Overview
Geriatricians run acute aged-care wards, ortho-geriatric services, memory clinics, rehabilitation and community/RACF outreach, comprehensive physicianship for the fastest-growing patient demographic in the country. It is medicine at its most whole-person, and workforce demand is so deep that geriatricians choose their jobs, cities and hours.
Selection and points
How selection works
| Component | What it involves |
|---|---|
| AT job application | Hospital-level; dual general-medicine pathways widespread. |
- Entry is welcoming: genuine interest, sound BPT record and decent referees are typically sufficient. Use the slack strategically; build a special interest (perioperative, memory, movement) early.
Competition & demographics
Competitiveness
- Among the least contested physician ATs, despite excellent job outcomes, arguably the best supply/demand mismatch in adult medicine.
Who's in the program
- Majority-female; the strongest part-time and flexible-training culture among physician specialties.
How to improve your chances at each stage
StageResident (PGY2–3)
- Geris/gen-med BPT terms; a delirium or falls QI project is quick and valued.
StageRegistrar years & applications
- Dual gen med/geris is the most employable combination in the hospital system.
StageIf you don't get on (or change your mind)
- Rarely needed, but adjacent: general medicine, rehabilitation, palliative care, GP with aged-care focus.
See also the general strategy guide: universal CV, referee and interview advice that applies across specialties.
Job market & workforce outlook
- Every health service is hiring; ortho-geriatrics and perioperative medicine expanding; regional demand insatiable.
Income
- $300,000–450,000 indicative; aged-care medical-director and medicolegal work supplements.
Pre-tax, indicative, and highly variable with hours, setting and billing model. ATO figures are averages of taxable income by reported occupation.
Subspecialties & special interests
| Area | Notes |
|---|---|
| Ortho-geriatrics/perioperative | Growth area |
| Cognition/memory | Clinics + new AD therapeutics |
| Community/RACF | Outreach models |
Official links
Community: questions and perspectives
❓ Questions & answers
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🩺 Experiences, corrections & perspectives
If you've trained in geriatric medicine, or tried to, share what the page can't capture: what it's really like, what's changed, what you wish you'd known.
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