November 6, 2026

Key Dates for Doctors in Australia 2027: The Ultimate Medical Jobs, Exams & Locum Calendar

If you are planning to work as a doctor in Australia in 2027, there are a few dates you really cannot afford to miss.

And the biggest lesson?

2027 recruitment started in 2026.

Many of Australia's major Resident Medical Officer, Senior Resident Medical Officer and Registrar recruitment campaigns opened between May and July 2026 for doctors commencing work in January or February 2027.

Then there are medical college exams, school holidays, hospital term changes, new hospitals opening, major regional events and some surprisingly predictable periods when locum demand can jump.

So bookmark this page.

This is the Blugibbon 2027 Australian Doctor Calendar.

We'll keep updating it as new dates are confirmed.

The 2027 Doctor Calendar at a Glance

Month

Major dates doctors should know

January: Parkes Elvis Festival 6–10 Jan; Victorian intern orientation 4–8 Jan; Victorian interns start 11 Jan; Tasmanian RMO year starts 11 Jan; Tamworth Country Music Festival 15–24 Jan; Australia Day 26 Jan

February: NSW JMO year begins 1 Feb; Queensland Registrar/PHO year begins 1 Feb; Victorian HMO year begins 1 Feb; RACP DWE 9 Feb; ACEM Primary Written 12 Feb; ACRRM MCQ 17 Feb

March ANZCA Primary Written 2 Mar; RACS Fellowship Written 11 Mar; RANZCOG Oral 13–14 Mar; ANZCA Final Written 16 Mar; ACEM Fellowship OSCE 16–19 Mar; Easter 26–29 Mar

April RANZCR Phase 1 exams 8–9 Apr; RANZCOG Fellowship Written 12–13 Apr; Easter/autumn school holidays; QLD Rural AST recruitment historically begins around this period

May ACEM Primary Oral 6–7 May; ANZCA Primary Viva 17–19 May; ACEM Fellowship Written 21 May; RACS Clinical/Viva 21–24 May; major annual medical recruitment season normally begins

June ANZCA Final Viva 3–5 Jun; Crazy Socks 4 Docs Day 4 Jun; ANZCA Final result 10 Jun; King's Birthday 14 Jun in several states; ACRRM CGT StAMPS 19–20 Jun

July Birdsville Big Red Bash 6–8 Jul; ACRRM MCQ 14 Jul; RANZCR Phase 2 Written 15–16 Jul; peak Australian winter school holidays and ski season

August ANZCA Primary Written 10 Aug; ANZCA Final Written 17 Aug; CICM Second Part Written 18 Aug; Gympie Music Muster 26–29 Aug

September Birdsville Races 3–4 Sep; RANZCOG Oral 11–12 Sep; spring school holidays begin in many states; regional recruitment/second rounds become increasingly important

October Rugby World Cup 1 Oct–13 Nov; RANZCR Phase 1 exams 7–8 Oct; ANZCOG Written 11–12 Oct; ANZCA Primary Viva 11–13 Oct; Bathurst 1000 expected in October; RACS Clinical/Viva 22–25 Oct

November ACEM Primary Oral 4–5 Nov; International Day of Radiology 8 Nov; RANZCR OSCER 8–12 Nov; ACRRM CGT StAMPS 13–14 Nov; ACEM Fellowship Written 19 Nov

December ACRRM CGT StAMPS results 16 Dec; Australian summer school holidays; Christmas and New Year workforce pressure

Medical Recruitment Dates for Australia 2027

This is probably the most important section for overseas doctors.

If you want to start an Australian hospital job in January or February 2027, waiting until January 2027 to apply is much too late for many permanent hospital campaigns.

NSW doctor recruitment 2027

NSW Health's main 2027 JMO recruitment round opened 14 July 2026 and closed 4 August 2026. Certain specialty recruitment rounds started even earlier, including Rural Generalist positions from May.

The second recruitment round opens from 29 September 2026, making this particularly relevant to international doctors who missed the main campaign.

NSW Health also confirms that most positions advertised through its annual JMO campaign are for the following clinical year.

NSW 2027 clinical terms

For most NSW JMOs:

Term

Dates

Term 1 : 1 Feb – 18 Apr

Term 2 : 19 Apr – 27 Jun

Term 3 : 28 Jun – 12 Sep

Term 4 : 13 Sep – 21 Nov

Term 5 : 22 Nov – 6 Feb 2028

Locum tip: the weeks surrounding hospital term changes can be useful periods to watch for vacancies caused by unexpected roster gaps, resignations, delayed registration or doctors changing training positions.

