Table 1 Summary of Australia’s medical training pathway for individual doctors

Schooling

Childhood

Period(s) of their upbringing (childhood) that may have been in a rural setting

Up to 18 years

University qualification(s)

Pre-medicine

Initial degree (e.g., Medical Science), prerequisite for a majority of medical degrees

Usually 3 years

Medical school

Initial medical degree (e.g., Doctor of Medicine); some pathways integrate both qualifications (including pre-medicine) as one (5–6 years); latter half of medical school is predominantly in clinical settings

Usually 4 years

Postgraduation qualifications

Prevocational

Compulsory intern year; then additional 2–3 years (on average) working in a hospital either rotating between different departments or in unaccredited training positions; Employment is frequently via an annual contract, with most such doctors actively seeking selection into specialty training. This is when most specialty decisions are confirmed (with future work location strongly associated with this decision)

Minimum 2 years, median 3–4 years

Vocational (registrar)

Doctor works as a registrar in accredited training positions that meet specialty college requirements. Employment is frequently via an annual contract, dependent on supervision, accreditation, and specific learning needs

3–6 years

Independent

Consultant

Largely unrestricted period of working as a specialist doctor

n/a