Updated: 12 March 2026

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 2027 selection round

CV tool a minimum eligibility requirement from 2027 (2028 intake)

NOTIFICATION
First notification: 1 September 2025
Updates published on: 25 November 2025, 12 March 2026

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 these initiatives may be incorporated into a new CV system. Further information will be provided in due course.

The CV will not attract points in the 2027 Selection Regulations (2028 intake). Evidence requirements for minimum eligibility requirements will change as follows (subject to further change):

• Pass mark for RACS Generic Surgical Sciences Examination; and
• 8 weeks Emergency experience (excludes ICU, trauma); and
• At least 12 months of PGY 3+ Surgical term experience (includes minimum 6 month rotation in PRS). Evidence for PGY 3 may be prospective on the condition that, prior to the commencement of SET, proof of completion of PGY 3 is provided to the Board; and
• Any one from these two research outputs:
  1. One publication* (from the accepted journal list, or with an impact factor above 2.5) and one oral presentation (national or international). No poster presentations; or
  2. An awarded research-based higher degree (only MSurg (research), MPhil, PhD). No coursework degrees and no majority online degrees.
• Contact nominations (reference reports)

*Restrictions on evidence may apply and will be confirmed during 2026, such as no “case reports”*
**No credit will be given for any CV category**

Important Notices for the 2026 selection round

Contact nomination form

NOTIFICATIONS
12 March 2026 – Clarification about “sessions” in the contact nomination form fields. The “sessions per month” fields are designed to capture the frequency of direct professional contact between the applicant and the nominated consultant.

26 February 2026 – Please note that the Contact nomination form’s validation rules have been updated to include the end date up to and including 30/04/2026. . Download the updated file below.

25 November 2025 – Download the contact nomination form for 2026 below.

System maintenance, 6-8 March 2026

NOTIFICATION
18 February 2026 – Applicants are advised of an important upcoming migration of the BigRedSky system. During the migration schedule period, the BigRedSky Jobs Board will be temporarily unavailable:

Migration Schedule
Start: Friday, 6 March 2026 at 7:00 PM (AWST)
End: Sunday, 8 March 2026 at 7:00 PM (AWST)

Interview format notification

NOTIFICATION
17 February 2026 – Download a notification about the interviews planned for 13 June 2026 and the revised Interview Declaration (2026) below.

Selection Regulations published

NOTIFICATION
14 October 2025 – Selection regulations for the 2026 application round (2027 intake) are now published. Download below.

Reservist Pathway (NEW)

NOTIFICATION
14 October 2025 – From the 2026 application round, the Reservist Pathway offers a limited number of high-ranking applicants the opportunity to hold a guaranteed place in the year after the intake year for the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery SET program (Australia).

How it works:

• Applicants who meet the minimum standard for selection (in the application year) but are not offered an immediate training position may be invited to become Reservists.
• Reservists remain “on standby” for up to one year. If a training vacancy arises (for example, due to an existing trainee taking leave), they may be offered an early start (in the intake year).
• If no vacancy becomes available, their guaranteed training position commencing the following year.

Important Conditions:

• Reservists must be prepared to accept a training post in any location offered, and be willing to give their employer notice in order to commence SET within a specified timeframe (maximum 6 weeks).
• Once a training position is offered to a Reservist, it must be accepted. Failing to accept the offer will lead to their removal from the selection round, with the application attempt counted towards the maximum limit.

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	Cumulative
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%
Subtotal Selected		29.09%	38.30%	25.68%	40.00%	28.07%	31.45%
Subtotal 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%
Subtotal Not Selected		70.91%	61.70%	74.32%	60.00%	71.93%	68.55%
Subtotal N		39	29	55	30	41	194
Total (%)		100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Total Applicants (N)		55	47	74	50	57	283*
* denotes an applicant withdrew or was removed

Related documents:

• 2026 Selection Regulations for Selection into 2027 SET Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery program: Download
  (Previous year: 2025 Selection Regulations Download)
  
• 2026 Selection Contact Nomination Details (updated 26 Feb.): Download
• Interview Declaration: Download
• Interview format notification (17 February 2026): Download
• Interview Guide for Candidates: to be advised
• Training Variation: Download
• Training Agreement: Download
• Reservist Agreement: 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 – 13 June 2026 (Travel may be required.)
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.

A message from ASPS Management:

“Dear Valued Candidate Applicants,
In line with our dedication to high-quality services, we’re transparently announcing an increase to our 2025 Selection Fee, effective 2026. This operational change aims to counter AI misuse in Multi Mini Interviews (MMIs) and sustain our processes long-term. This increase will fund these essentials, ensuring reliable, secure experiences. ASPS structures its selection process to operate at cost, ensuring that the fee charged covers expenses without generating profit.”

The application fee for 2026 is $1320.00 (in GST).

How to apply

ASPS will email eligible applicants with information on the application process in February in line with the above key dates.

Support for Applicants

If the SET application process feels challenging or overwhelming, ASPS encourages you to reach out for support and advice from the organisations below or similar services.

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