Salary is not published; the AHSS application page says salary details must be discussed with each training centre's supervisor. The trainee pays a non-refundable AHSS PFET application fee of $500 and a training programme fee of AUD 1,500 on accepting a place.
Deadline
30 June 2027 (AHSS PFET applications close 30 June each year)
Duration
12 months (6 months at each hospital)
Hands-on
Unclear — confirm privileges
Latest source audit
3 Oct 2026
Duration · published12 months (6 months at each hospital)
Clinical exposureMixed orthopaedic and plastic units: Sydney Hospital (10 consultants) for hand and wrist trauma and elective work, St Luke's (5 consultants) mainly elective; daily hand clinics, 1–2 operating lists a week and a focus on soft tissue, trauma, arthroscopy and microsurgery.
Funding · publishedSalary is not published; the AHSS application page says salary details must be discussed with each training centre's supervisor. The trainee pays a non-refundable AHSS PFET application fee of $500 and a training programme fee of AUD 1,500 on accepting a place.
DestinationAustralia
Participation levelClinical participation and hands-on restrictions must be confirmed directly with the host.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT CHECK
What the official evidence currently supports
Decision-critical fields are separated into confirmed facts, partial information and points requiring direct confirmation.
≈Partially published
International applicant eligibility
The published AHSS PFET eligibility rules require Australian citizenship and AHPRA specialist accreditation, so PFET posts are not open to international applicants.
✓Published by official source
Required training level
FRACS in Orthopaedic Surgery or Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery before starting PFET, or AMC specialist recognition as an orthopaedic or plastic surgeon · Australian citizenship and AHPRA accreditation to work as a specialist orthopaedic or plastic surgeon in a supervised fellowship position (AHSS PFET rules, section 4.3.1) · RACS SET trainees may apply up to 2 years before the expected end of SET training
✓Published by official source
Programme classification
Clinical or combined training pathway; exact duties remain appointment-specific.
?Confirm directly with host
Hands-on restrictions
Hands-on participation and operative restrictions are not explicitly published.
≈Partially published
Medical registration
AHPRA accreditation to work in Australia as a specialist orthopaedic or plastic surgeon in a supervised fellowship position; successful applicants must also meet AHPRA and the hospital employer's employment criteria.
?Confirm directly with host
Licensing examinations
Any examination requirement must be confirmed with the relevant regulator and host.
—Not published
Language requirements
No formal language requirement is published by the cited source.
≈Partially published
Visa or work authorisation
Not applicable under the published PFET rules, which require Australian citizenship.
✓Published by official source
Funding availability
Salary is not published; the AHSS application page says salary details must be discussed with each training centre's supervisor. The trainee pays a non-refundable AHSS PFET application fee of $500 and a training programme fee of AUD 1,500 on accepting a place.
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY
79% of core application fields verified
Checked 3 Oct 2026. Next scheduled editorial review: 2027-04-01. Every unresolved field keeps its exact evidence state—unpublished, not yet researched, historical, conflicting, inaccessible or not applicable—so an absence is never converted into a fact.
✓ programme title✓ institution / department✓ city and country✓ programme classification✓ subspecialty✓ current status evidence✓ duration✓ positions✓ benefits✓ eligibility✓ international eligibility✓ registration✓ visa / work authorisation✓ deadline✓ application process✓ required documents✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ faculty✓ verified institution logo✓ official source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— commencement / intake · official sources conflict— Funding information not published · not published by the cited official source— accommodation / relocation · queued for source review— Language requirement not published · queued for source review— Verified faculty photograph not available · queued for source review— institutional source · source temporarily inaccessible
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadline30 June 2027 (AHSS PFET applications close 30 June each year)
Commencing dateFebruary
Application route / cycleApplications to the AHSS close 30 June each year. The AHSS PFET page says 2026 applications are for posts starting February and August 2029; the full programme rules say applications closing 30 June 2026 are considered for posts starting February 2028 or later. Offers are announced at the end of September.
Deadlines and intake dates can change between cycles. The data-quality ledger above explicitly labels application fields that the cited official source does not publish.
ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS
Published entry requirements
Clinical / academic eligibility
FRACS in Orthopaedic Surgery or Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery before starting PFET, or AMC specialist recognition as an orthopaedic or plastic surgeon
Australian citizenship and AHPRA accreditation to work as a specialist orthopaedic or plastic surgeon in a supervised fellowship position (AHSS PFET rules, section 4.3.1)
RACS SET trainees may apply up to 2 years before the expected end of SET training
Registration, licence & examinations
AHPRA accreditation to work in Australia as a specialist orthopaedic or plastic surgeon in a supervised fellowship position; successful applicants must also meet AHPRA and the hospital employer's employment criteria.
Visa / work authorisation
Not applicable under the published PFET rules, which require Australian citizenship.
Application documents
Covering letter explaining why you want to undertake PFET and your areas of interest
CV
Surgical logbook with a separate hand-surgery logbook
Evidence of a microsurgery course and/or AO hand fracture course if completed
Three written references
Completed AHSS application form with ranked fellowship-position preferences
Overseas fellowship appointment letter, if arranged
Licensing, visa and document rules depend on the individual programme and application cycle. OrthoFellow does not infer USMLE, AHPRA, ECFMG, recommendation-letter or visa requirements from the country alone.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What this program offers
Twelve-month AHSS PFET hand fellowship split between Sydney Hospital and St Luke's Hospital, with access to the biomechanics laboratory at Prince of Wales Hospital.
BENEFITS & SUPPORT
Published benefits and support
Part of the RACS-accredited AHSS hand-surgery PFET programme: six-monthly supervisor assessments, logbook review, a research project, and a monthly PFET journal club (February–November, via Zoom) with an expert panel.
Benefits may depend on appointment type, training level, visa status and the active academic year. OrthoFellow keeps stipend and benefits separate so a salary figure is not mistaken for the full package.
HOST INSTITUTION
About Sydney Hospital / St Luke's Hospital
Sydney Hospital runs a public hand unit, and St Luke's Hospital in Potts Point is mainly elective; the fellow rotates between them.
PFET supervisor, Sydney HospitalOfficial program roster
Current position
Fellowship supervisor / program leadership
Affiliation
Sydney Hospital
Clinical focus
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Mark Nabarro is listed in the cited programme evidence as pfet supervisor, sydney hospital for Sydney Hospital and St Luke's Hospital Hand Surgery PFET Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Mark Nabarro is listed by the official programme source as pfet supervisor, sydney hospital. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
ST
Faculty: Sarah Tolerton
PFET supervisor, St Luke's HospitalOfficial program roster
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
St Luke's Hospital
Clinical focus
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Sarah Tolerton is listed in the cited programme evidence as pfet supervisor, st luke's hospital for Sydney Hospital and St Luke's Hospital Hand Surgery PFET Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Sarah Tolerton is listed by the official programme source as pfet supervisor, st luke's hospital. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Names and fellowship roles come from the cited programme source. A green “individual profile verified” label means the position, qualifications and biography were also checked against an official personal or institutional profile. OrthoFellow displays a portrait only when it can be tied to an official profile or faculty source; otherwise the host institution brandmark is shown, with initials retained only when neither image is available. Faculty rosters may change.
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INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
Published international eligibility information
The published AHSS PFET eligibility rules require Australian citizenship and AHPRA specialist accreditation, so PFET posts are not open to international applicants.
This note is shown only when the official source publishes information relevant to overseas applicants. Applicants should confirm licensing and visa eligibility directly with the host.