Queensland RMO and Registrar recruitment

Queensland's statewide RMO and Registrar Campaign for 2027 opened on 1 June 2026 and closed 29 June 2026.

This included:

Registrars and trainees
Principal House Officers
Senior House Officers
Junior House Officers

Queensland's Rural Advanced Skills Training recruitment started even earlier: 13–27 April 2026 for PHO positions in anaesthetics, internal medicine, mental health, obstetrics and paediatrics.

Most Queensland Registrar and PHO appointments for the 2027 year run from 1 February 2027 to 6 February 2028.

Western Australia

WA's central 2027 RMO and Service Medical Registrar recruitment opened 25 May 2026 and closed 22 June 2026.

The annual round covers most metropolitan, regional and remote hospitals, with January 2027 commencements expected.

WA is particularly interesting for doctors arriving later in the year because there is also a mid-year recruitment campaign, generally opening in January for positions starting around August.

That can make WA one of the more useful states for doctors whose AHPRA registration or Australian arrival does not line up neatly with February.

Victoria

Victorian internship applications for the 2027 year opened 5 May 2026 and closed 4 June 2026, with first allocation results starting in July.

Victoria's 2027 medical year starts unusually early for interns:

Victorian role 2027 commencement

Intern orientation 4 Jan

Intern Term 1 11 Jan

HMO Term 1 1 Feb

Victorian HMO terms then change on 3 May, 2 August and 1 November for four-term positions.

South Australia

South Australia's central 2027 medical internship application process ran from 5 May to 4 June 2026.

Registrar and RMO recruitment varies more by Local Health Network and specialty, so doctors should continue checking individual SA Health vacancies throughout the year.

Tasmania

Tasmania ran a statewide 2027 RMO campaign with applications closing 22 June 2026.

The advertised employment year commences 11 January 2027 and runs to 10 January 2028, with positions across Royal Hobart, Launceston, Northwest Regional, Mersey and rural sites. Tasmania specifically advertises visa sponsorship support for suitable overseas applicants.

ACT

Canberra Health Services' 2027 recruitment campaign runs broadly from May 2026 through February 2027.

For example:

Intern applications: 5 May–4 June 2026
RMO/SRMO applications: 31 August–27 September 2026
First offers: generally September–November
Further offers: November 2026–January 2027
Commencement: February 2027

Northern Territory

NT internship applications for 2027 ran 5 May–4 June 2026, with several offer rounds extending through October.

Crucially for doctors arriving late, Late Vacancy Management runs from 9 November 2026 until 19 March 2027.

For international doctors interested in Darwin, Alice Springs or remote medicine, that late-vacancy period is one worth watching.

Planning a 2028 Job?

Here's another important point.

If you want an Australian hospital job for 2028, do not wait until late 2027.

Based on the 2027 cycle, doctors should have their:

CV + references + AHPRA pathway + English evidence + visa strategy + preferred states

ready by around April 2027.

Expect many 2028 campaigns to begin between May and July 2027, although exact dates have not yet been published.

Australian Medical College Exam Dates 2027

Exam dates matter for recruitment too.

Doctors disappear onto study leave, departments lose roster availability and successful candidates start moving towards advanced training, provisional fellow and consultant opportunities.

One important distinction: passing a final college exam does not necessarily mean a doctor immediately becomes a Fellow. Formal Fellowship can depend on completion of other training requirements.

For workforce planning, however, exam and result dates are very useful markers.

Major confirmed 2027 medical college exams

College / specialty : Key 2027 dates : Results / notes

RACGP – General Practice

2027.1 AKT/KFP cycle underway; exact full 2027 timetable still being progressively published

RACGP required GPE assessment applications for 2027.1 AKT/KFP by 19 Jun 2026. Keep checking RACGP as remaining dates are released.

ACRRM – Rural General Practice

MCQ 17 Feb & 14 Jul; CGT StAMPS 19–20 Jun & 13–14 Nov; multiple AST StAMPS dates

Results include 4 Mar, 22 Jul, 29 Jul, 4 Nov and 16 Dec depending on assessment.

RACP – Physicians & Paediatrics

Divisional Written Exam 9 Feb

Proposed results 11 Mar. Eligibility rules change from 2027.

ACEM – Emergency Medicine

Primary Written 12 Feb & 6 Aug; Primary Oral 6–7 May & 4–5 Nov; Fellowship Written 21 May & 19 Nov; Fellowship OSCE 16–19 Mar & 7–10 Sep

Major dates confirmed by ACEM.

