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Infectious Diseases

RACP. Diagnostic detective work across the whole hospital, often dual-trained with microbiology; public-sector weighted with global-health reach.

Medicine (physician)3 years AT (commonly 4–5 dual with micro/gen med)Competitiveness: moderateSubspecialty, entry via Basic Physician Training (Adult Medicine)
Competition snapshot: Moderate   Tertiary posts moderately contested; dual micro pathways structured (indicative)
Program length
3 years AT (commonly 4–5 dual with micro/gen med)
Typical entry
AT from PGY5–6
Women (trainees)
≈ 55% of trainees
Consultant (public)
$280,000–440,000 package
Consultant (private)
Limited private sector. $300,000–450,000 typical overall (indicative)
Hours & lifestyle
Consult-service days; call is advisory more than procedural
Entry routeYou enter Infectious Diseases through Basic Physician Training (Adult Medicine): complete basic training and both divisional exams first, then compete for advanced-training posts in this specialty. This page covers what's specific to Infectious Diseases.

Overview

ID physicians are the hospital's consulting detectives: endocarditis, prosthetic infections, the immunosuppressed and returned travellers, antimicrobial stewardship and outbreak response. Many dual-train with microbiology (RCPA) or general medicine, which converts a public-weighted specialty into a widely employable one.

Selection and points

How selection works

ComponentWhat it involves
AT job applicationHospital-level; dual micro adds RCPA requirements/exams.
The unofficial view
  • Stewardship QI projects and a micro-lab-friendly reputation are the classic entry signals; global-health experience reads well but local referees decide.

Competition & demographics

Competitiveness

  • Accessible-to-moderate; the famous academic units select competitively.

Who's in the program

  • Majority-female, research-rich cohort.

How to improve your chances at each stage

StageResident (PGY2–3)
  • ID consult and micro terms; run a stewardship audit; it's publishable and on-message.
StageRegistrar years & applications
  • Decide on dual (micro or gen med) early; it shapes the whole AT map.
StageIf you don't get on (or change your mind)
  • Adjacent: microbiology (lab), general medicine, public health medicine, immunology.

See also the general strategy guide: universal CV, referee and interview advice that applies across specialties.

Job market & workforce outlook

Outlook: Public demand steady (AMR, immunosuppressed populations, outbreak readiness); consultant posts mostly public and metro-clustered, dual training improves geography
  • Public consultant posts cluster in teaching hospitals; dual-trained ID/micro and ID/gen-med physicians are the most recruitable, including regionally.

Income

  • Mostly public packages $280,000–440,000; private ID is a small sector.

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

AreaNotes
Clinical micro (dual)RCPA joint pathway
Immunocompromised-host IDTransplant/oncology centres
Tropical/global healthNT + international

Community: questions and perspectives

CommunityAsk questions and share real-world experience below. Sign in with your email (button top right) to post. Your training stage and specialty interest appear beside your name so readers know the perspective, and the best posts are folded into the page at each annual review.

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🩺 Experiences, corrections & perspectives

If you've trained in infectious diseases, 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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Last reviewed July 2026. Details marked “verified” were checked against official/current sources at review; unmarked figures are indicative estimates from training data, college publications and community knowledge. Selection regulations change annually, always read the current-year official documents before acting.
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