For the first time the total number of fellows of each college has been included in the report.
In 2008, there were 38,294 fellows of medical colleges (Table 4.37). Of these, 11,514 or 30.1% were female.
A number of colleges have significantly increased their training and consequently the number of fellows joining in recent years.
Table 4.37: Fellows: Total and numbers and proportions of females and new fellows by medical specialty, 2008
Medical specialty | Fellows | Females | Proportion females (%) | New fellows 2008 | Proportion new fellows 2008 of total fellows (%) |
Adult medicine(a) | 6,436 | 1,590 | 24.7 | 303 | 4.7 |
Anaesthesia | 3,448 | 729 | 21.1 | 234 | 6.8 |
Pain medicine | 187 | 33 | 17.6 | 11 | 5.9 |
Dermatology | 354 | 139 | 39.3 | 11 | 3.1 |
Emergency medicine | 1,009 | 274 | 27.2 | 95 | 9.4 |
General practice | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
- RACGP | 9,956 | 4,420 | 44.4 | 819 | 8.2 |
- ACRRM(b) | 1,392 | 405 | 29.1 | 22 | 1.6 |
Intensive care | 642 | 96 | 15.0 | 62 | 9.7 |
Medical administration | 436 | 106 | 24.5 | 10 | 2.3 |
Obstetrics and Gynaecology | 1,330 | 428 | 32.2 | 66 | 5.0 |
Occupational and Environmental medicine | 265 | 47 | 17.7 | 11 | 4.2 |
Ophthalmology | 767 | 128 | 16.7 | 14 | 1.8 |
Paediatrics(a) | 1,923 | 804 | 41.8 | 114 | 5.9 |
Pathology | 1,416 | 489 | 34.5 | 68 | 4.8 |
Psychiatry | 2,588 | 883 | 34.1 | 147 | 5.7 |
Public health medicine | 454 | 167 | 36.8 | 13 | 2.9 |
Radiation oncology | 249 | 86 | 34.5 | 11 | 4.4 |
Radiodiagnosis | 1,284 | 291 | 22.7 | 54 | 4.2 |
Rehabilitation medicine | 317 | 120 | 37.9 | 21 | 6.6 |
Surgery | 3,841 | 279 | 7.3 | 171 | 4.5 |
Total | 38,294 | 11,514 | 30.1 | 2,257 | 5.9 |
(a) Includes fellows based in New Zealand.
(b) ACRRM was first accredited in February 2007.
Source: Medical colleges
The distribution of fellows across states and territories mirrors the distribution of the population as a whole, with the exception of the Northern Territory, which has only around half the number of fellows in comparison to its population (0.5% and 1.0% respectively) (Table 4.38).
Table 4.38: Fellows by medical specialty and state/territory, 2008
Medical specialty | NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Aust |
Adult medicine | 1,773 | 1,499 | 814 | 456 | 418 | 109 | 30 | 116 | 5,215 |
Anaesthesia | 1,107 | 847 | 671 | (a)346 | 319 | 95 | .. | 54 | 3,439 |
Pain medicine | 65 | 33 | 35 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 187 |
Dermatology | 141 | 86 | 60 | 28 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 354 |
Emergency medicine | 270 | 301 | 214 | 62 | 111 | 26 | 9 | 16 | 1,009 |
General practice | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
- RACGP | (b)2,973 | 2,487 | 2,247 | (a)959 | 938 | 292 | .. | .. | 9,896 |
- ACRRM | (b)417 | 231 | 325 | 190 | 126 | 33 | 28 | 24 | 1,374 |
Intensive care | 176 | 125 | 113 | 53 | 44 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 536 |
Medical administration | 119 | 80 | 94 | 23 | 32 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 375 |
Obstetrics and Gynaecology | 426 | 349 | 267 | 111 | 109 | 32 | 14 | 22 | 1,330 |
Occupational and Environmental medicine | 91 | 64 | 34 | 21 | 34 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 265 |
Ophthalmology | 292 | 192 | 132 | 59 | 64 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 767 |
Paediatrics | 522 | 371 | 266 | 121 | 163 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 1,512 |
Pathology | 516 | 306 | 245 | 121 | 153 | 34 | 5 | 36 | 1,416 |
Psychiatry | 822 | 745 | 447 | 254 | 222 | 46 | 10 | 42 | 2,588 |
Public health medicine | 150 | 87 | 75 | 32 | 44 | 13 | 24 | 29 | 454 |
Radiation oncology | 85 | 71 | 46 | 18 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 249 |
Radiodiagnosis | 411 | 349 | 220 | 111 | 140 | 28 | 3 | 22 | 1,284 |
Rehabilitation medicine | 161 | 86 | 27 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 317 |
Surgery | 1,303 | 1,002 | 701 | 340 | 333 | 79 | 19 | 64 | 3,841 |
Total(c) | 11,820 | 9,311 | 7,033 | 3,350 | 3,327 | 869 | 179 | 519 | 36,408 |
Proportion of total (%) | 32.5 | 25.6 | 19.3 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 100.0 |
Population proportion(%)(d) | 32.5 | 24.8 | 20.1 | 7.4 | 10.2 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 100.0 |
(a) Combines SA and NT fellows.
(b) Combines NSW and ACT fellows.
(c) Total number differs to total in Table 4.37 as fellows residing overseas are not included.
(d) Population data from ABS, Australian Demographic Statistics, 2009 (Cat. no. 3101.0), Canberra
Source: Medical colleges
The distibution of female fellows in Australia follows a similar pattern to the distribution of all fellows (Table 4.39).
Table 4.39: Female fellows by medical specialty and state/territory, 2008
Medical specialty | NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Aust |
Adult medicine | 438 | 417 | 194 | 92 | 91 | 26 | 9 | 34 | 1,301 |
Anaesthesia | 227 | 174 | 166 | (a)58 | 66 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 729 |
Pain medicine | 11 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
Dermatology | 57 | 34 | 20 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 139 |
Emergency medicine | 78 | 91 | 49 | 20 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 274 |
General practice | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
- RACGP | (b)1,369 | 1,099 | 974 | (a)422 | 407 | 142 | .. | .. | 4,413 |
- ACRRM | (b)112 | 66 | 106 | 47 | 33 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 397 |
Intensive care | 24 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 65 |
Medical administration | 35 | 21 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 92 |
Obstetrics and Gynaecology | 110 | 130 | 81 | 40 | 39 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 428 |
Occupational and Environmental medicine | 21 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 47 |
Ophthalmology | 53 | 40 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 128 |
Paediatrics | 212 | 160 | 106 | 42 | 80 | 5 | 16 | 10 | 631 |
Pathology | 190 | 99 | 77 | 43 | 51 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 490 |
Psychiatry | 274 | 238 | 151 | 97 | 85 | 17 | 4 | 17 | 883 |
Public health medicine | 56 | 29 | 30 | 11 | 17 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 167 |
Radiation oncology | 30 | 24 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 86 |
Radio diagnosis | 86 | 82 | 43 | 38 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 291 |
Rehabilitation medicine | 63 | 35 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 120 |
Surgery | 88 | 87 | 46 | 25 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 279 |
Total(c) | 3,534 | 2,861 | 2,121 | 989 | 990 | 278 | 79 | 141 | 10,993 |
(a) Combines NSW and ACT fellows.
(b) Combines SA and NT fellows.
(c) Total number differs to total in Table 4.37 as fellows residing overseas are not included.
Source: Medical colleges