ANZCA – Anaesthesia

Primary Written 2 Mar & 10 Aug; Primary Viva 17–19 May & 11–13 Oct; Final Written 16 Mar & 17 Aug; first Final Viva 3–5 Jun

Primary results 26 May & 20 Oct. First Final result 10 Jun; second Final viva/results currently TBC.

CICM – Intensive Care

First Part Written 24 Feb & 28 Jul; Oral 5–6 May & 13–14 Oct; Second Part Written 10 Mar & 18 Aug; Oral 19–21 May & 27–29 Oct

Paediatric Second Part: written 19 Aug; oral 12–13 Nov.

RANZCR – Radiology

Phase 2 Written 28–29 Jan & 15–16 Jul; Phase 1 Written 8–9 Apr & 7–8 Oct; OSCER 31 May–4 Jun & 8–12 Nov

Results: 16 Mar, 25 May, 29 Jun, 31 Aug, 23 Nov and 7 Dec depending on exam.

RANZCOG – O&G

Fellowship Oral 13–14 Mar & 11–12 Sep; Written 12–13 Apr & 11–12 Oct

2027 result dates currently TBC.

RACS – Surgery

Fellowship Written 11 Mar and 19 Aug; Clinical/Viva 21–24 May Melbourne and 22–25 Oct Adelaide

Successful candidates still need to satisfy all Fellowship requirements; exact 2027 result presentations TBC.

RANZCO – Ophthalmology

Selection for the 2027 clinical year occurred during 2026

Local interviews ran through June/July 2026; 2027 positions have already been allocated through that selection process.

RANZCP – Psychiatry

2027 timetable not yet published

RANZCP says it aims to publish the following year's timetable by the end of October.

RCPA – Pathology

2027 timetable not yet published

RCPA says its next examination application period opens in December 2026 for 2027 exams.

Recruitment opportunity to watch

College result periods can create movement.

A Registrar who passes their final examination may be looking for a Provisional Fellow position, while another doctor moves into accredited training and creates an unaccredited Registrar vacancy.

For hospitals and recruiters, the weeks following major results are therefore worth watching closely.

Australian Public Holidays 2027

Public holidays matter enormously in locum medicine.

Permanent doctors take leave, elective activity changes, GP clinics close and emergency departments can experience greater pressure.

The national dates to put in your calendar are:

Date

Holiday

1 Jan New Year's Day

26 Jan Australia Day

26 Mar Good Friday

27 Mar Easter Saturday in applicable states

28 Mar Easter Sunday

29 Mar Easter Monday

25 Apr ANZAC Day

26 Apr Additional/substitute ANZAC holiday in several jurisdictions

14 Jun King's Birthday in NSW, VIC, ACT, NT and Tasmania

25 Dec Christmas Day

26 Dec Boxing Day

27–28 Dec Additional Christmas/Boxing Day holidays in most jurisdictions

Labour Day, King's Birthday and regional/show holidays differ considerably by state. For example, WA Labour Day is 1 March, Victoria's is 8 March, Queensland Labour Day is 3 May, NSW Labour Day is 4 October, Queensland King's Birthday is 4 October, and WA's is 27 September.

Locum dates worth highlighting

For locum doctors, I would particularly watch:

Easter: 26–29 March
ANZAC weekend: 24–26 April
June long weekend in much of Australia
September/October school holiday period
Christmas/New Year: approximately 18 December onwards

These are often periods where planned leave meets already-stretched regional rosters.

Australian School Holidays 2027

School holidays affect two different sides of medical recruitment.

Permanent doctors with children often want annual leave.

At exactly the same time, tourism can send thousands of additional patients into coastal, alpine and regional communities.

That combination can be ideal territory for locum demand.

There is no single Australian private-school calendar. Independent and Catholic schools can set their own dates. Queensland, for example, explicitly states that independent and Catholic schools generally base holidays on state dates but individual schools can vary.

The government-school dates therefore give us the best national baseline.

State

Easter/autumn

Winter

Spring

Summer begins

NSW

12–23 Apr

5–16 Jul

27 Sep–8 Oct

21 Dec

QLD

26 Mar–11 Apr

26 Jun–11 Jul

18 Sep–4 Oct

11 Dec

VIC

26 Mar–11 Apr

26 Jun–11 Jul

18 Sep–3 Oct

18 Dec

10–25 Apr

3–18 Jul

25 Sep–10 Oct

17 Dec

10–25 Apr

3–18 Jul

25 Sep–10 Oct

11 Dec

TAS

10–25 Apr

3–18 Jul

25 Sep–10 Oct

17 Dec

ACT

approximately 10–27 Apr

3–19 Jul

25 Sep–11 Oct

after 17 Dec

approximately 3–12 Apr

19 Jun–12 Jul

18 Sep–4 Oct

after 9 Dec

Official calendars confirm these term patterns across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, WA, SA, Tasmania, ACT and NT.

