PGY1 FAQs

No. PGY1 doctors are expected to satisfactorily complete 47 (full-time equivalent (FTE)) weeks of supervised practice. Although there are circumstances where less than 47 weeks is accepted for genuine sick, personal, carer’s or cultural leave.

The permitted circumstances are:

1. PGY1 doctors who receive an overall satisfactory rating and who complete at least 45 FTE weeks, but less than 47 FTE weeks, of supervised clinical practice due to genuine sick, personal or carer’s leave and complete the prescribed terms in the four types of patient care in a range of specialties.
2. PGY1 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander doctors who receive an overall satisfactory rating and who complete at least 46 FTE weeks, but less than 47 FTE weeks, of supervised clinical practice due to ceremonial or cultural leave and who complete the prescribed terms in the four types of patient care in a range of specialties.
3. PGY1 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander doctors who receive an overall satisfactory rating and who complete at least 44 FTE weeks, but less than 47 FTE weeks, of supervised clinical practice due to any combination of genuine sick, personal or carers’, or ceremonial or cultural leave, and who complete the prescribed terms in the four types of patient care in a range of specialties.

Your Director of Clinical Training or other authorised person is responsible for signing-off at the end of the PGY1 year whether you have met the requirements of the Board’s 2024 registration standard Granting general registration as a medical practitioner to Australian and New Zealand medical graduates on completion of postgraduate year one training including any leave within the permitted circumstances.

Yes, some leave is permitted during the 47 FTE weeks. You can take up to two weeks of professional development leave (preapproved by your employer) and you can take some sick, personal, carer’s or cultural leave as long as you meet the requirements above (See FAQ - Can I finish my PGY1 year in less than 47 (full-time equivalent) weeks?).

All other leave is excluded from the 47 FTE weeks.

Terms in the PGY1 year and the settings in which they occur will generally be predetermined and therefore when you can take recreational leave is also generally predetermined. The Board does not have a role in deciding when you can take recreational leave. This will be between you and your employer.

Terms do not have to be continuous as long as you are given sufficient time in each of the clinical experiences to achieve the PGY1 learning outcomes and that by the end of the year, the terms totalled together, equate to four 10-week terms in the full range of experiences as required by the Board’s 2024 registration standard Granting general registration as a medical practitioner to Australian and New Zealand medical graduates on completion of postgraduate year one training.

No. Although there are allowances for genuine sick, personal, carer’s or cultural leave. (See the FAQ above - Can I finish my PGY1 year in less than 47 (full-time equivalent) weeks?) 

With COVID-19 mandatory isolation rules relaxed across Australia and fewer interns requiring access to COVID-19 flexibility, the Board has reduced its previous COVID-19 flexibility for 2023 interns, while acknowledging that interns may need to take leave for COVID-19 related illness or to isolate.

The Board expects that interns will complete the core terms and 47 weeks full-time equivalent (FTE) accredited supervised practice, unless they had to take genuine COVID-19 related leave (for COVID-19 illness or to isolate).

The 2023 changes apply to interns who started their internship from 1 November 2022. Interns:

• who had to take COVID-19 related leave (for COVID-19 illness or to isolate) are required to complete at least 45 weeks FTE supervised clinical experience (up to two weeks less than the standard 47 weeks required), and
• must complete the accredited core terms.

The intern will need to provide details of when the leave was taken and the reason for the leave.

For the purpose of granting general registration at the end of the intern year, the Board will accept a report from the Director of Medical Services, Director of Training or another person authorised to sign off intern reports which confirms that each intern has performed satisfactorily during the intern year.

The Medical Board of Australia has changed requirements for 2023 interns who had to take genuine COVID-19 related leave (for COVID-19 illness or to isolate) .

Interns who have taken additional leave that was not directly related to COVID-19 must meet the requirements in the registration standard Granting general registration as a medical practitioner to Australian and New Zealand medical graduates on completion of intern training. Interns must complete:

1. at least 47 weeks full-time equivalent service
2. all accredited core terms with a minimum of:
   1. ten weeks in surgery
   2. ten weeks in medicine
   3. eight weeks in emergency medical care, and
   4. a range of other approved terms to make up a minimum of 47 weeks full-time equivalent service.

The Medical Board of Australia (the Board) has not reduced the length of the intern year. It has reduced the minimum supervised clinical experience required of interns who have taken leave for genuine COVID-related absences to at least 45 weeks, from the standard 47 weeks, to allow for sick leave and isolation.

Interns are still required to complete the core rotations.

When the period of supervised practice has been less than 47 weeks, but at least 45, the intern will need to explain the reasons for the shortfall. Having to take sick leave or to isolate as a result of COVID-19 are acceptable reasons for reducing the period of supervised practice.

The Board will not approve applications for general registration earlier than the usual intern completion date. The Board expects interns to continue their internship for 12 months before they can apply for general registration.

No. For medical interns who started their internship before 31 October 2022, the 2022 COVID-19 changes will continue to apply. The 2022 changes are:

1. For interns who have been directly affected by COVID-19 (had to take COVID-related leave for illness or to isolate):
• must complete at least 40 weeks FTE supervised service (up to seven weeks less than the standard 47 weeks required)
• can gain their clinical experience in accredited and non-accredited positions
• do not have to meet the requirement for the usual rotations of medicine, surgery and emergency medical care. The Board will accept clinical experience in any supervised rotations.



The intern will need to provide details of when the leave was taken and the reason for the leave.

2. For interns who have been redeployed as a direct result of COVID-19:
• must complete at least 47 weeks FTE service
• can gain their clinical experience in accredited and non-accredited positions
• do not have to meet the requirement for the usual rotations of medicine, surgery and emergency medical care. The Board will accept clinical experience in any supervised rotations.



The Board may request confirmation from the employing health service that the redeployment was the result of COVID-19.

The Board expects interns will complete the core terms and 47 weeks accredited FTE supervised practice unless they were directly affected by COVID-19.

For the purpose of granting general registration at the end of the intern year, the Board will continue to accept a report from the Director of Medical Services, Director of Training or another person authorised to sign off intern reports which confirms that each intern has performed satisfactorily during the intern year.