RANZCO includes points for indigeneity to align with the Australian Medical Council (AMC) accreditation standard 7.1.3, which explicitly requires medical education providers to:

“Support increased recruitment and selection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and/or Māori trainees.”

This means that allocating points for applicants who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or Māori is not only a matter of equity but also a formal accreditation requirement. By doing this, RANZCO:

• Promotes diversity in the ophthalmology workforce, ensuring it reflects the communities it serves.
• Addresses historical inequities in access to specialist medical training for Indigenous populations.
• Improves health outcomes for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori communities by increasing the number of culturally competent practitioners.

RANZCO also awards points for regional exposure or regional origin to encourage recruitment of doctors who have experience working in rural or regional areas.

The AMC does not prescribe a single selection method but expects medical education providers to:

“Facilitate opportunities to increase recruitment and selection of rural origin trainees and trainees from other under-represented groups.”

This focus on regionality serves several purposes:

• Addressing workforce shortages: Rural and regional communities often face significant shortages of specialist ophthalmologists.
• Building long-term commitment: Candidates with prior rural exposure are more likely to return to or remain in regional areas after completing their training.
• Ensuring equitable access to eye care: By incentivising regional recruitment, RANZCO helps improve access to quality ophthalmology services for underserved populations.

• To identify and remove applicants considered unsuitable for training
• To assess and rank so the best of the best are selected
• To reduce the likelihood of appeals and remediation during training
• To showcase applicants’ skills and experience
• To meet AMC requirements.

• Medical expert (ophthalmic expert)
• Communicator
• Collaborator
• Health advocate
• Manager/Leader
• Professional
• Scholar

Registration is completed only through the online form available on the RANZCO website. You must complete all sections and upload the required certified documents before submission. Once submitted, the form cannot be edited.

Applications close at 9:00 am AEDT on Friday, 27 March 2026. No late submissions will be accepted. If you experience technical issues, contact selection@ranzcodev.dev.nucleoserver.com by COB Monday, 23 March 2026.

Yes. It is recommended that you periodically save your progress to avoid data loss before submission.

All certified documents must be uploaded as PDF or JPEG files, each with a maximum file size of 3 MB. Scan documents at 300 dpi or lower to ensure upload efficiency.

Certification must follow MBA or MCNZ guidelines and cannot be done by a family member. Previously certified documents may be reused if they are still valid.

Each section of your application is assessed independently. If evidence is missing or incomplete, the claim will not be scored, and there will be no follow-up.

• Australia: Based on the Modified Monash Model (MMM) levels 2-7.
• New Zealand: Any area outside of U1 as per the Geographical Classification for Health.

Only periods of continuous residence of at least 12 months full-time in a regional area are considered. Shorter periods or outreach visits do not qualify.

Completing one full year of rural placement will earn you 1.25 points toward your selection score.

To have your rural placement points count toward your total score, you must meet a threshold of 2.5 points. (If you do not reach 2.5 points, the rural placement points will not be included in your final score).

No, the two years do not need to be consecutive. For example: You could complete one year in 2020 and another year in 2024 or 2025, and the points would still count, provided they meet the threshold.

All adult years are considered, not just those from PGY1 onwards. This means regional living during university years, medical school, and postgraduate years can all count toward your regional exposure score, provided the time meets the eligibility requirements.

No, short breaks for holidays, leave, or conferences are allowed and do not break the 12-month requirement, provided:

You have evidence such as a 12-month contract or rental agreement showing you were based in that regional location full time.

These short absences are reasonable in duration (e.g., a few days or weeks).

No, the 12 months must be spent in a single continuous location to qualify for points.

Example: If you live in one regional location for 8 months, then move to a different regional location for 4 months, this will not meet the continuous 12-month requirement.

Ideally you should provide a rental agreement for the full 12 months.

Yes, you still receive the standard points for regional exposure, even if the placement is part of a bonded medical school scheme.

For each year spent living and working in a qualifying regional area, you will be awarded 1.25 points, provided you meet the minimum threshold of 2.5 points.

No, there are no additional points awarded simply for being part of a bonded medical school scheme. The scheme itself does not provide extra scoring benefits beyond the standard points for regional exposure.

You must provide a statutory declaration verifying that you reside full-time in the regional address. Points will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

You must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand by 1 April 2026. Certified proof such as a passport, citizenship certificate, or certificate of evidence of resident status is required.

You must hold full registration with either the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) or the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ). A certified copy of your registration certificate must be uploaded.

By February 2027, you must have completed two years of full-time equivalent hospital experience, including a minimum of 18 months in non-ophthalmic medical, clinical, and surgical settings.

