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Medical Specialties in Australia

A plain-English guide to every specialty training pathway — how to get in, how competitive it really is, the selection criteria with links to the source documents, and what specialists actually earn in public and private practice. Wondering which pays most? See every specialty ranked by ATO taxable income.

Competitiveness
Training · total from PGY1
Lifestyle · on-call
Work style
Earnings · ATO avg
Showing 48 of 48 specialties Training length is the approximate total years from internship (PGY1) to Fellowship, counting every prerequisite — Basic Physician Training, a prior fellowship, or the OMFS dual degree — not just the final college program (hover a card’s years chip for the breakdown). Earnings = ATO average taxable income (a gross-earnings proxy, not a salary; salaried/award-based specialties shown as “Salaried”). Lifestyle bands are indicative — open a specialty for the full sourced detail.

Generalist

General Practice
RACGP / ACRRM
Low ~5 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Rural Generalist Medicine
ACRRM / RACGP
Moderate ~5 yrs Heavy on-call Under $300k

Adult medicine

Cardiology
RACP / CSANZ
High ~7 yrs Heavy on-call $500k+
Clinical Genetics
RACP
Low ~7 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Clinical Immunology & Allergy
RACP (with RCPA)
Moderate ~7 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Clinical Pharmacology
RACP
Low ~7 yrs Controllable hours $300–400k
Endocrinology
RACP / ESA
Moderate ~7 yrs Controllable hours Under $300k
Gastroenterology
RACP / GESA
High ~7 yrs Heavy on-call $400–500k
General & Internal Medicine
RACP
High ~8 yrs Moderate on-call Salaried / award
Geriatric Medicine
RACP
Moderate ~7 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Haematology
RACP / RCPA
High ~9 yrs Moderate on-call Under $300k
Infectious Diseases
RACP
Moderate ~8 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Medical Oncology
RACP / MOGA
Moderate ~7 yrs Moderate on-call $300–400k
Nephrology
RACP / ANZSN
Moderate ~7 yrs Heavy on-call $300–400k
Neurology
RACP / ANZAN
Moderate ~7 yrs Heavy on-call $300–400k
Palliative Medicine
AChPM (RACP)
Moderate ~8 yrs Controllable hours $300–400k
Rehabilitation Medicine
AFRM (RACP)
Moderate ~6 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Respiratory & Sleep Medicine
RACP / TSANZ
Moderate ~7 yrs Heavy on-call $300–400k
Rheumatology
RACP / ARA
Moderate ~7 yrs Controllable hours Under $300k

Surgery

Cardiothoracic Surgery
RACS
Very high ~8 yrs Heavy on-call $400–500k
General Surgery
RACS / GSA
High ~8 yrs Heavy on-call $400–500k
Neurosurgery
RACS / NSA
Very high ~8 yrs Heavy on-call $500k+
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
RACDS (FRACDS OMS)
High ~8 yrs Heavy on-call $400–500k
Orthopaedic Surgery
RACS / AOA
Very high ~8 yrs Moderate on-call $500k+
Otolaryngology (ENT)
RACS / ASOHNS
Very high ~7 yrs Moderate on-call $500k+
Paediatric Surgery
RACS
Very high ~9 yrs Heavy on-call Salaried / award
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
RACS / ASPS
Very high ~7 yrs Heavy on-call $400–500k
Urology
RACS / USANZ
High ~7 yrs Heavy on-call $500k+
Vascular Surgery
RACS / ANZSVS
Very high ~9 yrs Heavy on-call $400–500k

Acute & critical care

Anaesthetics
ANZCA
High ~7 yrs Controllable hours $400–500k
Emergency Medicine
ACEM
Moderate ~7 yrs Heavy on-call Salaried / award
Intensive Care Medicine
CICM
Low ~6 yrs Heavy on-call $300–400k
Pain Medicine
FPM (ANZCA)
Low ~10 yrs Controllable hours $400–500k

Women's & children's

Obstetrics & Gynaecology
RANZCOG
High ~7 yrs Heavy on-call $400–500k
Paediatrics & Child Health
RACP
Moderate ~7 yrs Moderate on-call Under $300k

Mental health

Addiction Medicine
RACP (AChAM)
Low ~8 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Psychiatry
RANZCP
Low ~7 yrs Controllable hours Under $300k

Diagnostics & imaging

Nuclear Medicine
AANMS / RACP & RANZCR
Moderate ~7 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Pathology
RCPA
Moderate ~7 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Radiation Oncology
RANZCR (Faculty of Radiation Oncology)
High ~7 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Radiology
RANZCR
High ~7 yrs Moderate on-call $400–500k

Eyes & skin

Dermatology
ACD
Very high ~6 yrs Controllable hours $300–400k
Ophthalmology
RANZCO
Very high ~7 yrs Controllable hours $500k+

Population & lifestyle

Medical Administration
RACMA
Low ~6 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Occupational & Environmental Medicine
RACP (AFOEM)
Low ~5 yrs Controllable hours $300–400k
Public Health Medicine
RACP (AFPHM)
Low ~6 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Sexual Health Medicine
RACP (AChSHM)
Low ~8 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award
Sport & Exercise Medicine
ACSEP
Moderate ~8 yrs Controllable hours Salaried / award