Private Hospital Stream

About the PHS

The Private Hospital Stream (PHS) funds private hospitals to deliver medical internships and support junior doctors to work in expanded settings across Australia. It has a strong focus on supporting training for junior doctors in rural, regional and remote areas in Modified Monash (MM) 2 to 7 locations. 

This includes fostering partnerships between private hospital providers, rural public hospitals, and other training settings (such as Aboriginal Medical Services) working as part of expanded training networks. 

A junior doctor is considered to be a doctor who has completed medical school and gained provisional or general registration but has not entered a vocational training program. 

The PHS:

• supports private hospitals to employ junior doctors in Postgraduate Years (PGY) 1, 2 and 3;
• increases the national capacity to deliver medical internships; and
• supports junior doctors to work in expanded settings, including rural communities. 

Internships and places

The PHS currently provides support for up to 115 PGY1 internships and up to 80 placements for eligible PGY2 and PGY3 junior doctors, each training year.

Expression of Interest (EOI) internships

The Department of Health, Disability and Aging run an annual EOI internship application process for junior doctors seeking to express interest in a PHS-funded medical internship place. Please be advised that applying for an internship place does not guarantee a placement. It is up to the participating private hospital to determine final recruitment outcomes after assessing all applications.  

Please note, EOIs are only open to PGY1 applicants. 

The PHS EOI internship application process for the 2026 training year will open at 9am AEDT, Monday, 15 September 2025 and close at 5pm AEDT, Friday, 26 September 2025. Late applications cannot be accepted. 

• Details regarding key dates for the EOI process is provided under PHS 2026 internship key dates section below.
• The PHS 2026 Application Form
• A Frequently Asked Questions document is available to assist applicants applying for the PHS 2025 EOI recruitment process.

Eligibility

The program divides applicants into 2 categories – Priority One and Priority Two.

1.Priority One eligibility criteria

The Priority One category is for final year medical students who meet all eligibility criteria for an internship under the PHS.

You are Priority One if you:

• are a full-fee-paying international student completing your medical degree during the current calendar year from a medical school in Australia, having completed all of your medical degree in Australia (university-approved, short-term elective rotations completed overseas are allowed)
• have met the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) English language proficiency requirements for registration purposes
• are not an Australian Citizen
• commit to getting a visa to work in Australia during your internship year (see the Department of Home Affairs for visa details).

2.Priority Two eligibility criteria

You are Priority Two if you:

• have MBA provisional registration as a medical practitioner
• have met the MBA English language proficiency requirements for registration purposes
• commit to getting a visa to work in Australia during your internship year (see the Department of Home Affairs for visa details).

The Priority Two candidate list is provided to the private hospitals to consider eligible candidates if vacancies remain after the Priority One candidate list has been utilised.

Who is not eligible

You are not eligible to apply for the PHS if you:

• do not meet the Priority One or Priority Two eligibility criteria outlined above; or
• have accepted an internship position from a state or territory government.

Recruitment process

The Department of Health, Disability and Aging set both a recruitment and offer period. This provides enough time for funded private hospitals to contact eligible people and offer them employment. 

This process aligns with the state and territory government recruitment processes and the national audit process.. 

The Department of Health, Disability and Aging forward applications to the PHS participating private hospitals by the due dates each year. 

The PHS participating private hospitals do eligibility checks. They will contact eligible applicants they choose to interview. 

Applicants should not make direct contact with the PHS participating hospitals. 

Category prioritisation

PHS participating private hospitals must fill PGY 1 places with Priority One applicants first.

If there are still places available after the Priority One list is finished, the hospitals can then recruit Priority Two applicants.  This category will only be considered when the list of Priority One eligible candidates is exhausted and there are vacant positions available.

PGY 2 and 3 funded places

PHS participating private hospitals make their own recruitment and employment arrangements for PGY 2 and 3 junior doctors. This allows them to meet their own service needs. 

The Department of Health, Disability and Aging has   no role in  PGY 2 and 3 recruitment and do not set eligibility criteria for these funded places. 

If you are a PGY 2 or 3 doctor funded under the PHS, you must complete at least one rural rotation each year. 

PHS 2026 internship key dates

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