Radiology training selection in Australia is run by networks and hospitals rather than centrally by the college, with structured panels of two or three radiologists and, in some states, a situational judgement test alongside. Fewer candidate reports exist for radiology than for the large programmes, so this guide is built from the RANZCR curriculum domains, the selection criteria networks publish, and the generic registrar pattern, and it says where the evidence is thinner.
The format
A structured panel, criterion mapped under state merit selection rules, about thirty minutes. Networks assess motivation beyond requesting scans, visual and clinical reasoning, communication with referrers and patients, and suitability for a programme with a heavy examination load. Some states add a written or online situational judgement component. Check your network's published process, because it varies more than in other specialties.
Motivation and the programme
- Why radiology, and what have you done to explore the specialty beyond requesting scans?
- What do you know about the RANZCR training programme, its examinations and the time commitment to study?
- What makes you suited to radiology, and what will you find hardest?
- How do you see the role of the radiologist changing with artificial intelligence, and how would you prepare for it?
- Which areas of radiology interest you, including interventional work?
- How will you manage the study load alongside full time work?
Panels are wary of candidates who choose radiology for the hours. Evidence of exploration scores: time in the department, reporting sessions observed, a radiology research project, a course, an understanding of the anatomy and physics the examinations demand. Know the programme: the phases, the examinations, the subspecialty rotations. Have a considered view on artificial intelligence: that it will change the work, that radiologists will supervise and integrate it, and that you would want to understand it rather than fear it.
The clinical scenarios
Radiology panels use department scenarios rather than ward ones:
- A patient becomes unwell with wheeze and hypotension after contrast.
- A trauma patient arrives for a CT and becomes unstable in the scanner.
- A patient with a suspected stroke needs imaging; what is the pathway and what matters about time?
- Approach a chest X ray on a breathless patient and say what you would look for.
- A ward patient with abdominal pain is sent for ultrasound; what questions do you want answered?
The contrast reaction: recognise it, stop the contrast, call for help, adrenaline for anaphylaxis at the right dose and route, oxygen, fluids, the resuscitation trolley, and the documentation and reporting afterwards. The unstable trauma patient: the scan stops, the trauma team is called, resuscitation in the department, and the scan resumed only when safe. The stroke pathway: time is the measure, and the registrar's job is to make the imaging happen fast and report it fast. For the image approach questions, a systematic method said aloud.
Communication
- A referrer is pushing for an urgent CT you believe is not indicated. How do you handle the conversation?
- Tell us about a time you communicated a critical or unexpected finding to a clinician.
- A patient is anxious about radiation from a scan. What do you say?
- How would you explain an incidental finding to a patient who was not expecting it?
Radiology is a consulting specialty and the panel is scoring whether you can say no to a referrer politely, explain your reasoning, offer an alternative, and escalate to the consultant if the referrer insists. For critical findings, the direct phone call, the read back, and the documentation.
Ethics and governance
- You notice a significant abnormality on a scan reported as normal by a colleague six months ago.
- A clinician asks you to change a report because they disagree with it.
- A pregnant woman needs imaging. How do you balance need against radiation risk?
- How would you make imaging more accessible to Aboriginal and rural patients?
The missed finding: the patient first, then the consultant, then open disclosure and the incident process, without blaming the colleague. The report: it is your professional opinion and you do not change it to suit a referrer, though you would discuss it and add an addendum if you were wrong.
System questions
The pressures on public radiology services, how Medicare funds imaging and how that shapes requesting, and the role of radiology in the hospital's safety and quality.
What the panels score
Genuine motivation with evidence, a systematic approach to images and to emergencies in the department, communication that can hold its ground with referrers, honesty about errors, a considered view on the future of the specialty, and a credible plan for the examinations.
Preparing
Explore the department properly before applying and have the evidence ready. Learn the contrast reaction management and the stroke pathway. Practise the referrer conversation with someone who pushes. Prepare a two minute answer to each question above. The bank on this site is marked lower evidence for radiology; if you are interviewed, tell us what you were asked.