Sources, methodology & honesty

How this site was built

Content was compiled in July 2026 from three layers, and every page labels which layer a claim comes from:

• “Verified”, checked in July 2026 against official/current sources: college selection pages and regulations (RACS/GSA, RANZCOG, RANZCO, ACD, RANZCP, ANZCA, ACEM, RANZCR, RACGP), Medical Board/Ahpra announcements (expedited pathway), Department of Health program pages (AGPT, single-employer trials), ATO taxation statistics 2022–23, the 2025 Medical Training Survey, and government workforce reports.
• “Indicative”, careful estimates where no official public figure exists: most applicant-to-place ratios (few colleges publish them), income ranges (built from ATO occupation averages, state awards/enterprise agreements and market data), demographic percentages, and exam pass rates.
• “The unofficial view”, deliberately labelled community knowledge about how selection works in practice. Treat it as experienced seniors' advice: usually right, occasionally stale, never a substitute for current regulations.

Key verified anchors used across the site

• RACS 2023 selection outcomes: overall success 31.5%; cardiothoracic 11.5% to urology 50%; 43% of the intake women. General surgery 121 appointed for 2025; plastics 19 for 2026; cardiothoracic 9 for 2025.
• RANZCOG: ≥3 applicants per place; referee reports and institutional ranking removed from selection from 2026; PGY2-certificate requirement withdrawn for 2027.
• RANZCO: two-stage selection with 7-point capped CV (2.5 threshold) and asynchronous video interviews; PGY2 + 18 months broad experience eligibility.
• ACD: under 60 places vs several hundred applicants; four-application lifetime cap; 114.5 training positions (82% public).
• ANZCA: two years' general hospital experience required pre-training; scheme-based selection (QARTS, SANTRATS etc.).
• RANZCP: 24 months general experience required from 2025; state-based selection; 2026 accreditation-standard changes; IOCA removed March 2026.
• AGPT: 1,500 funded places growing past 2,000 by 2028; $30k incentives + 20 weeks parental leave from 2026; 2026-intake applications closed 8 April 2025; single-employer trials in five states to 2028.
• Expedited SIMG pathway list as of early 2026: GP, anaesthesia, psychiatry, O&G, general paediatrics, general medicine, radiology under assessment; dermatology/EM/general surgery/ENT flagged next.
• ATO 2022–23 average taxable incomes: surgeons $472,475; anaesthetists $447,193; internal medicine $342,457; psychiatrists $286,146; other medical practitioners $259,802.
• Workforce signals: projected FACEM oversupply ~1,000 by 2030 (AFHW-EM); CICM >1,400 trainees vs >1,600 fellows; MTS 2025 n=18,276 with 83% recommending their training.

Primary sources to re-check each year

• RACS: Become a surgeon (annual Guide to Surgical Selection + statistics)
• RACGP: AGPT (intake dates change annually)
• RANZCOG: trainee selection
• RANZCO: selection criteria & timeline
• ACD: selection policy & workforce data
• ANZCA: training program & schemes
• ACEM: FACEM training
• RANZCP: become a psychiatrist
• RACP: basic & advanced training
• RANZCR: clinical radiology & radiation oncology
• RCPA: pathology training
• CICM: intensive care training
• ACRRM: rural generalist fellowship
• Medical Board: IMG pathways incl. expedited list
• Medical Training Survey: annual trainee-experience data by specialty
• Health Workforce Data (Department of Health): workforce numbers by specialty
• ATO taxation statistics: income by occupation

Updating this site

All content lives in data/*.js (one entry per specialty). Edit those files, then run node build.js to regenerate every page. The README covers the schema. An annual refresh pass (selection stats, fees, any process changes) is the intended maintenance rhythm.

Disclaimer

This is an independent educational guide, unaffiliated with any college, government body or employer. It is general information, not personal careers, financial, legal or migration advice. Figures marked indicative are estimates and may be wrong in particulars; verified figures may have changed since review. Decisions that shape a decade of your life deserve primary sources and human mentors; use this site to ask better questions of both.