Are you an aspiring or advanced paediatric clinician looking to trade the mundane for the extraordinary? Do you want to hone your skills in a high-acuity environment where you are truly part of the fabric of the community?
Alice Springs Hospital (ASH) isn’t just another regional facility. We are the critical care and medical hub for the vast Central Australian region. Here, you will encounter clinical presentations and a depth of pathology you won’t see anywhere else, supported by a dedicated team that champions curiosity, resilience, and clinical excellence.
This is where your career finds its purpose, and where your life finds a new rhythm.
ACEM (accredited and provisional TS4 accreditation) , RACP (Basic / Advanced Trainees), Rural Generalist (ACRRM / RACGP with Advanced Specialised Training in Paediatrics) pathways.
PGY3+ with eligibility for General Registration with the Medical Board of Australia.
Full Time or Part-time, Fixed Term (18 months) – Commencing February 2027.
Current Vacancies: The ASH Paediatric department currently has 2 Registrar positions available for semester 2 2026 and are recruiting for 2027
This role is tailor-made for registrars who want to grow both as a clinician and a person within a genuinely supportive, nurturing, and positive environment. We are looking for doctors fuelled by an innate clinical curiosity and a heartfelt interest in public health, equitable care, and First Nations health.
In our department, your compassion is valued just as much as your clinical skills, and we pride ourselves on creating a safe, encouraging space where you are backed by an attentive team every step of the way. If you are eager to learn, ready to embrace unique medical challenges, and want to practice medicine where your heart and mind can truly thrive, you will find a welcoming home and an incredibly rewarding chapter here.
The Alice Springs Hospital is a 186-bed regional facility providing a comprehensive range of medical services nestled amongst the striking mountain ranges of the ochre outback. Serving Central Australia and the Barkly region, the pathology density and medical case mix here are profoundly educational and unmatched elsewhere in the country.
The Inpatient Spectrum: Inpatient care occurs on a busy 30-bed paediatric ward with cross-functional support from a mixed Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit. The vast majority of admitted patients are Aboriginal children from remote communities presenting with a variety of acute and complex medical care needs.
The Massive Footprint: The Department of Paediatrics at ASH services a massive, culturally rich geographic footprint covering roughly one million square kilometres across Central Australia, the Barkly region, and the tri-state border areas.
The Learning Environment: With this complex emergency undifferentiated medical case load, it provides a phenomenal learning environment for medical trainees to build clinical courage, diagnostic autonomy, and profound paediatric competence.
The Gateway to the Centre: As the only major acute medical facility for over a million square kilometres, you are at the receiving end of a massive remote network. For escalation of care and advice, our primary referral hub is the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, and we work in close synchronisation with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and Medstar Kids for retrievals.
You will be the frontline for one of the most challenging and rewarding paediatric catchment areas in Australia. Being embedded in the primary management of this complex, rewarding, and acute pathology builds a level of clinical courage and paediatric competence that will make you a formidable emergency consultant.
Real Acuity & Autonomy: Because there are few resident specialist subservices in the hospital, this environment allows trainees to develop rapid, independent problem-solving skills. Supported by telehealth assistance from tertiary specialists, you will gain exposure to a significantly greater number of technical and clinical milestones than would normally be managed by registrars in major metropolitan centers.
Hands-On Mentorship: The size of our regional unit allows strong, direct working relationships to develop between trainees and consultant staff. Our general and community paediatricians are dedicated educators providing ample bedside teaching, formal exam prep, and real-time clinical feedback.
The ACEM Fast-Track: For emergency medicine trainees this term is specifically geared to help you knock out crucial ACEM milestone requirements in a highly compressed, efficient timeframe:
The 6-Month Non-ED/Special Skills Term: The position is fully recognised and highly valued to satisfy your mandatory 6-month non-ED critical care or discretionary training requirement.
Smashes the Paediatric Logbook: If you are looking to confidently complete your ACEM Paediatric Logbook (the requirement to see 400 children across various age brackets), the high volume of paediatric admissions and presentations at ASH makes this seamless.
Advanced Resuscitation Competency: You gain deep, hands-on confidence in neonatal resuscitation and acute paediatric stabilisation before retrieval—skills that directly translate to the sharp end of a FACEM consultant’s practice.
Impact: Make a tangible, multi-generational difference in Indigenous child health and the broader Central Australian community.
Development: Benefit from dedicated protected weekly teaching, regional clinical case reviews, and comprehensive support for portfolio requirements.
Professional Growth: Manage clinical conditions that are textbook rarities in metropolitan cities but frontline realities here: acute rheumatic fever, severe bronchiectasis, complex presentations of failure to thrive, severe acute gastroenteritis with profound metabolic derangement, and unique dermatological and renal pathologies.
Unmatched Camaraderie: Work alongside a passionate, bicultural team that understands the unique rewards of remote medicine and fosters a culture of deep psychological safety and professional support.
Inpatient Unit & Neonatal Care: Manage the 30-bed general ward and an 8-bed high dependency unit / neonatal nursery: the nursery routinely manages neonates from 32 weeks and 1500 grams upward, with capability for short-term mechanical ventilation (24–48 hours).
Outpatient & Developmental Clinics: Registrars and consultants run daily outpatient clinics covering a diverse mix of acute medical and behavioural consultations. Specialist developmental clinics include:
Out of home care clinic.
Multidisciplinary autism and developmental assessment clinic (Child Development Team).
Multidisciplinary FASD and developmental assessment clinic (Central Australian Aboriginal Congress).
Feeding clinic and Acute behavioural clinic.
Remote Outreach Services: Turn your clinical practice into an outback adventure by providing vital outreach services to 27 remote Aboriginal communities across the vast desert landscape.
Forget the commute. Forget the noise of the city. Alice Springs offers a relaxed, friendly desert lifestyle that invites you to breathe.
The Great Outdoors: Your backyard is the MacDonnell Ranges. Spend your days off hiking iconic walking tracks, mountain biking, or exploring ancient gorges and secret swimming holes.
A Unique Culture: Immerse yourself in the deep heart of Australian Aboriginal culture, ancient desert art, and a tightly-bound community.
Astronomy & Wildlife: Gaze at the Milky Way stretching across exceptionally clear outback skies, foster orphaned baby kangaroos, or take weekend road trips to witness the magic of nearby Uluru.
Relocation & Support: Comprehensive relocation assistance packages for interstate and international candidates.
Financial Benefits: Highly competitive salary packaging, remote area allowances, and excellent rural incentives.
Work-Life Integration: Flexible scheduling built to ensure you have ample time to rest, recharge, and explore the Northern Territory.
Competitive Remuneration:
Registrar (REG1–REG6): Package $143,997 – $179,967
Senior Registrar (SREG1–SREG2): Package $195,576 – $213,632 (Appointment level determined by previous clinical experience)
Position: Paediatric Registrar / Senior Registrar
Term: Fixed-term full-time or part-time (18-month contract or individual semester allocations)
Commencing: Semester 2, 2026 and February 2027 intakes
Location: Alice Springs Hospital, NT
Don't just take our word for it. Reach out for an informal chat about what your paediatric training path and outback experience could look like in Alice Springs.
Contact: Dr Warren Adie Co DEMT
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds who are dedicated to providing equitable care to all members of our community.
