Medical career structure in Queensland

Resident Medical Officers (RMO)

Intern = a medical practitioner who holds a certificate from the Medical Board of Queensland authorising an appointment as such under the Medical Practitioners Registration Act 2001. Interns are medical graduates who have been accepted into an intern training program under the supervision of their employing hospital. Generally, this will be the 1st year of practice following completion of a medical degree. In this year they must successfully complete various rotations under clinical supervision. Queensland Health is currently the sole provider of intern training in Queensland.
Junior House Officer (JHO) = 2nd post graduate year. A JHO is a medical practitioner in their first year of service after eligibility for full registration as a medical practitioner.
Senior House Officer (SHO) = 3rd post graduate year. A SHO is a medical practitioner in the second or subsequent years of practical experience after eligibility for full registration as a medical practitioner and who has not been appointed as a Registrar or Principal House Officer.

These resident medical officers work in teams led by senior medical staff and may be further supported by Registrars in specific clinical specialties.

Principal House Officer (PHO) = 3rd and subsequent post graduate years. A PHO is a medical practitioner appointed as such who is not undertaking an accredited course of study leading to a higher medical qualification. A PHO position is an equivalent level to Registrar.
Registrars = doctors who have been accepted into an accredited specialist training program in a clinical specialty with a nominated college.

All of the above medical staff are employed on 12 month temporary contracts and must apply for positions on an annual basis.

Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) include :

General Practitioners
Staff Specialists
Career Hospital Doctors

SMOs can be appointed to work:

generally (non-specialist), that is individuals who are not qualified in a specialty, but working in a specialty under the supervision of a specialist
may be qualified overseas in the specialty (but are not deemed specialist in Queensland) and therefore function with greater autonomy but remain under the supervision of a specialist

Clinical Managers and Medical Managers are SMOs who receive an allowance for undertaking clinical or medical management responsibilities.

IMGs offered a specialist position must obtain registration as a "Deemed Specialist" through the Medical Board of Queensland. This registration process is outlined under Section 2.1 within the description of the Australian Medical Council.

Medical Officers/Medical Superintendents with Right of Private Practice (MORPP / MSRPP) are medical practitioners employed by Queensland Health who work in smaller rural hospitals. They provided services to the hospital as well as private general practice services in the town. Read the Guidelines for more information.

Visiting Medical Officers (VMO's) are specialists that have their own private practice or General Practitioners who choose to consult within public and private hospitals on a part time basis.

Last updated: 4th May 2006
Last Reviewed: 4th May 2006