Open the door to medical training opportunities

Open the door to medical training opportunities

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From intern to fellow, discover a wide range of opportunities with diverse case mix, work-life balance, career advancement, and hands-on training in a supportive environment.

NQRTH connects medical students, interns and junior doctors with resources and opportunities to prepare for specialist training and beyond, creating stronger health outcomes in our region.

Key Dates 2026 Intake Queensland Health Intern and RMO/Registrar Campaigns
29 April Intern Information Session (Webinar)
6 May Intern applications open (Queensland Health)
13 May How to thrive during end-to-end training in northern Queensland (Webinar)
22 May RMO and Registrar Information Session (Webinar)
28 May Enhance your medical training through research (Webinar)
2 June RMO/Registrar applications open (Queensland Health)
5 June Intern applications close (Queensland Health)
30 June RMO/Registrar applications close (Queensland Health)
Key Dates
Queensland Government

Find out more about Queensland Health's Intern and RMO/Registrar Campaigns

Medical Campaign Webinar Series

Watch the webinar series developed especially for medical students and junior doctors preparing their application to Queensland Health’s Intern or RMO/Registrar Campaigns. The webinars are delivered by expert panels and cover four topics.

Episode 1: Intern Information Session

Co-hosted by Queensland Health

Date: 29 April 2025    Time: 6pm to 8pm AEST

Join JCU’s NQRTH and Queensland Health on this live and interactive webinar to help guide and inform graduating medical students considering applying for an intern position in QLD in 2026. Explore what’s on offer and equip yourself with the knowledge and confidence to navigate the application process: 

  • Learn about location preferencing, recruitment rounds, and how to apply.
  • Hear the latest news and recruitment information provided by the Queensland Health Intern Recruitment team.
  • Meet the workforce departments from Queensland Hospital and Health Services.
  • Hear from current interns and junior doctors about their experiences.

Watch the recording of the 2025 webinar:

Episode 2: How to thrive during end-to-end training in northern Queensland

Date: 13 May 2025    Time: 6pm to 7.30pm AEST

Join JCU’s Northern Queensland Regional Training Hubs (NQRTH) for an insightful webinar featuring doctors at different stages of their careers. From interns to consultants, hear their stories, debunk myths about regional training, and learn how you can grow both personally and professionally while living in northern Queensland.

This session aims to provide a holistic view of the medical journey in northern Queensland, from starting out as an intern to becoming a consultant. Gain the knowledge and inspiration you need to navigate your pathway in regional medical training confidently.

Episode 3: RMO and Registrar Information Session

Co-hosted by Queensland Health

Date: 22 May 2025    Time: 6pm to 7.30pm AEST

As you progress through your junior doctor years, it can help to gather information from various sources to prepare for your next step. Together with Queensland Health, JCU’s Northern Queensland Regional Training Hubs have gathered the experts for you all in one place.

Join us for this live webinar to find out more about the Queensland Health RMO and Registrar Recruitment Campaign and what you need to be doing to prepare for what’s next in your medical training journey.

Watch the recording of the 2025 Intake Webinar:

Episode 4: Enhance your medical training through research

Date: 28 May 2025    Time: 6pm to 7.30pm

Considering research but unsure how it fits into your busy schedule? Join JCU’s Northern Queensland Regional Training Hubs (NQRTH) for a live webinar where junior doctors, registrars and consultants discuss the value of research for clinical practice, specialty training program applications and career growth.

Hear real stories from doctors at various stages of training on how they have used research to enhance their training and stand out when applying for entry into competitive specialty training programs.

Whether you’re considering your first research project or looking to further your research portfolio, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to take the next step.

  • Dr Cyrus Cheng

    “The Cairns team was extremely supportive. The smaller hospital size meant a better doctor-to-student ratio, so we got more opportunities to interact with doctors and ask questions.”

    Dr Cyrus Cheng

  • Dr Allison Hempenstall

    “It’s a real privilege to be able to train in the region where you have exposure to an incredible number of interesting cases and pathologies that you may not see if you trained elsewhere in Australia.”

    Dr Allison Hempenstall

  • Dr Anthony Brazzale

    “We have advanced trainees who come from Brisbane and want to come back here now as consultants. They tell us this is one of the best training centres in Australia. The opportunities you get up here, you’ll get nowhere else.”

