Doctors in training

Kickstart your medical career in north Queensland with Townsville Hospital and Health Service. 

Our training programs give new medical officers the chance to consolidate and expand their skills and provides them the support needed during this formative stage in their careers. 

Townsville Hospital and Health Service is home to Townsville University Hospital, the region's major tertiary referral facility and the largest teaching hospital in northern Australia. 

Whether you are a university student on placement or a registrar undertaking specialist training, Townsville Hospital and Health Service prides itself on providing the highest standard of education to doctors at all career stages.

Working with us provides endless opportunities for doctors in training to hone their skills in more than 35 general and specialised areas including ICU, radiology, advanced cancer care, dermatology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and more.

Trainee medical officers at our health service get to work alongside and learn from, experts in their clinical field. They also get access to first-class education at a health service which is on the forefront of medical innovation.  

Explore our health service

Community and lifestyle

City lifestyle without the commute? Laidback life off the beaten track? It is possible in north Queensland.

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From the Great Barrier Reef and its tropical islands, lush rainforests and the red dirt of the Aussie outback, to World Heritage listed national parks, there is something for everyone in north Queensland. 

Townsville is a modern metropolis which invites you to discover, appreciate and immerse yourself in everything northern Queensland has to offer. 

Our catchment stretches from the outback to the sea and encompasses unique communities living in remote locations like Hughenden and Palm Islands.

Find out more about life in north Queensland here.

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What do we offer?

• Experience at the region's major tertiary referral facility
• Opportunities to work at our rural and remote health services
• Unique experiences with tropical and First Nations medicine
• Research and professional development opportunities and allowances 
• Attractive remuneration packages
• Employee Assistance Program and return to work specialists
• Specialised medical hospital and health service library
• Access to clinical skills and simulation centre
• Telehealth to rural and remote facilities
• Adjacency to James Cook University with adjunct appointments available
• Proximity to Australia’s largest army barracks offering unique military medicine opportunities
  
• Professional indemnity cover

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Training opportunities 

Townsville Hospital and Health Service is regional Australia's leader in medical education and training. 

Undergraduate student placements 

The heath service facilitates clinical placement opportunities for Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery students over the length of their degree.

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Clinical placements are run through each university's undergraduate study programs. 

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Medical intern program

Townsville Hospital and Health Service offers placements for medical interns, giving them the opportunity to gain supported hands-on clinical experience which allows them to provide the highest quality patient-centred care.

Queensland's medical intern program is changing in 2024 to meet new guidelines. 

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Our interns rotate across a large number of specialties and get a taste of rural and remote medicine, tropical health, public, and private practice during their internship. 

An internship with Townsville Hospital and Health Service is a chance to kickstart your medical career with a health service which invests in career development. Despite our regional location, our interns get the chance to upskill in specialties which are otherwise only available in capital cities. 

All medical interns must apply for positions through the centralised Queensland Health intern portal. 

Our health service also has an Indigenous Interns Pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical graduates.

Contact our team directly by phone on (07) 4433 1056 or email if you want to learn more about opportunities available for interns at our health service. 

2024 intern terms
(PGY1)

Acute adult mental health (inpatient)	Endocrine	Gynaecology surgery	Orthopaedics	Rural GP – Ingham
Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs	Gastroenterology	Haematology	Paediatrics	Sexual health
Anaesthetics	General medicine	Infectious diseases	Palliative care	Urology
Adolescent inpatient unit and community paediatrics	General surgery	Medical oncology	Radiology	Vascular surgery
Cardiology	General surgery - colorectal	Neurology	Rehabilitation – acute
Country practice (Ayr, Charters Towers, Ingham, and Palm Island)	Gerontology – acute care of the elderly	Neurosurgery	Rehabilitation – subacute
Emergency medicine	Gerontology – evaluation and management	Obstetrics and gynaecology	Renal

Postgraduate year two terms
(PGY2)

Anaesthetics	Gastroenterology	Medical oncology	Palliative care	Respiratory
Cardiothoracic Surgery	General medicine	Medical oncology	Plastic surgery	Rheumatology
Cardiology	General surgery	Neurosurgery	Psychiatry	Urology
Colorectal surgery	Gerontology - aged care	Obstetrics and gynaecology	Queensland Country Junior Drs (mural medical)	Vascular Surgery
Ear, nose and throat	Haematology	Orthopaedics	Radiation oncology
Emergency medicine	Internal relieving	Paediatrics	Rehabilitation
Endocrinology	Maxillofacial	Paediatric surgery	Rehabilitation

_{Rotations are offered and grouped to suit different career pathways and designed in consultation with the directors of training for each speciality college e.g. physician training, surgical training, basic DipObs, paediatrics, anaesthetics etc}

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Doctors in training

Junior house officers, senior house officers, principal house officers, registrars and provisional fellows

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Our medical education programs equip doctors in training with the professional, clinical and pastoral supported needed as they take the step from student to medical officer. The programs promote safe and effective patient management and consolidates classroom knowledge with clinical practice. 

Accredited training positions offered at Townsville Hospital and Health Service include: 

Anaesthetics	Gastroenterology	Medical oncology	Orthopaedics	Radiation oncology
Cardiothoracic surgery	General medicine	Neonatology	Paediatrics	Radiology
Cardiology	General surgery	Neurology	Paediatric surgery	Rehabilitation
Colorectal surgery	Gerontology - aged care	Neurosurgery	Pain medicine	Rehabilitation
Dermatology	Haematology	Obstetrics and  gynaecology	Palliative care	Respiratory
Ear, nose and throat	Hyperbaric medicine	Obstetric medicine	Paediatric intensive care	Rheumatology
Emergency medicine	Intensive care	Ophthalmology	Plastic surgery	Urology
Endocrinology	Medical administration	Oral and maxillofacial	Psychiatry	Vascular surgery

All resident medical officers are employed on 12-month temporary contracts and must apply for positions on an annual basis through the centralised Queensland Health RMO Campaign. 

Find out more about medical specialty training programs here. 

Contact our team directly via phone on (07) 4433 1053 if you want to learn more about opportunities available for RMOs and registrars at our health service. 

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Contact us

Are you interested in living and working in north Queensland? 

We are always looking for talented clinicians to join our team. Don't wait to see a position advertised, contact us now. 

Phone: (07) 4433 1056

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Are you a practicing specialist medical officer? Visit our medical recruitment page