Updated: 11 August 2025

Trainees for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery are selected on a competitive basis. Strict eligibility criteria apply and are published annually on The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) website. The P&RS Regulations for Selection are subject to annual review, and are published on this page each November.

All enquiries must be sent in writing to education@plasticsurgery.org.au.

Review the archive of previous notices about Selection for SET rule changes.

Important Notices for the 2026 selection round

CV tool a minimum eligibility requirement from 2027 or 2028

NOTIFICATION
11 August 2025 – The Board hereby gives formal notice of its intention to make the CV tool a minimum eligibility requirement only (i.e., the CV will not be used for scoring/points for final ranking of applicants). This proposal responds to an observed increase in maximum scores in multiple CV sections that has resulted in a more homogeneous set of skills and experience among applicants, and a less discriminatory set of CV scores.

Increasing the number of rural and Indigenous doctors remains a key priority for the Government, RACS and the Board, and initiative may be incorporated into the new CV system. Further information will be provided in due course.

The Board will now consider the minimum eligibility requirements in their entirety, and is proposing to introduce the change in the 2027 or 2028 application round. This early notification is issued to assist candidates with planning and preparation.

Proposed minimum eligibility evidence may include the following, but are subject to change:

• Passing the RACS Generic Surgical Sciences Examination
• Surgical experience terms (PRS and non-PRS)
• ICU or Emergency terms
• Contacts for reference checks
• Some research activities

**No points for final ranking to be awarded in any of the above sections.**

Further details, including final requirements and the implementation timeline, will be published once the Board has completed its consideration.

Clinical Examination

NOTIFICATION
11 August 2025 – The Board gives formal notification of its intention to remove the clinical examination (CE) as a prerequisite for selection in the 2027 application round. The CE is a prerequisite for selection in the 2026 selection round.

Points for surgical experience (2024 – 2026)

11 August 2025 – The 2026 application round will be the final phase to introduce a parity in creditworthiness of PRS vs. non-PRS surgical experience, following the counting of minimum eligibility requirements.

1 Sept. 2023 – Over the next three years, the Board will align points for non-accredited surgical experience in both plastic surgery and non-plastic surgery specialties (includes any RACS Specialty and ObGyn, Ophthalmology, Max Fax and Dermatology). These changes are to enable a broader range of skills in the first year appointees while also facilitating lateral career options for applicants who reach the maximum attempt limit.

Surgical Experience Category (following consideration for minimum eligibility)	Existing points 2023 (2024 intake)	2024 (2025 intake) points	2025 (2026 intake) points	2026 (2027 intake) points
Registrar level or higher (PGY2+) experience in P&RS over the last five (5) years (regulation 2.1).	15 points per half year (26 weeks)	No change	15 points per six month period (maximum 45 points)	15 points per six month period (maximum 30 points)
Accredited SET experience NOT in P&RS over the last five (5) years (regulation 2.1).	15 points per half year (26 weeks)	No change	No change	No change
Registrar level or higher (PGY3+) experience NOT in P&RS and NOT in SET, over the last five (5) years (regulation 2.1).	5 points per half year (26 weeks)	15 points per six month period (maximum 30 points)	15 points per six month period (maximum 30 points)	15 points per six month period (maximum 30 points)
Resident Level or higher (PGY2+) in PRS in last 5 years (five years prior to the closing date). Experience counted towards the 10 week entry requirement is not eligible for points.	3 points per 10 week rotation	No change	No change	No change

Selection Success Rates

Published 28 March 2025

The Australian Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery strives to produce useful data for prospective selection applicants for use in planning their medical careers in surgery or elsewhere. Since its introduction in 2020, a general trend has been observed with attempts limited to 3 eligible applications. These trends include delayed application attempts and a higher average PGY of applicants who apply.

The following table provides insights into the relative success rates for applicants and their attempt number during the period 2020 through 2024 inclusive.

Applicants N = 284*		Year of application
Outcome	Attempts	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	Total
Selected	1st attempt	29.09%	17.02%	10.81%	12.00%	8.77%	15.19%
	2nd attempt	0.00%	21.28%	9.46%	14.00%	12.28%	10.95%
	3rd attempt	0.00%	0.00%	5.41%	8.00%	7.02%	4.24%
	4th attempt	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	6.00%	0.00%	1.06%
Total Selected		29.09%	38.30%	25.68%	40.00%	28.07%	31.45%
N		16	18	19	20	16	89
Not selected	1st attempt	70.91%	29.79%	43.24%	28.00%	40.35%	43.11%
	2nd attempt	0.00%	31.91%	18.92%	22.00%	17.54%	17.67%
	3rd attempt	0.00%	0.00%	12.16%	10.00%	14.04%	7.77%
Total Not Selected		70.91%	61.70%	74.32%	60.00%	71.93%	68.55%
N		39	29	55	30	41	194
Total		100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
N		55	47	74	50	57	283*

Related documents:

• 2026 Selection Regulations for Selection into 2027 SET Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery program: TO BE ADVISED
  (Previous year: 2025 Selection Regulations Download)
  
• 2026 Selection Contact Nomination Details: TO BE ADVISED
• Interview Declaration: Download
• Interview Guide for Candidates: Download
• Training Agreement: Download
• Training Variation: Download

Key Dates for 2026

Selection Registration Opens (RACS)	Tuesday 6 January 2026 12:00pm AEDT
Selection Registration Closes (RACS)	Friday 30 January 2026 12:00pm AEDT
Selection Application Opens (ASPS)	Wednesday 18 February 2026 12:00pm AEDT
Selection Application Closes (ASPS)	Tuesday 17 March 2026 12:00pm AEDT
Referee Reporting	May 2026 (evenings Mon-Thu)
Interviews (all virtual)	Saturday – TO BE ADVISED
Last Date for First Round Offers	Friday 24 July 2026
Last Date for Final Offers	Friday 7 November 2026

Application Fee

All applicants will be charged a non-refundable application fee which must be paid at the time of application.

The 2026 fee is TO BE ADVISED.

Support for Applicants

Should the SET application process raise difficulties for you or feeling that you do not know how to deal with, ASPS suggests you to seek out support and advice from these or other related organisations.

Beyond Blue support services:

• 1300 22 4636
• Chat online
• Email
• Online forums

Lifeline:

• 13 11 14
• Crisis support chat
• Help resources
• If life is in danger CALL 000