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List of training regulations

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The RANZCP Fellowship Program is governed by a set of regulations, policies and procedures that make up the RANZCP Fellowship Regulations 2012.

The regulations define the broad structure of the program and are complemented by policies and procedures, which provide the specific rules and detail of the Fellowship Program requirements.

RANZCP trainees are responsible for understanding the requirements of all regulations, policies and procedures underpinning the Fellowship Program.

Overview

These documents outline the minimum time to achieve Fellowship and the different stages of training in the RANZCP Fellowship Program. 

Administration

Accreditation

This regulation outlines the requirement of programs and posts to be accredited to deliver Psychiatry training. 

Admission to Fellowship

These documents describe the application process to gain Admission to Fellowship after completing all the requirements of the RANZCP Fellowship Program. 

Bullying and harassment

This policy document encapsulates the RANZCP’s commitment to providing a safe and productive work environment where the dignity of every individual is respected and reinforces the RANZCP’s zero tolerance approach to bullying, harassment and sexual harassment.

College-established Areas of Practice

These documents outline the College-established Areas of Practice authorised under the RANZCP Fellowship Regulations and the procedure to establish a new Area of Practice. 

Educational review

These documents outline the process for reviews and appeals under the RANZCP Fellowship Program.

Ethical and conduct standards

This document describes the standards for which the RANZCP trainees and applicants are required to uphold while engaged in training. 

Experience in other medical specialties

This policy document details the regulation and process for applying prospectively to accredit training in a medical specialty other than psychiatry, while still providing appropriate training experience. 

Leave and interruptions to training 

This policy document sets out the leave and interrupted training allowances and provisions of the RANZCP Fellowship Program. The provisions for leave and interrupted training have been developed to maintain flexibility while ensuring trainees are able to meet the educational and clinical standards of the RANZCP Fellowship Program. 

Part-time training

This policy sets out the requirements for trainees who wish to or are currently are undertaking the RANZCP Fellowship Program part-time. 

Privacy and confidentiality and indemnity                                     

These regulations set out the specific protections and restrictions to disclosure of trainee and training information and indemnity arrangements for those people and committees undertaking processes as part of the RANZCP Fellowship Program. 

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

These documents will assist applicants who have acquired relevant work experience outside the RANZCP Fellowship Program and wishes to credit it under the RANZCP Fellowship Regulations. The policy and procedure also describes the process for RPL for trainees planning a period of extended leave overseas. 

Registration for entry into training

These documents describe the registration requirements and application processes for entry into training under the RANZCP Fellowship Regulations.

Training exit and re-entry

This document sets out the requirements and processes for the voluntary withdrawal and/or involuntary exclusion of trainees from the RANZCP Fellowship Program, and the available grounds for exclusion.
It also sets out the requirements and processes for permitted applications for re-entry to training. 

Transitioned trainees

This policy document is to assist College trainees who transitioned from the RANZCP 2003 Training Assessment Regulations or earlier to the 2012 RANZCP Fellowship Regulations*.

*Generally trainees transitioned to the RANZCP Fellowship Regulations 2012 by end of February 2016. 

Training

Requisites

These documents outlines the Formal Education Course, rotation and In-Training Assessment Report requirements of the RANZCP Fellowship Program.

Stage 1 - Mandatory requirements

This policy document outlines the mandatory requirements of Stage 1 of the RANZCP Fellowship Program.  

Stage 2 - Mandatory requirements

This policy document dictates the mandatory requirements for College trainees in Stage 2 of the Fellowship Program which is based on a broad biopsychosociocultural model focused on the development of knowledge and skills in clinical management and teamwork.

Stage 3 - Mandatory requirements

These documents set out the mandatory requirements of the Stage 3 of the Fellowship Program with an emphasis on adult and self-directed learning under the Fellowship Program.

Certificates of Advanced Training Regulations

These regulations describe the requirements for the Certificates of Advanced training. To be read in conjunction with the curriculum and other information about advanced certificates.

Regulation – Certificate of Advanced Training in Addiction Psychiatry [PDF; 266 KB]

Regulation – Certificate of Advanced Training in Adult Psychiatry [PDF; 256 KB]

Regulation – Certificate of Advanced Training in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry [PDF; 270 KB]

Regulation – Certificate of Advanced Training in Forensic Psychiatry [PDF; 261 KB]

Regulation – Certificate of Advanced Training in Psychiatry of Old Age [PDF; 200 KB]

Regulation – Certificate of Advanced Training in Psychotherapies [PDF; 198 KB]

Work-based assessments (WBAs)

This policy and procedural document describes the requirements of the usage of WBAs to formatively assess trainee competence in a typical work setting using the WBA tools*.
*Case based Discussion, Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise, Professional Presentation, Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) and Observed Clinical Activity (OCA).

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs)

This policy outlines the usage of EPAs as summative assessments to assess the trainee’s competence in the professional activities of psychiatry training.

Progression through training

This policy document sets out the requirements for a trainee’s successful progression through the Fellowship program. This policy details the timing of these competency requirements that trainees must successfully complete to be eligible for Fellowship of the College through the Fellowship Program.

Targeted learning

This policy document details the process for a trainee who requires additional support to meet the standard of knowledge and skills to successfully complete a training assessment (Targeted learning) and progress through the RANZCP Fellowship program.

Failure to progress

These documents detail the requirements and processes to support and manage trainees who have not met the progression requirements of the Fellowship program.

Supervision

These documents set out the requirements to all supervisors or interested applicants who wish to be supervisors for the purpose of RANZCP training and assessments.

Examinations

Modified Essay Questions (MEQ) and Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Examinations

These documents set out the requirements of the Modified Essay Questions (MEQ) and Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) examinations. Trainees and Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) assessed as partially comparable must successfully complete these exams in order to be eligible for Fellowship.

Clinical Competency Assessment – Modified Portfolio Review (CCA – MPR)

The previously held OSCE is replaced by the Clinical Competency Assessment – Modified Portfolio Review (CCA – MPR) from April 2024 to October 2025 as a major clinical assessment for the RANZCP Fellowship. Trainees and SIMGs assessed as partially comparable must successfully complete this assessment to be eligible for the Fellowship. 

Scholarly Project

These documents set out the requirements of the Scholarly Project and the exemption pathway for the project. Trainees must successfully complete this project in order to be eligible for Fellowship.

Psychotherapy Written Case

This policy and procedure sets out the requirements of the Psychotherapy Written Case. Trainees must successfully complete this assessment in order to be eligible for Fellowship.

Special consideration

This policy outlines the application process for candidates wishing to apply for special consideration in relation to their circumstances of whom have been adversely affected in their ability to successfully complete a College examination or centrally administered summative assessment.

Examination incident report and breach

This policy details the processes for managing incidents and/or breaches arising from the summative exams (e.g. written or clinical examinations, Psychotherapy Written Case or Scholarly Project) under the RANZCP Fellowship Program Regulations.

The RANZCP is committed to addressing the longstanding inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, and Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, in both health outcomes and access to culturally safe mental health care. Central to this commitment is the College’s work to grow and sustain the Indigenous psychiatric workforce, promote cultural safety for both patients and psychiatrists, and embed culturally responsive practices across training, policy, and service delivery. Guided by its vision, the RANZCP acknowledges the enduring disparities in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Māori, which reflect systemic barriers to appropriate health services and the social determinants of health. The College is advancing this agenda through multiple initiatives, including increasing representation of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori peoples among its membership and staff, strengthening education in culturally appropriate care, and implementing its Reconciliation Action Plan and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Last updated 24 July 2025