Overview
Rehabilitation physicians restore function: post-stroke and brain-injury rehab, spinal cord medicine, amputee care and prosthetics, complex MSK/pain and cancer rehab, leading multidisciplinary teams of therapists toward goals patients actually feel. It's medicine's most optimistic specialty: everyone is improving, by design.
Entry (via AFRM, straight from PGY2+ without full BPT) is welcoming, demand is structurally growing, and private rehabilitation hospitals plus medicolegal work give consultants unusual employment breadth.
The pathway
- PGY1–2Broad terms; a rehab/geriatrics/neurology term reveals the fit fast.
- Apply to AFRM training posts (PGY3+)Direct entry to rehab registrar positions (BPT not required); hospital-level selection.
- AT years 1–4Rotations across stroke, TBI, spinal, amputee, MSK; module exams + fellowship written/clinical.
- FAFRM → consultantPublic units, private rehab hospitals, NDIS/medicolegal portfolio work.
Formal requirements
- General registration; PGY2 completed; appointment to accredited rehab training post; AFRM registration + assessments.
Selection and points
How selection works
| Component | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Hospital application | CV/referees/interview at unit level; genuine interest often sufficient. |
Points & scoring
- No matrix; therapy-team references and functional-assessment literacy (FIM familiarity) quietly impress.
- Rehab units notice juniors who respect allied health; your physio's opinion of you may matter more than your consultant's.
Competition & demographics
Competitiveness
- Among the most accessible programs for its lifestyle quality; metro spinal/TBI quaternary units the only contested corners.
Who's in the program
- ≈ 60% women; strong part-time training; many entrants after exploring medicine/surgery first.
Exams
| Exam | When | Format | Cost | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFRM Written + Clinical (Fellowship) examinations Module assessments throughout training. | Mid-to-late AT | Written papers + clinical assessment | ≈ $3,000–5,000 each | ≈ 70–85% (indicative) |
Fees and pass rates are indicative; check the college's current fee schedule and exam reports.
What training costs
- RACP/AFRM training fees ≈ $2,700–3,300/yr; exams as above.
How to improve your chances at each stage
StageMedical student
- Do a rehab or spinal unit placement; learn functional assessment; it reframes how you see every patient.
StageIntern (PGY1)
- Geris/neuro/ortho terms translate directly; complete an ADL-outcome audit.
StageResident (PGY2–3)
- Apply directly to rehab registrar posts; NDIS-literacy and a stroke-rehab project make you a standout in an uncrowded field.
StageRegistrar years & applications
- Choose rotations for breadth (spinal + TBI + amputee); build medicolegal report-writing skills early; it becomes a lucrative consultant stream.
StageIf you don't get on (or change your mind)
- Adjacent: geriatrics, gen med, pain medicine (FPM feeder), sport & exercise medicine, occupational medicine.
See also the general strategy guide: universal CV, referee and interview advice that applies across specialties.
Job market & workforce outlook
- Public rehab beds expanding with demographics; private rehab hospitals a major employer; NDIS assessments and medicolegal work deep and growing.
Income
- $300,000–500,000 indicative with private/medicolegal mix; pure public below.
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 |
|---|---|
| Spinal cord injury | Statewide units |
| Brain injury | TBI/stroke programs |
| Amputee & prosthetics | Limb centres |
| Paediatric rehab | Children's hospitals, dual AFRM/RACP |
International medical graduates
- AFRM SIMG assessment; not on the expedited list.
Official links
Community: questions and perspectives
❓ Questions & answers
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🩺 Experiences, corrections & perspectives
If you've trained in rehabilitation 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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