Medical Training Review Panel: Seventeenth Report

College Fellows

Page last updated: 09 April 2014

In 2012, there were 51,967 medical practitioners who were fellows of medical colleges (Table 4.52). Just over one-third (17,957or 34.6%) were female.

Overall new fellows represented 6.0% of all college fellows. This proportion varied greatly across specialties, with the largest proportions of new fellows in emergency medicine (10.1%), followed by anaesthesia - pain medicine (7.9%) and intensive care medicine (7.7%).

Table 4.52: Fellows: Total, number and proportion of females, and new fellows and proportion of all fellows by medical specialty, 2012
Medical specialty
Fellows
Females
Proportion female
(%)
New fellows 2012
New fellows as a proportion of all fellows (%)

(a) Includes fellows/new fellows currently living overseas.
(b) Excludes 107 new fellows awarded fellowship but living overseas.

Source: Medical colleges
Addiction medicine
182
44
24.2
4
2.2
Adult medicine
7,754
2,218
28.6
456
5.9
Anaesthesia
3,815
1,027
26.9
229
6.0
Anaesthesia - pain medicine
239
49
20.5
19
7.9
Dermatology
491
195
39.7
20
4.1
Emergency medicine
1,340
415
31.0
135
10.1
General practice - RACGP
(a)17,822
(a)8,161
45.8
(b)1,216
6.8
General practice - ACRRM
1,443
300
20.8
63
4.4
Intensive care
640
101
15.8
63
7.7
Medical administration
485
128
26.4
19
3.9
Obstetrics and gynaecology
1,559
603
38.7
81
5.2
Occupational and environmental medicine
252
48
19.0
4
1.6
Ophthalmology
822
158
19.2
38
4.6
Paediatrics
2,325
1,089
46.8
146
6.7
Palliative medicine
261
124
47.5
16
6.1
Pathology
1,263
512
40.5
70
5.5
Pathology and RACP (jointly)
410
150
36.6
29
7.1
Psychiatry
3,073
1,176
38.3
136
4.4
Public health medicine
571
207
36.3
7
1.2
Radiation oncology
314
126
40.1
20
6.4
Radiodiagnosis
1,741
436
25.0
115
6.6
Rehabilitation medicine
398
172
43.2
26
6.5
Sexual health medicine
145
77
53.1
3
2.1
Sport and exercise medicine
(a)155
(a)30
19.4
2
3.2
Surgery
4,467
411
9.2
217
4.9
Total
51,967
17,957
34.6
3,134
6.0

Overall, the distribution of fellows across states and territories approximately mirrors the distribution of the population as a whole (Table 4.53).

Table 4.53: Fellows by medical specialty and state/territory, 2012
Medical specialty
NSW
Vic
Qld
SA
WA
Tas
NT
ACT
Aust

(a) Includes the New Zealand and Hong Kong new fellows.
(b) Australian totals differ from the sum of state/territory numbers due to the inclusion of new fellows who completed their training overseas.
(c) Excludes 4 fellows living overseas.
(d) Excludes 20 fellows living overseas.

Source: Medical colleges
Addiction medicine
67
28
24
13
12
7
2
1
(b)182
Adult medicine
2,090
1,870
1,074
526
528
137
47
130
(b)7,754
Anaesthesia
1,181
947
787
322
384
105
26
63
3,815
Anaesthesia - pain medicine
83
45
45
30
27
8
0
1
239
Dermatology
192
126
84
43
42
0
0
0
(c)487
Emergency medicine
351
371
295
86
157
36
20
24
1,340
General practice - RACGP
4,703
3,974
3,575
1,336
1,679
444
173
314
16,198
General practice - ACRRM
400
235
405
179
117
34
30
23
(d)1,423
Intensive care
205
146
142
53
51
17
7
19
640
Medical administration(a)
116
97
100
26
34
7
6
26
412
Obstetrics and gynaecology
498
423
300
123
134
35
15
31
1,559
Occupational and environmental medicine
79
57
37
25
33
7
0
14
252
Ophthalmology
320
201
142
62
67
15
5
10
822
Paediatrics
617
477
334
143
204
28
20
33
(b)2,325
Palliative medicine
78
44
40
15
17
11
2
3
(b)261
Pathology
449
272
239
104
134
29
6
30
1,263
Pathology and RACP (jointly)
150
101
65
29
45
7
1
12
410
Psychiatry
944
883
575
279
270
52
17
53
3,073
Public health medicine
188
103
89
42
60
19
27
43
571
Radiation oncology
112
88
62
19
19
6
1
7
314
Radiodiagnosis
537
457
317
148
201
38
4
39
1,741
Rehabilitation medicine
194
109
42
29
12
5
3
4
398
Sexual health medicine
55
25
17
6
5
1
1
6
(b)145
Sport and exercise medicine
46
36
13
4
9
2
1
13
124
Surgery
1,488
1,192
825
387
388
87
27
73
4,467
Total
15,143
12,307
9,628
4,029
4,629
1,137
441
972
(b)50,215
Proportion of total (%)
30.2
24.5
19.2
8.0
9.2
2.3
0.9
1.9
100.0
Population proportion (%)
32.0
24.8
20.1
7.2
10.8
2.2
1.0
1.7
100.0

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The distribution of female fellows by states and territories followed a similar pattern to the distribution of all fellows (Table 4.54).

