Australian Medical Qualifications and Post-Nominals Explained (MBBS, FRACGP, DCH…)

Australian doctors carry a string of letters after their name, and IMGs researching the move often hit unfamiliar ones. Here is what the common medical post-nominals mean, grouped by what they tell you about a doctor.

Primary medical degrees

  • MBBS — Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. The standard Australian/UK primary medical degree. Despite "Bachelor", it is the qualifying degree to practise medicine.
  • MD — Doctor of Medicine. In Australia, now the entry-level medical degree at many universities (equivalent to MBBS), not a research doctorate.
  • BMed / MChD — variants of the primary medical degree used by some universities.

General practice fellowships

  • FRACGP — Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. The main GP fellowship and vocational-registration qualification in Australia.
  • FACRRM — Fellow of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. The rural-focused GP fellowship.
  • MRCGP — Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (UK). With CCT, this qualifies for the Competent Authority pathway — see Is MRCGP recognised in Australia?.
  • MICGP — Member of the Irish College of General Practitioners. With CSCST, recognised similarly — see Is MICGP recognised in Australia?.

Specialist fellowships

  • FRACP / FRACS / FRANZCO / FRANZCP etc. — Fellow of the relevant Australasian specialist college (physicians, surgeons, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, and so on).

Common diplomas and certificates

  • DCH — Diploma in Child Health. A postgraduate qualification in paediatrics, common among GPs.
  • DRANZCOG — Diploma of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Women's-health and obstetrics skills for GPs.
  • DA — Diploma of Anaesthesia.

Registration shorthand

Why it matters for IMGs

Your own qualifications determine which pathway you use. MRCGP/MICGP point to the Competent Authority or Specialist pathways; without a recognised specialist qualification, the Standard AMC pathway applies. Work out your route in the eligibility explorer.