Obstetrics & Gynaecology Training Pathway
How to become an obstetrician & gynaecologist in Australia — the RANZCOG FRANZCOG training program, how national selection scores you, and what O&G specialists earn.
O&G runs a single national selection through RANZCOG, and it's competitive — only about the top third to half of applicants are picked, and the CV score rewards substantial prior O&G experience, so most successful applicants have done a year or more of O&G first. Private obstetrics also carries some of the highest indemnity-insurance costs in medicine.
Why obstetrics & gynaecology
You combine surgery, acute obstetrics and office gynaecology — antenatal care and deliveries (including emergencies and caesareans), gynaecological surgery, early-pregnancy and fertility problems, and women's health across the lifespan. It's procedural, often high-acuity, and on-call heavy because babies don't keep office hours. It suits people who want a surgical craft combined with continuity of care and acute decision-making, and who can carry the unpredictable hours and medico-legal weight that come with obstetrics.
- Draws: A surgical craft with real continuity and acute work, Strong private-practice potential, especially obstetrics, A clear, structured six-year national program, Broad scope plus five subspecialty options.
- Trade-offs: Heavy, unpredictable on-call for deliveries, Among the highest medical-indemnity costs in medicine, Competitive national selection — top third to half selected, High medico-legal exposure.
- Subspecialties: Maternal-fetal medicine (CMFM), Reproductive endocrinology & infertility (CREI), Gynaecological oncology (CGO), Obstetrical & gynaecological ultrasound (COGU), Urogynaecology (CU).
The training pathway
The same fellowship, two very different timelines. The fast route assumes everything goes right; most people land on the realistic one.
How competitive is it?
Selection is national and RANZCOG publishes its competitiveness as approximate ranges rather than exact counts. There are roughly 90–100 training positions in Australia each year, and the College states that about the top third to half of Australian applicants who apply are selected. Exact applicant numbers and a per-state breakdown of positions aren't published. Candidates get three attempts at selection, and because the CV is scored on prior O&G experience, most successful applicants are PGY4–5 with a year or more of O&G behind them — not fresh PGY2s.
Unaccredited time: Not a formal requirement, but in practice yes — the CV score rewards up to 92+ weeks of prior O&G experience, so most successful applicants have spent a year or more in O&G (often as a service/unaccredited registrar) before selection. RANZCOG does not publish how common this is.
Sources: RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG trainee selection process (PDF), RANZCOG — selection FAQs (positions & success ranges).
Selection criteria & how to apply
O&G selection is national — one application to RANZCOG, scored and ranked nationally, with offers allocated to the training programs you preference. From 2026 three components make up your score (referee reports and institutional ranking were dropped):
Key documents: RANZCOG — trainee selection process (PDF), RANZCOG — CV/application scoring guidelines, Australia (PDF).
Where you'd train, state by state
NSW
Who runs selection: A Phase 2 state. NSW has the largest set of accredited training sites, from Sydney tertiary hospitals to regional networks. Selection is national; you preference NSW and, if ranked and matched, are allocated to a hospital within a NSW Integrated Training Program by the state Training Accreditation Committee.
Where to apply: RANZCOG national application (preference NSW) — application portal.
Worth knowing: Newcastle is offered as a separate Phase 1 ITP1 option, and Dubbo and Orange feature as alternating rural training programs. The biggest pool of positions in the country.
Links: RANZCOG — training sites, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection.
VIC
Who runs selection: A Phase 2 state spanning Melbourne tertiary maternity hospitals and regional Victorian networks. Selection is national; allocation to a Victorian ITP follows national ranking and your preferences.
Where to apply: RANZCOG national application (preference VIC) — application portal.
Worth knowing: Bendigo and Western Victoria are offered as Phase 1 rural training programs, which can be a less-contested route in for rurally-eligible applicants.
Links: RANZCOG — training sites, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection.
QLD
Who runs selection: A Phase 2 state, from Brisbane tertiary maternity hospitals through large regional centres. Selection is national; allocation to a Queensland ITP follows ranking and preferences.