UK and Australian School Holiday Crossovers in 2027

This one is particularly useful for British doctors considering Australian locums.

UK dates vary between councils and individual schools, so there is no single nationwide calendar. GOV.UK specifically tells families to check their local council.

However, a typical English maintained-school calendar for 2027 looks roughly like this:

UK holiday

Typical England dates

Australia crossover

February half-term

15–19 Feb

Virtually none

Easter

26 Mar–9/11 Apr

Excellent with QLD & VIC; partial with other states

May half-term

31 May–4 Jun

Little/no Australian school holiday crossover

UK summer

From about 22 Jul through August

Australian holidays have generally just ended, but this falls during Australian ski season

October half-term

25–29 Oct

Australian spring holidays already finished

Christmas

From about 18–20 Dec

Excellent national crossover

Essex, Suffolk, Barnet and other English councils all show the broad 2027 Easter pattern of 26 March to around 9–11 April, with the main summer holiday beginning around 21–23 July.

Best family locum opportunity for a UK doctor?

Easter in Queensland or Victoria is particularly interesting.

The UK child may be off school at almost exactly the same time as Australian families, while the Australian health service may simultaneously have local doctors requesting leave.

Christmas 2027 is the other obvious crossover.

Regional Australian Events That Could Drive Locum Demand in 2027

This is the bit I think makes this article genuinely different.

A town with 10,000 residents suddenly receiving 20,000 visitors is not the same healthcare environment it was the week before.

These events do not automatically mean a hospital is advertising extra doctors. The medical-demand comments below are Blugibbon's workforce interpretation of likely pressure points, not confirmed vacancies.

Event

2027 dates

Population surge indicator

Doctors/services I would watch

Parkes Elvis Festival, NSW

6–10 Jan

25,000+ festival visitors versus Parkes population of around 12,000

ED, GP/urgent care, rural generalists, retrieval

Tamworth Country Music Festival, NSW

15–24 Jan

More than 300,000 festival footfalls were reported in 2026

FACEM/ED registrars, GP, general medicine, mental health, paediatrics

Ski season – Snowy Mountains NSW/Victorian Alps

Roughly Jun–Sep; exact resort dates TBC

Seasonal influx throughout winter, strongest around July holidays

ED, GP, rural generalist, orthopaedics, radiology

Finke Desert Race, Alice Springs NT

June long-weekend period; exact 2027 program TBC

Recent event attracted around 10,000 spectators

ED, trauma, anaesthesia, ICU, retrieval, orthopaedics

Big Red Bash, Birdsville QLD

6–8 Jul

Around 10,000 people attend an extremely remote location

Rural generalist, emergency, retrieval, GP

Gympie Music Muster, QLD

26–29 Aug

Around 60,000 attendances reported in 2025

ED, GP/urgent care, mental health, general medicine

Birdsville Races, QLD

3–4 Sep

Town can swell from roughly 100 people to 6,000+

Rural generalist, ED, retrieval, GP

Deni Ute Muster, NSW

2027 date TBC – normally early Oct

Around 20,000 attendees

ED, GP, trauma, mental health

Bathurst 1000, NSW

October – 2027 date TBC

More than 198,000 attendances over four days in 2025

ED/FACEM, trauma, anaesthesia, ICU, general medicine

Men's Rugby World Cup – Newcastle & Townsville

1 Oct–13 Nov tournament

Four pool matches in each regional host city; Newcastle stadium ~30k, Townsville ~25k

ED, GP/urgent care, general medicine, paeds

Mount Isa Rodeo, QLD

Aug – 2027 dates TBC

Historically around 15,000 visitors

ED, rural generalist, trauma, retrieval

Parkes is one of the clearest examples: its Elvis Festival attracts more than 25,000 fans into a community of around 12,000 people.

Tamworth is on another scale. The 2027 Country Music Festival is confirmed for 15–24 January, and the 2026 festival recorded an estimated 300,000 people walking the streets over ten days.

Then there is Birdsville. The Big Red Bash returns 6–8 July 2027 and typically attracts around 10,000 people to one of Australia's most isolated locations.

Two months later, the Birdsville Races run 3–4 September 2027. The event traditionally turns a town of roughly 100 residents into a community of more than 6,000 racegoers.

Bathurst is another obvious workforce-pressure event. The 2025 Bathurst 1000 recorded more than 198,000 attendances across its four-day program.

