System knowledge: RMO and Registrar Interview Questions Australia
How public hospitals work, AHPRA and registration, the role of the resident or registrar, the hospital's pressures and clinical governance basics.
Updated 26 October 2026
How to answer
Learn the structure: states and districts, Medicare and the public system, AHPRA and the Medical Board, the National Standards. Know the difference between training and non training positions and how you plan to get into training.
Frameworks: SYSTEM: what it is, why it matters, what it means here, what I would do
- The What it is in a sentence, Why it matters with a fact, What it means for this organisation and specialty, What I would do at my level and how I would measure it. Full guide →
What do you know about the Australian health system and how public hospitals work?
The structure in plain terms: Medicare and the public hospital system, the Commonwealth and the states, local health districts or networks, public and private hospitals, GPs as the front door. Mention AHPRA and the Medical Board as the regulators and the National Standards as the quality framework.
What is AHPRA, and what does your registration require of you?
The regulator for health practitioners, with the Medical Board setting the standards. Your registration requires you to practise within its conditions, meet CPD requirements, maintain professional conduct, and report as the mandatory notification rules require. Say what your current registration type is.
What is the role of a resident or registrar in this hospital, and who do you report to?
The resident manages the ward patients under the registrar, who leads the team under the consultant. Say who you report to clinically and for training, and when you would go straight to the consultant.
What are the main pressures on this hospital at the moment?
Three pressures you checked: access block and ramping, waiting lists, workforce, the funding dispute, the population's needs. Say how they would affect a resident on the wards.
What do you understand by clinical governance?
The system by which a hospital keeps care safe and improving: incident reporting and review, audit and M and M, open disclosure, credentialing and scope, accreditation against the National Standards. Give one example of each part you have taken part in.