Doctors in Training regional opportunities

There are many opportunities for Doctors in Training within the WA Country Health Service (WACHS). Employment is available for interns, residents and registrars in a range of positions depending on the site. The positions may be through direct employment or secondment according to location.

Learn more about the regions where junior doctor placements are available:

For more detailed information, contact the Medical Education Unit (MEU) team on meu@health.wa.gov.au or call (08) 6391 0640.

Applied Surgical Pathway in Rural Environments (ASPIRE)

ASPIRE is a two-year program for WACHS junior doctors (PGY3 or above) who are interested in pursuing a career as a Rural General Surgeon.

Upon completion of the program candidates will be well placed to apply for the General Surgical Training Program with the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS).

Click here to learn more about ASPIRE (PDF).

See the Application process for junior doctors for further information on how to apply for ASPIRE. Applications for the 2025 program have closed.

Rural Adult Physician Training, Opportunities and Rotations (RAPTOR) One

Rural Adult Physician Training, Opportunities and Rotations (RAPTOR) One is a 12-month program for WACHS junior doctors (PGY2+) who are interested in physician training.

The program aims to provide the successful candidate with relevant term rotations at Albany Health Campus and professional development to help prepare them to apply for Basic Physician Training.

In 2024 RAPTOR One will be available at the following WACHS sites:

Albany Health Campus
Broome Health Campus
Bunbury Hospital
Geraldton Regional Hospital
Kalgoorlie Health Campus

Click here to learn more about RAPTOR (PDF).

See the Application process for junior doctors for further information on how to apply for RAPTOR One. Applications for the 2025 program have closed.

Basic Physician Training – Adult Internal Medicine with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians

Basic Physician Training (BPT) in Adult Internal Medicine (AIM) with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is the first step to becoming a specialist physician.

Early career doctors interested in becoming a rural physician are encouraged to apply for a Resident Medical Officer or Service Medical Registrar contract at an eligible WA Country Health Service site: Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Geraldton or Kalgoorlie.

Once you are successful in gaining employment, you may be eligible to apply for a BPT AIM Year 1 placement via the state-wide centralised BPT application process. This involves submitting a written application and, if shortlisted, participating in a multiple mini-interviews (MMI) format.

Click here for more information about the 2025 WA BPT AIM Centralised Application process, eligibility criteria and timeline.

If you are interested in becoming a rural physician and want to know more about BPT AIM training, please contact the Physician Training team on (08) 6391 0647 or email WACHS.BPT@health.wa.gov.au.

Community Residency Program

Coordinated by WA Country Health Service (WACHS), the rural Community Residency Program (CRP) is an exciting and highly regarded program available to resident medical officers (RMOs). Successful RMOs are provided the opportunity to participate in short term, well supervised training placements in a variety of rural settings across WA. During this placement RMOs will spend a minimum of 20 per cent of their time in a community setting.

Where do I go?

In 2025, RMOs employed by Fiona Stanley Hospital, Royal Perth Hospital or Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital are seconded to undertake a term-long (10-11 week) CRP placement in a variety of rural locations. These locations include (subject to change):

Kimberley: Kununurra and Derby
Pilbara: Karratha
Midwest: Geraldton
Wheatbelt: Narrogin
Goldfields: Esperance and Kalgoorlie.

See detailed descriptions of each placement at What do CRP placements look like?

CRP eligibility criteria

At the time of placement you will need to:

Hold general registration with the Medical Board of Australia.
Be employed as a full-time RMO by Fiona Stanley Hospital, Royal Perth Hospital or Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in 2025.
Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

See the Application process for junior doctors for further information on how to apply for CRP.

John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program (JFPDP) offers rural primary care rotations to eligible WACHS employed prevocational junior doctors.

Eligibility Criteria

To participate in the JFPDP, an applicant must be:

An Australian citizen or permanent resident; and
A WACHS-employed prevocational junior doctor in postgraduate year 1-5 at Albany Health Campus, Broome Health Campus, Bunbury Regional Hospital or Geraldton Health Campus.

Application process

There is no separate application process to participate in the JFPDP. Eligible prevocational junior doctors can preference a JFPDP rotation within the term preference form provided to them by their local WACHS Medical Education/Admin team.

Participating primary care organisations

The primary care organisations offering rural primary care rotations through the JFPDP are:

Collie River Valley Medical Centre
Health by Nurture
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service
Panaceum Medical
Pioneer Health Albany
Royal Flying Doctor Servic
South West Aboriginal Medical Service.

Learn more about what JFPDP placements have to offer.

To find out more about the program, visit the JFPDP section on the RGPWA website or email ruralgeneralist@health.wa.gov.au.

Rural Generalist Pathway WA (RGPWA)

As part of the National Rural Generalist Pathway, the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) hosts the Rural Generalist Pathway WA (RGPWA) Coordination Unit to support the expansion of a dedicated training pathway for aspiring rural generalists in WA. The aim of the RGPWA is to facilitate the transition for rural generalist trainees through the various educational and training components, as well as provide post-fellowship support to rural generalists.

The RGPWA is flexible and can be joined at various points throughout a current or aspiring rural generalist’s training journey. If you are interested in training to be a rural generalist or are currently enrolled in training, you may be eligible to apply to join the pathway. The pathway offers an open intake with applications accepted throughout the year.

To find out more about the pathway, including the eligibility criteria and the application process, visit the RGPWA website or email ruralgeneralist@health.wa.gov.au.

You can also sign up to our Rural Generalist Pathway Interest Group to receive news and updates.

Last Updated: 23/05/2024

WACHS placement opportunities