Where to apply: RANZCOG national application (preference QLD) — application portal.
Worth knowing: Townsville is offered as a separate Phase 1 ITP1 option, reflecting Queensland's large regional and rural maternity footprint.
Links: RANZCOG — training sites, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection.
SA
Who runs selection: A Phase 2 option, grouped with the Northern Territory (SA/NT). Adelaide tertiary maternity hospitals anchor training, with rural rotations. Selection is national.
Where to apply: RANZCOG national application (preference SA/NT) — application portal.
Worth knowing: SA is preferenced together with the NT in Phase 2; the Territory's main site (Royal Darwin Hospital) also appears as a Phase 1 rural training program.
Links: RANZCOG — training sites, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection.
WA
Who runs selection: A Phase 2 state centred on Perth tertiary maternity hospitals with a vast remote footprint served by regional rotations. Selection is national.
Where to apply: RANZCOG national application (preference WA) — application portal.
Worth knowing: Geographically isolated, with significant rural and remote obstetric exposure built into training rotations.
Links: RANZCOG — training sites, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection.
TAS
Who runs selection: Offered as a Phase 1 ITP1 option rather than a Phase 2 state — a single statewide program built on Tasmanian maternity hospitals. Selection is national.
Where to apply: RANZCOG national application (preference TAS — Phase 1) — application portal.
Worth knowing: Being an ITP1 option, Tasmania is preferenced in Phase 1; much of the state is rural for training and CV-scoring purposes.
Links: RANZCOG — training sites, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection.
ACT
Who runs selection: Offered as a Phase 1 ITP1 option — a Canberra-based program anchored on the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children. Selection is national.
Where to apply: RANZCOG national application (preference ACT — Phase 1) — application portal.
Worth knowing: A small program preferenced in Phase 1 alongside the rural and regional ITP1 sites.
Links: RANZCOG — training sites, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection.
NT
Who runs selection: Preferenced with South Australia (SA/NT) in Phase 2, with Royal Darwin Hospital also offered as a Phase 1 rural training program. Selection is national.
Where to apply: RANZCOG national application (preference SA/NT) — application portal.
Worth knowing: Distinctive remote and Aboriginal women's-health exposure. The Territory is reachable both via the SA/NT Phase 2 preference and the Royal Darwin Phase 1 rural program.
Links: RANZCOG — training sites, RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection.
How to optimise your application
- Bank O&G terms before applying (tied to CV (35%), start PGY1–3) — CV bands reward up to 92+ weeks of O&G experience — the single biggest controllable score, and why most who get in are PGY4–5.
- Line up strong multi-source feedback (tied to Mini-MSF (20%), start before applying) — Choose raters across disciplines who've genuinely worked with you; the Mini-MSF replaced referee reports from 2026.
- Prepare hard for the interview (tied to Interview (45%), start pre-application) — Nearly half the score. Practise structured, scenario-based answers for the short videoconference panel.
- Use rurality if it fits (tied to CV + rural programs, start early) — Rural background scores CV points and opens Phase 1 rural training programs that can be less contested.
Key documents & official links
- RANZCOG — FRANZCOG training program
- RANZCOG — FRANZCOG selection
- RANZCOG — examinations (FRANZCOG)
- RANZCOG — subspecialty training
- RANZCOG — SIMG pathway (Australia)
FAQ
Is O&G hard to get into?
How is selection scored?
How long does it take?
What exams are there?
Why is private obstetrics insurance so expensive?
Trained overseas? (IMG pathway)
How overseas-trained obstetrics & gynaecology doctors get recognised
Overseas-trained O&G specialists are assessed through the RANZCOG SIMG specialist pathway. After a paper assessment and interview you're rated substantially comparable (up to 12 months supervised practice), partially comparable (6–24 months plus specified requirements and the FRANZCOG oral exam), or not comparable (apply to enter the program at Year 1).
See the RANZCOG SIMG pathway for international medical graduates and our IMG internship guide.
Related specialties
Last reviewed 2026-06-01.