General Surgery

Advantages of starting a career at TPCH

• Potential for PHO position
• Broad range of experience
• Complex patients
• Busy
• Plenty of opportunities for theatre experience
• Research opportunities

Training Overview

Entry requirements to Training Program

• General Registration
• Currently, need to be in your second postgraduate year (PGY2) but this will be changing in 2015 to PGY3+ and Primary Examination prior to entry

Overview of Training Program

• Trainees undertake specialty surgical training through the Surgical Education and Training (SET) program
• Trainees require an accredited training post within a hospital (public or private)
• Usually takes at least five (5) or six (6) years
• Apply as trainee
• Complete Generic Surgical Sciences Exam – this is not currently a prerequisite for selection to SET

What rotations are recommended prior to applying for training

• Selection to SET based on performance
• Any rotations are suitable but ICU, Emergency, General Surgery and General Medicine are recommended

How to improve your chances of selection

• Sound academic record
• Good performance in postgraduate training years, assessed by Term Assessments
• Referee reports
• Research
• Complete courses recommended on RACS website, for example, ASSET
• The College recognises that the ASSET course is equivalent to the Intercollegiate Basic Surgical Skills (BSS) course delivered by the Colleges in the UK and Ireland.  This course has short waiting lists and is often more economical at A$1130
• Consider undertaking post graduate Masters qualifications eg Master of Surgical Science (Distance learning)
• Be honest, hard working and demonstrate right attitude

Myths

• Committee membership – recognised as a personal attribute but will not increase chances of selection to SET
• Courses such as EMST, CCrISP
• Anatomy courses (listed below) – these will help with General Surgical Sciences Exam however, will not increase chances of selection
  • Advanced Surgical Anatomy, University of Queensland  (A$6,050)
    
  • Graduate Diploma in Surgical Anatomy, University of Melbourne (A$18,600)
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Surgical Anatomy, University of Otago, NZ (A$31,311)