Updated: 18 August 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 as a minimum eligibility requirement from 2027 (2028 intake)

NOTIFICATION
First notification: 1 September 2025
Updates published on: 25 November 2025, 12 March 2026, 18 August 2026

The CV tool will be a minimum eligibility requirement only in 2027, (2028 intake)(i.e., the CV will not be used for scoring/points for final ranking of applicants). This decision is made in response to the observed increased number of applicants achieving the maximum scores in multiple CV sections.

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.

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 PGY 1+ Emergency or ICU experience (excludes trauma, burns, cardiothoracic, vascular unit experience); and
• Within the last 5 years, 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* (any publication date, from the accepted journal list, or with an impact factor above 2.5) and one oral presentation (in the last 5 years, national or international). No poster presentations, no case reports, no book chapters, no conference abstracts; 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) – all consultants that an applicant worked with from the previous 2 years, no nurses.

*Restrictions on evidence may apply and will be confirmed by November 2026*
**No credit will be given for any CV category**

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.

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:

• 2027 Selection Regulations for Selection into 2028 SET Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery program: Download tba
  
• 2027 Selection Contact Nomination Details: Download tba
• Interview Declaration: Download tba
• Interview Guide for Candidates: Download tba
• Training Variation: Download
• Training Agreement: Download
• Reservist Agreement: Download (2026)

Key Dates for 2027 TBC

Selection Registration Opens (RACS)	January 2027 – date TBC
Selection Registration Closes (RACS)	January 2027 – date TBC
Selection Application Opens (ASPS)	February 2027 – date TBC
Selection Application Closes (ASPS)	March 2027 – date TBC
Referee Reporting	May 2027 – date TBC
Interviews (all virtual)	Saturday – 29 May 2027 (Travel may be required.)
Last Date for First Round Offers	July 2027 – date TBC
Last Date for Final Offers	November 2027 – date TBC
Reservist pathway activation date	Following the Last Date for Final Offers

Application Fee

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

The application fee for 2027 is TBC

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