Eligibility Criteria

When am I eligible to apply for urology training?

A doctor is eligible to apply to SET urology in the year they will complete all the eligibility requirements. If you can show you are going to complete the requirements in December, you can apply in the March. The earliest this can be is PGY 2, which sees you start SET in PGY 3. Some may not have chosen their career path so early, or may change their mind. Apply when you are ready, as all applicants are considered equally. You should be aware that if you fail to complete the promised requirements by the end of the year, your offer of selection can be withdrawn.

If you want to apply for urology, you must register on the RACS website by the closing date advertised. Registration for all surgical specialties is through the RACS website www.surgeons.org   Once you have registered, you can find out about the SET Urology application process.

 

What are the eligibility requirements for selection into Urology? (updated 16.7.08)

Applicants to any SET program must fulfill the College General Eligibility Criteria. 

Generic Eligibility Criteria

All applicants to SET must meet the following requirements to register with the College:

  • citizenship or permanent residency status in Australia or New Zealand
  • graduate of a medical school recognised by the Australian or New Zealand Medical Councils
  • unconditional registration to practise in Australia, or general scope registration to practise in New Zealand
  • satisfactorily completed internship and in PGY2 or later

Applicants to SET Urology must also fulfill the Urology Specific Eligibility Criteria.
 
Urology Specific Eligibility Criteria

To be ready to start training in Urology, you are expected to have had a range of experiences from working in a range of specialties (surgical and non-surgical) in a variety of settings. A diverse rotation of terms is the best way to acquire a range of skills, and we in Urology believe this broad grounding and experience is important. 

SET is a streamlined and accelerated surgical education program. If you want to apply from PGY 2 or PGY 3, you will need to quickly gain exposure in diversity of terms, and get the most out of each and every term, to make sure you obtain the expected ideal experience.

The minimum requirements for all applicants are:

  • Completion of at least one term in a surgical rotation at PGY 2 level or above
  • Completion of at least one term in an Emergency Department

Clinical experience cannot be gained from non-clinical terms. This is obvious. If you want to apply at an early stage in your career, you should not spend too much time in non-clinical positions such as anatomy tutoring or research, or on leave.

Additional Eligibility Criteria (applicants from PGY2 and PGY 3 only)

There are two additional eligibility requirements that apply only to applicants from PGY 2 and PGY 3 (applicants with 4 or more years of post graduate medical employment are expected to have acquired these requirements purely by weight of time).

  • Completion of at least 21 months in clinical posts before commencing SET urology
  • Completion of at least one term in a Medical firm or equivalent at PGY 2 level or above

The medical term (or equivalent) requirement is essential for you to gain some experience of managing the medical needs of patients. This can be gained in a purely Medical term, but you might also be able to get this in other terms such as:

  • Oncology
  • Cardio-Vascular Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery
  • General Practice
  • ICU/High Dependency ward

All of your terms and requirements need to be completed by the end of the year of application, not necessarily before applications close.

Summary

If you wish to apply to SET Urology from PGY 2, you will need to ensure your PGY 2 year comprises the following: 

  • a Medical term (or equivalent, as suggestions above outline)
  • at least one surgical term (more than one is considered beneficial)
  • a term in the Emergency Department or in ICU/Anaesthesia. If you haven't done a solid ED term in PGY 1, you must ensure you get one in PGY 2.

The expectations are clear. The terms needed to achieve our requirements are a little diverse. If you are thinking of applying to urology, you will really need to plan well in advance to negotiate your terms.

Updated July 2008