The Real Cost of Becoming a Specialist Doctor in Australia
- asperharry
- Feb 23
- 3 min read
So, you’ve made it through med school and started your journey as a junior doctor in Australia—great! But what happens next? If you want to specialise in a specific area of medicine, you need to apply for a specialty training program. And yes, it’s about your skills, experience, qualifications, research etc. But one aspect that people don't always consider is the financial cost of getting onto one of these programs.
This isn’t something that gets talked about much, but it should be. From courses to exams, conferences, and research papers, the road to specialisation comes with a cost. So, let’s break it down, using a recent research paper that was published documenting the average cost it took people to get onto a specialty surgical training program.
How Specialisation Works in Australia
Unlike some other countries where med school grads are matched into a specialty, Australia does things differently. After finishing med school and working as a junior doctor, you apply separately for specialty training.
And here’s the real kicker: some specialties only accept a few trainees per year - depending on whatever the speciality is, how competitive it is and how many spots are available. It could be around 15 trainees per year in the entire country but that number could be much larger or fewer depending on the specialty . I guess if that's your first time reading this, it seems like a ridiculously small number compared to the 35,000+ medical graduates in recent years. And it is haha... So, to stand out, you’ve got to do a lot—which does at times costs a lot.
The Cost of Getting Into a Specialty Training Program
A study published in the ANZ Journal of Surgery looked at the costs of getting into Urology training in Australia. They interviewed 11 people who had just been accepted and found that, on average, they had spent $50,000+ over three years just to make their CV competitive. And that’s before even starting the actual training program.
In general let's breaking down the costs to see how this money actually gets distrubuted.
Here’s where the money goes:
Qualifications:: Some doctors spend between $9,000 - $35,000 on extra degrees like a master’s or diploma just to boost their application.
Medical Courses & Conferences: these can range in cost but could after doing a few of these can range from $5,000 to $20,000.
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Presenting Research Papers: not always a requirement for every specialty but lots of surgical specialties require you do a bit of research and you need to present these at conferences which often require travel, accommodation, and registration fees. If the conference is overseas, the total expenditure can cost a few thousand dollars, for a single presentation.
Application & Exam Fees: Just applying for some programs costs thousands of dollars and some exams cost even more.
The Other Costs & Sacrifices
It’s not just about the money—you’re also sacrificing a lot of personal time. One trainee mentioned that they had to **use up all their annual leave** to attend courses or present research. Another said they gained **10kg** from stress, long hours, and lack of exercise.
Many doctors joke about developing “**reg bod**” (registrar body), where they’re too busy to eat properly, exercise, or even have a social life. It’s funny, but also kind of worrying.
## **Final Thoughts: Is It Worth It?**
If you’re aiming for a competitive specialty, you need to **plan ahead**. Do your research on costs, requirements, and the competition. Not every specialty is as expensive as surgery, but they all require **time, effort, and money**.
So, if you’re thinking about specializing, **make sure it’s something you’re truly passionate about**—because it’s a long, expensive road to get there.
Would you still consider specialty training after hearing these numbers? Let me know in the comments! 👇
TL;DR
Specialising in Australia isn’t automatic—you have to apply and compete for a spot.
Specialties range in application spots, making it quite competitive for certain areas of medicine
Doctors can spend thousands of dollars trying to get into a specialty program without the guarantee of getting in
Costs include extra qualifications, courses, exams, research, and conferences.
Article link:
Costs and challenges of the curriculum vitae for SET Urology training positions: a qualitative analysis https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ans.18844
Watch me go through the topic via video instead :)
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