How to become a doctor in Australia
General Practitioners diagnose, treat and prevent human physical and mental disorders and injuries.
Pay and growth are for the wider general practitioners and resident medical officers group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the general practitioners and resident medical officers group are projected to grow 33.0% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Conducts examinations and questions patients to determine the nature of disorders and illnesses, and records patients' medical information.
- Orders laboratory tests, x-rays and other diagnostic procedures, and interprets findings to assist in diagnosis.
- Provides overall care for patients, and prescribes and administers treatments, medications and other remedial measures.
- Monitors patients' progress and response to treatment.
- Advises on diet, exercise and other habits which aid prevention and treatment of disease and disorders.
- Refers patients to, and exchanges medical information with, specialist medical practitioners.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the general practitioners and resident medical officers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 96% a degree or higher, 1% a diploma, 0% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria0 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
No match in VTAC's list. Some courses, medicine especially, don't publish a cutoff or use their own admissions.
NSW and ACT9 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Advanced Science (Pre-Medicine) · UTS96.20 Bachelor of Pre-Medicine, Science and Health · Wollongong90.05Showing 8 of 9 matches. Search every course.
Queensland16 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathway to Medicine) - Bonded Medical Program · CQUniversity, Rockhampton98.35 Doctor of Medicine (MD) (Provisional Entry for School-Leavers) · UQ, St Lucia, Herston, Clinical Units and Teaching Hospitals98.10 Doctor of Medicine (MD) Provisional Entry for School-Leavers (Bonded Medical Program) · UQ, St Lucia, Herston, Clinical Units and Teaching Hospitals97.25 Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathway to Medicine) · CQUniversity, Bundaberg95.95 Bachelor of Medical Science (Medicine Pathway) · UniSQ, Toowoomba95.95 Bachelor of Medical Science (Medicine Pathway) - Bonded Medical Program · UniSQ, Toowoomba95.30Showing 8 of 16 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia1 match
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Matched on course names, 26 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Investigative, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Family Medicine Physicians", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.