Table 4.54: Female fellows by medical specialty and state/territory, 2012
Medical specialty
NSW
Vic
Qld
SA
WA
Tas
NT
ACT
Aust

(a) Australian totals differ from the sum of state/territory numbers due to the inclusion of new fellows who completed their training overseas.
(b) Includes 8 female fellows who have withdrawn.
(c) Includes 2 female dermatologists residing overseas.
(d) Excludes 2 fellows living overseas.

source: medical colleges
Addiction medicine
21
4
6
2
4
0
1
0
(a)44
Adult medicine
605
592
289
136
122
37
15
42
(a)2,218
Anaesthesia
314
254
217
76
110
29
7
20
(b)1,027
Anaesthesia - pain medicine
20
9
8
6
4
2
0
0
49
Dermatology
81
52
30
21
9
0
0
0
(c)193
Emergency medicine
115
121
84
25
42
14
8
6
415
General practice - RACGP
2,184
1,870
1,599
583
766
224
103
173
7,502
General practice - ACRRM
74
44
95
40
21
9
10
5
(d)298
Intensive care
40
22
19
5
8
1
2
4
101
Medical administration
36
26
20
7
6
1
4
10
110
Obstetrics and gynaecology
174
184
107
49
54
14
9
12
603
Occupational and environmental medicine
21
14
5
2
5
1
0
0
48
Ophthalmology
67
48
18
12
8
2
1
2
158
Paediatrics
280
246
145
54
99
8
13
16
(a)1,089
Palliative medicine
45
16
17
8
9
5
0
0
(a)124
Pathology
198
102
93
41
49
13
0
16
512
Pathology and RACP (jointly)
60
38
18
9
15
3
1
6
150
Psychiatry
346
334
223
112
104
21
11
25
1,176
Public health medicine
69
34
35
14
22
3
14
16
207
Radiation oncology
51
33
27
4
6
1
0
4
126
Radiodiagnosis
131
120
68
48
52
9
1
7
436
Rehabilitation medicine
83
49
18
12
8
2
0
0
172
Sexual health medicine
26
16
8
3
4
1
0
4
(a)77
Sport and exercise medicine
12
7
1
1
3
0
0
1
25
Surgery
126
130
68
40
35
6
1
5
411
Total
5,179
4,365
3,218
1,310
1,565
406
201
374
17,271
Proportion of female fellows (%)
30.0
25.3
18.6
7.6
9.1
2.4
1.2
2.2
100.0

Fellows by Subspecialty – Selected Colleges

Data on fellows for pathology, physician (adult medicine and paediatric and child health) and surgical subspecialties are presented in Table 4.55 to Table 4.58.

Pathology Subspecialties

Table 4.55: Pathology fellows: Total, females and proportion of females by subspecialty, 2012
Subspecialty
Fellows
Female fellows
Proportion female (%)

Source: RCPA
Anatomical pathology
756
340
45.0
Chemical pathology
75
24
32.0
Forensic pathology
42
14
33.3
General pathology
73
14
19.2
Genetic pathology
17
6
35.3
Haematology
420
161
38.3
Immunopathology
98
29
29.6
Microbiology
191
74
38.7
Oral and maxillofacial pathology
1
0
0.0
Total
1,673
662
39.6

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Physician Adult Medicine Subspecialties

Table 4.56: Physician adult medicine fellows: Total, females and proportion of females by subspecialty, 2012
Subspecialty
Fellows
Female fellows
Proportion female (%)

(a) Figures for respiratory and sleep include fellows who completed training in thoracic medicine and thoracic and sleep medicine.
(b) The totals listed are not cumulative totals of the numbers presented above, as the list of specialties is not exhaustive, and there are several fellows who were admitted to fellowship when record-keeping practices did not denote a specialty.

Source: RACP
Cardiology
887
143
16.1
Clinical genetics
7
4
57.1
Endocrinology
401
226
56.4
Gastroenterology and hepatology
529
130
24.6
General medicine
546
143
26.2
Geriatric medicine
413
213
51.6
Haematology
328
118
36.0
Infectious diseases
270
124
45.9
Medical oncology
419
199
47.5
Nephrology
313
106
33.9
Neurology
317
88
27.8
Nuclear medicine
117
34
29.1
Palliative medicine
57
41
71.9
Respiratory and sleep medicine(a)
398
107
26.9
Rheumatology
233
105
45.1
Total(b)
7,754
2,218
28.6

Physician Paediatric Subspecialties

Table 4.57: Physician paediatric and child health fellows: Total, females and proportion of females by subspecialty, 2012
Subspecialty
Fellows
Female fellows
Proportion female (%)

(a) The totals listed are not cumulative totals of the numbers presented above, as the list of specialties is not exhaustive, and there are several fellows who were admitted to fellowship when record-keeping practices did not denote a specialty.

Source: RACP
Cardiology
24
6
25.0
Clinical genetics
27
17
63.0
Community child health
27
24
88.9
General paediatrics
649
346
53.3
Medical oncology
34
16
47.1
Neonatal/perinatal medicine
97
53
54.6
Nephrology
16
8
50.0
Neurology
27
13
48.1
Paediatric emergency medicine
47
24
51.1
Palliative medicine
2
2
100.0
Total(a)
2,325
1,089
46.8

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Surgical Subspecialties


Table 4.58: Surgical fellows: Total, females and proportion of females by subspecialty, 2012
Subspecialty
Fellows
Female fellows
Proportion female (%)

Source: RACS
Cardiothoracic surgery
169
10
5.9
General surgery
1,502
190
12.6
Neurosurgery
209
22
10.5
Orthopaedic surgery
1,163
36
3.1
Otolaryngology, head and neck surgery
420
44
10.5
Paediatric surgery
88
21
23.9
Plastic and reconstructive surgery
384
46
12.0
Urology
358
27
7.5
Vascular surgery
174
15
8.6
Total
4,467
411
9.2