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Respiratory & Sleep Medicine

RACP. Lungs, sleep and bronchoscopy, solid demand, moderate competition, and a sleep-medicine private arm that supports flexible careers.

Medicine (physician)3 years AT (commonly 4 with dual sleep medicine)Competitiveness: moderateSubspecialty, entry via Basic Physician Training (Adult Medicine)
Competition snapshot: Moderate   Moderately contested at tertiary centres; accessible beyond (indicative)
Program length
3 years AT (commonly 4 with dual sleep medicine)
Typical entry
AT from PGY5–6
Women (trainees)
≈ 45–50% of trainees
Consultant (public)
$290,000–450,000 package
Consultant (private)
$350,000–600,000 with sleep-study involvement (indicative)
Hours & lifestyle
Ward + clinic; sleep medicine adds office-hours private work
Entry routeYou enter Respiratory & Sleep Medicine 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 Respiratory & Sleep Medicine.

Overview

Respiratory medicine spans asthma/COPD, interstitial lung disease, lung cancer (with a national screening program now live), bronchoscopy incl. EBUS, cystic fibrosis and, via the common dual pathway, sleep medicine, whose private laboratory and CPAP sector underwrites some of the most flexible physician careers available.

Selection and points

How selection works

ComponentWhat it involves
AT job applicationHospital-level selection; dual respiratory/sleep pathways add a year.
The unofficial view
  • Bronchoscopy exposure and a lung-cancer or ILD project are the standard signals. Sleep dual-training intent is worth declaring early, because departments plan rosters around it.

Competition & demographics

Competitiveness

  • Middle of the physician pack: tertiary posts contested, regional posts accessible.

Who's in the program

  • Near gender parity.

How to improve your chances at each stage

StageResident (PGY2–3)
  • Respiratory BPT terms + a research project (ILD registries, sleep cohorts publish well).
StageRegistrar years & applications
  • Decide early about dual sleep accreditation; it shapes AT post choice.
StageIf you don't get on (or change your mind)
  • Adjacent: general medicine, ICU (dual respiratory/ICM exists), immunology/allergy.

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

Job market & workforce outlook

Outlook: Good. COPD/ILD burden, lung-cancer screening rollout, sleep apnoea demand; regional shortage
  • Steady public demand; sleep medicine private sector strong; regional centres recruiting.

Income

  • $350,000–600,000 indicative with private sleep involvement; public packages below that.

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
Sleep medicineDual pathway, flexible private work
Interventional pulmonologyEBUS/stents, tertiary
Cystic fibrosis / transplantQuaternary units

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.

❓ Questions & answers

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🩺 Experiences, corrections & perspectives

If you've trained in respiratory & sleep 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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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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