Rugby World Cup 2027: One to Watch for Regional Hospitals

Australia hosts the Men's Rugby World Cup from 1 October to 13 November 2027.

Seven cities will host matches, but two stand out from a regional-workforce perspective:

Newcastle and Townsville.

Both will host four pool matches.

Unlike Sydney or Melbourne, a major international tournament has proportionally more potential to alter visitor numbers, hotel occupancy and local healthcare activity in these smaller cities.

I'd be watching:

John Hunter / Newcastle region – ED, ICU, anaesthetics, medicine and GP/urgent-care requirements.

Townsville / North Queensland – ED, ICU, medicine, GP and regional referral-network demand.

Again: that is a workforce forecast rather than confirmation that additional positions will be created.

New and Redeveloped Australian Hospitals Opening in 2027

Another area doctors should watch closely.

A new building does not automatically mean hundreds of new positions; sometimes services simply transfer from an existing hospital.

But new beds, new departments and genuinely expanded clinical capability can absolutely create workforce opportunities.

Eurobodalla Regional Hospital – NSW

This is probably one of the most interesting regional developments.

The new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital is expected to be completed in 2027 and will include:

A larger Emergency Department
The region's first Intensive Care Unit, with eight ICU/Close Observation beds
Operating theatres
Expanded chemotherapy
Expanded renal dialysis
MRI and expanded imaging
Paediatrics
Maternity and special-care nursery services
Mental health beds
Outpatient and ambulatory care

MRI and CT services are expected to commence in 2027.

Doctors to watch: FACEMs, ED Registrars, ICU specialists/registrars, anaesthetists, physicians, paediatricians, O&G, psychiatrists and radiologists.

New Shellharbour Hospital – NSW

The new Shellharbour Hospital is due for completion in 2027.

It will provide an expanded Emergency Department, acute medicine, specialist elective surgery, paediatric assessment, rehabilitation/aged care, expanded mental health, drug and alcohol services, renal dialysis and outpatient care.

Importantly, it is expected to become the district's specialist elective surgical centre.

Doctors to watch: emergency medicine, anaesthetics, surgery, medicine, psychiatry, rehabilitation, geriatrics and renal medicine.

Moree Hospital Redevelopment – NSW

Moree's new acute-services building is scheduled for completion in 2027.

It includes:

Emergency Department
Operating theatre
Medical imaging
Birthing services
Inpatient unit
Pathology

For regional doctors looking at NSW, this is a particularly useful development to monitor during 2027.

New Tom Price Hospital – WA

The new $92.8 million Tom Price Hospital remains on track for completion in late 2027.

The Pilbara facility will include:

New Emergency Department
Primary care
Consulting rooms
Four-bed inpatient ward
Dental
Pathology

Given Tom Price's remote location, rural generalists, GP-ED doctors and doctors comfortable with remote emergency care are the obvious workforce group to watch.

Medical Celebration and Wellbeing Dates for 2027

Finally, there are the dates worth knowing simply because medicine should occasionally be about celebrating the people doing the job.

Date

Medical day

4 Feb

World Cancer Day

7 Apr

World Health Day

12 May

International Nurses Day

19 May

World Family Doctor Day

4 Jun

Crazy Socks 4 Docs Day

14 Jun

World Blood Donor Day

17 Sep

World Patient Safety Day

10 Oct

World Mental Health Day

16 Oct

World Anaesthesia Day

8 Nov

International Day of Radiology

Crazy Socks 4 Docs Day is held on the first Friday of June each year, making the 2027 event Friday 4 June. Its purpose is particularly relevant to our industry: breaking down stigma around mental health in doctors.

World Family Doctor Day is held on 19 May, World Patient Safety Day on 17 September, World Mental Health Day on 10 October, World Anaesthesia Day on 16 October, and International Day of Radiology on 8 November.

The Big Lesson for Doctors Planning 2027

The Australian medical jobs market doesn't operate on one recruitment date.

There are several different calendars running simultaneously:

Hospital recruitment. College training. College exams. Term rotations. School holidays. Public holidays. Regional events. New hospital openings.

If you're an overseas doctor planning to come to Australia, the most important lesson is to start earlier than you think.

For a February start, recruitment may have begun eight or nine months previously.

But if you've missed the main campaign, don't panic.

Australia still has:

second-round positions, late vacancy management, mid-year recruitment, locum contracts, unplanned vacancies and regional hospitals recruiting throughout the year.

And in many cases, those are exactly where international doctors can find some of the most interesting opportunities.

Last updated: 15 September 2026.

Recruitment, examination and event dates can change. Always check the relevant health department, medical college, hospital or event organiser before making travel or employment decisions.

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