Please also see the National Framework for Prevocational (PGY1 and PGY2) Medical Training.

You receive 2 points for each completed Masters degree.

Yes. Points are awarded per Masters degree, meaning multiple Masters degrees can contribute to your score up to the maximum number of points awarded for this category (5 points)

You can gain a maximum of 6 points for ophthalmic experience through the centralised selection process.

Yes. Some training networks, such as the QLD Network, may award up to 10 additional points on top of the centralised selection points.

This means the total possible points for ophthalmic experience can be up to 16 out of 100 points when combining both systems.

You do not need to complete extra activities beyond what is required for the centralised selection process.

The QLD Network simply assigns additional value to the ophthalmic experience you already have.

To score points for Question 3, applicants must have:

• At least 6 months Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) experience,
• Defined as 4 supervised ophthalmic clinics per week,
• In one continuous position within the last 3 years.

No. The requirement specifies one continuous 6-month block in the same position. Splitting into two non-continuous 3-month rotations, even at the same hospital, does not qualify for points.

A supervised clinic means you and your supervisor must work from the same patient list.

You are only a temporary training registrar (TTR) if you are appointed by RANZCO to an accredited training post. If you are not sure, please check with the college at selection@ranzcodev.dev.nucleoserver.com.

Applicants must provide sufficient documentation confirming both their participation and the details of the presentation (event, presenter name, title of the presentation).

Yes. A conference program that clearly lists:

• The conference name,
• The presentation title, and
• The presenter’s name

is considered sufficient evidence.

No, this will just be part of your poster presentation.

No, there must be a competitive selection process leading to the presentation.

You must list:

• Up to five (5) primary supervising consultants (no more than two per rotation)
• All other supervising consultants you have worked with clinically
• Three (3) nurses or allied health professionals, including one charge nurse/orthoptist

RANZCO will randomly select three consultants and two nurses/allied health professionals from above three categories to provide reports.

Referees will be emailed starting 10 April 2026 to complete online reports. They may also receive phone calls between June and July 2026.

You must provide a written explanation in the registration form. No applicant will be disadvantaged if they work in a smaller hospital and can only supply a smaller number of potential referees.

Yes, a referee who is fully qualified (e.g., holds FRACS qualification) is acceptable, even if they are undertaking a fellowship to further subspecialise.

Your referee must be at a consultant level, meaning they are a fully qualified doctor who has completed their specialist training.

Referees are contacted as per the published guidelines, which may include primary supervisor, other supervisors, nurses and/or health professionals. If one type of referee did not respond, another referee of the same type was randomly selected to ensure consistency.

Consistency is maintained by:

• Following the same guidelines for all applicants
• Ensuring substitutions (if required) are made with referees of the same type
• Adjusting the maximum possible score if fewer referees were available, so applicants are not disadvantaged.

Referee reports account for a maximum of 6 points within the centralised selection process.

Referee answers are converted into numerical scores as follows:

• Outstanding: 5 points
• Above average: 4 points
• Competent: 3 points
• Developing: 2 points
• Low: 1 point
• Not observed: 0 points (excluded from calculation)

The Total Score is the sum of all referee ratings. The Maximum Score is based on:

• Maximum Score = No. of Questions × (No. of Referees − No. of “Not Observed”) × 5

This ensures fairness even if the number of referees varies between applicants.

AVIs are formerly known as Multiple Mini Interviews. They will take place online on Saturday, 12 April 2025. You must ensure a strong, stable internet connection without restrictions or firewalls.

You must declare any unavailability due to religious beliefs in the form and notify the selection team at selection@ranzcodev.dev.nucleoserver.com before assessments are scheduled.

In addition to this Registration Form, you must apply separately for an accredited ophthalmology training position in New South Wales and Queensland if you want to train in either or both Networks. It is your responsibility to check the hospital or health authority’s websites for recruitment guidelines and campaign dates:

• NSW: Campaign dates – 2026 clinical year

Note: There is also an additional application for the RETN in NSW – link will be emailed to all applicants once available each year.

• QLD: RMO campaign dates – Careers

The non-refundable application fee for 2026 is AUD $1,890 plus GST.

• Credit Card (Visa or Mastercard) via the online form.
• EFT/Direct Deposit using the provided RANZCO bank details.

You will receive a confirmation email by 3 April 2026. If not, contact selection@ranzcodev.dev.nucleoserver.com.

Yes. You must email RANZCO immediately with updated details and request confirmation of receipt.

• Missing or uncertified documentation
• False or misleading claims in the application
• Failure to meet minimum eligibility criteria
• Not completing required sections, including statutory declaration and referee details