When Do I Start? Australian Trainee Doctor Term Dates for 2024

Suppose you are a trainee doctor in Australia or perhaps considering working as a trainee doctor in Australia. You may wonder what your commencement dates are and/or when you might be changing terms. Well, wonder no more. We have compiled the Australian Trainee Doctor Term Dates for 2024 just for you.

Australian doctor training and trainee doctor term dates operate on an “academic year” that traditionally runs from mid to late January (sometimes February) each year to around the same date 12 months later the following year. Generally, the entire academic year runs for a 52-week period. But occasionally (about every four years), it runs for 53 weeks – to avoid slowly creeping back into the Christmas period.

There have been past efforts to harmonise trainee doctor term dates across States and Territories and include an overlap period where interns can buddy up with last year’s interns. But as you can see from the tabbed document below, trainee doctor term dates now vary widely from the commencement of 8th January 2024 for interns in ACT, Tasmania and Western Australia to 5th February 2024 for Registrars in most States and Territories.

If you are looking for information on salary please go here to our comprehensive post.

For IMG doctors wondering. Yes. It is entirely possible to start your position in Australia outside of these particular trainee doctor term dates. Services won’t make you wait till the next changeover. This can often be useful as you might get a chance to work alongside a colleague for a week or two before “flying solo”, as they say.

Trainee Doctor Term Dates for 2024

*Some RMOs are on a 4-term schedule. Many Registrars work two 6-month semesters, i.e. Term 1 & 2 and Term 3 & 4.

**Salary rates are current as of the latest published award documents or enterprise agreements.

References for Trainee Doctor Term Dates 2023

• NSW
• Victoria
• Queensland
• Western Australia
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• ACT
• Northern Territory