    Dr Anthony Brazzale

Discover the northern Queensland region

Trainees in northern Queensland have access to a wide range of hospital and health settings of varying sizes and capabilities, all offering a diverse case mix and hands-on opportunities. Explore the six health services within the Northern Queensland region below.

map
Cairns region

The Cairns region provides an extensive range of health services to a population of approximately 250,000. The area spans over 142,900 square kilometres, from Cairns to Tully in the south, Cow Bay in the north and Croydon in the west. More than 20% of the population is aged over 60, which is one third higher than the national average. Tourism is a key industry and contributes to a relatively high transient population. It is estimated that 14% of the population are Indigenous Australian, compared to 3.5% for Queensland as a whole.

Explore Region
Cairns region
Central West region

The Central West region spans 396,650 square kilometres and includes the communities of remote central western Queensland from Tambo, in the south-east, to Boulia in the northwest.
The Central West Hospital and Health Service serve a population of approximately 12,400 persons with the addition of a range of visitors during the winter months.

Explore Region
Central West region
Mackay region

The Mackay region provides extensive health services in a range of regional, community and rural settings, to a population of approximately 180,000 people.

Explore Region
Mackay region
North West region

The North West Hospital and Health Service covers an area of over 300,000 square kilometres and services the rural and remote communities within North Western Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria. The region includes the city of Mount Isa and the towns and areas of Burketown, Camooweal, Cloncurry, Dajarra, Doomadgee, Julia Creek, Karumba, Normanton and Mornington Island.

Explore Region
North West region
Torres and Cape region

The Torres and Cape Hospital Health and Service  delivers health services to more than 25,000 people who are located across Cape York, the Northern Peninsula area and the Torres Strait Islands. 60 per cent of the population in the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service region identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Explore Region
Torres and Cape region
Townsville region

The Townsville region has a geographic footprint of 148,000 square kilometres and is home to approximately 238,614 people. The region covers from Cardwell in the north, Richmond in the west and Ayr and Home Hill in the south.

Explore Region
Townsville region
Cairns
Central West
Mackay
North West
Torres and Cape
Townsville

6 reasons to train in northern Queensland

Advance your career with quality training
Advance your career with quality training

“I’ve found that candidates who cut their teeth in rural and remote sites become more advanced candidates clinically. I can assure you that clinical supervisors who are assessing your entry into specialty training value that experience as well.” – Dr John Hall

Be supported in your training
Be supported in your training

“Having a small group here creates such a lovely feeling. Everyone at the hospital is fantastic, very friendly, and keen to teach. You feel like part of the team, and that’s a special experience.”  – Dr Georgia Edwards

Get hands-on experiences you won't find in a metropolitan setting
Get hands-on experiences you won't find in a metropolitan setting

"Being in Cloncurry has given me incredible hands-on experience. I’ve seen the cases I was studying about, linking real-world patients to what I was reading in textbooks. That makes the learning so much more powerful.” – Dr Bronte Moon

Fast track your learning with diverse clinical cases
Fast track your learning with diverse clinical cases

“The cases you see in this region are completely different to what you would see in the city. You see significant complications from conditions like diabetes or hypertension, melioidosis, and tropical diseases that you just do not get down south.” – Dr Georgia Bulley

Experience work-life balance with plenty of adventures
Experience work-life balance with plenty of adventures

“I really enjoy the fact that everything is easily accessible. It no longer takes me 40 minutes of peak-hour driving to get to and from work. Within a one-hour drive from Townsville, there are multiple places to go hiking, walking and swimming in the Australian bush. Magnetic Island, which is just a short ferry ride away from the city, is also one of my favourite places to relax.”.” – Dr Rupert Dwyer

Be embraced by a community
Be embraced by a community

“The senior doctors get to know you personally and care about your growth as both a doctor and a person. We’ll grab coffee together, sit in the sun for a break, and they’ll recommend places to visit. It’s more than just a workplace, it’s a community.” – Dr Heather McNeil

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Want to find out more? Our team are here to help. 

Want to find out more? Our team are here to help. 

Get in touch with us

NQRTH is an initiative of the Australian Government's Integrated Rural Training Pipeline (IRTP) and is facilitated by James Cook University in partnership with public and private hospitals, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), health services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and GP clinics.

Cairns region
(07) 4226 8187

Central West region
(07) 4764 1547

Mackay region
(07) 4885 7122

North West region
(07) 4764 1547

Torres and Cape region
(07) 4095 6103

Townsville region
(07) 4781 3424