Neurosurgical Society of Australasia

Trainees and some categories of NSA members can access additional information, including downloads using the sub menus which will appear on your left hand side menu bar. To view these sub menus you must be logged in.

Clinical Training and Assessment

The basic neurosurgical foundational year (SET1) and the four specialist neurosurgical clinical years (SET2, SET3, SET5 and SET6) are undertaken in hospital training positions accredited as part of the SET Program in Neurosurgery. Trainees registered in the SET Program will be allocated to an accredited training position for each year of their SET Program.

Clinical training positions facilitate workplace hands on service learning and exploration in a range of training environments providing the opportunity for the trainee to develop, with supervision, the requisite experience, knowledge, skills and attributes necessary to become a competent independent specialist neurosurgeon.

SET1 trainees must satisfactorily complete four three month clinical training rotations as allocated by the Board. SET2, SET3, SET5 and SET6 trainees must satisfactorily complete two six month clinical rotations in neurosurgery per year as allocated by the Board including one clinical rotation in pediatric neurosurgery.

Three main assessment tools are used to assess clinical training:

In Training Assessment Reports
Operative Logbook Summaries
Workplace Competency Assessments

Section 5 of the Regulations Handbook relating to clinical training and assessment can be downloaded by trainees and some categories of NSA members if they are logged in. Section 5 covers the following areas:

Clinical Training Positions
Assessment of Clinical Training Performance
Assessment of Operative Experience
Workplace Competency Assessments