and clearly document your full-time equivalent (FTE) on your learning contract.
There’s also a maximum number of years to complete the program, whether you’re completing training full-time or part-time. The training limits and more information can be found in flexible training options.
Does this mean giving up a clinical career?
Not necessarily, this decision is up to you. Most FAFPHM don’t work clinically as they focus on population-level issues. Other public health physicians hold dual fellowships in clinical specialties and continue their clinical practice alongside their public health practice. They must maintain standards and meet annual continuing professional development requirements for both specialties. The most common combination is public health medicine and general practice.
There’s no formal dual training pathway for public health medicine. It’s a flexible training pathway and there are ways to independently manage the different requirements of 2 specialty pathways. One approach is starting public health medicine training after attaining another Fellowship, where it may be possible to apply to the College for Recognition of Prior Learning where earlier vocational experiences in other specialties relate to AFPHM competencies.
What are the AFPHM entry and training requirements?
The Public Health Medicine Advanced Training Handbook has information about:
- entry eligibility
- application into training
- approval of training
- training requirements
- all forms, reports and resources
Where can I do my training?
AFPHM training must be undertaken in AFPHM accredited training positions. See accredited settings for more information.