Join the pain medicine training program

The pain medicine training program is a two-year post-specialist qualification that leads to fellowship of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists with the post nominals FFPMANZCA.

Our training, education and assessment programs are reviewed and accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ). We provide regular reports to the AMC and MCNZ to ensure that our educational activities are contemporary and relevant and of the highest international standard.

Applying to join the program
Training in pain medicine is a post-specialisation program that requires applicants to have either completed or be training towards a primary specialist qualification. The list of approved qualifications can be found in by-law 3.1.3.

For trainees with an overseas primary specialist qualification, a letter or certified copy from an equivalent Australian or New Zealand specialist College attesting to the comparability of the overseas primary qualification is required to be submitted alongside your training application.

Before applying to join the training program, we encourage applicants to take a look at our accredited training sites page. The listed training sites are accredited for training in the Core Training Stage year. 

Doctors must apply to join the training program before commencing their training position.

The application form lists the supporting documents that need to be submitted with the application form. For any questions on the application process please contact the faculty team via fpm@anzca.edu.au or on +61 3 8517 5337.

Recognition of prior experience
There is provision to apply for up to six months prior clinical experience gained in a faculty accredited unit or a multidisciplinary unit with regular workplace-based progressive feedback equivalent to that in the FPM training program.  Details can be found in section 3.6 of the Training Handbook. Applications for recognition of prior experience can be made via the FPM training program ePortfolio.  RPE applications need to be submitted prior to commencing the Practice Development Stage year.