ACCREDITED SPINE FELLOWSHIP
GUIDELINES.
OBJECTIVE
To provide supervised training in some aspect of spinal medicine or research subsequent to the
completion of formal medical or scientific training (ie, FRACS or B. Sci or equivalent qualification).
Accredited Spine Fellowships will be in one of two categories:


Clinical: a physician or surgeon (clinician) involved in patient treatment
Research: a non-clinician scientist not involved in patient management or treatment
ADMINISTRATION
The Accredited Fellowship Programme will be administered by the SSA Executive under the
chairmanship of the Scientific Secretary.
The SSA through the Honorary Secretary is responsible for maintaining a list of Accredited Spine
Fellowships and a list of incumbent Fellows.
The application fee should be reviewed periodically by the SSA Executive. An additional yearly
fee is to be levied for each Fellowship for ongoing secretarial costs related to recording of data,
compiling and maintaining the Directory of Fellowships on the website, a Register of Fellowship
Applicants and provision of educational data for successful Fellowship applicants during the
course of their Fellowship. This fee will fall due on 1 July each year.
It is to be noted that each individual Accredited Spine Fellowship covers one Fellow only. If an
additional Fellow is required, separate application must be made according to the procedures
outlined herein.
CRITERIA FOR ACCREDITATION OF A FELLOWSHIP
Facilities for clinical, laboratory or comparable basic research must be available to enable such
research to be undertaken by Fellows. It is a requirement of all Fellowships that Fellows engage
in research.
Fellows must be attached to either a Public or Private Hospital accredited by the Australian
Council of Hospital Standards (ACHS) in the case of Clinical Fellows or a research or academic
institutions approved by the SSA Executive. Conjoint appointments in both spheres are
acceptable, and flexibility in this regard is most desirable.
In special circumstances, an individual surgeon in solo private practice may be granted an
Accredited Fellowship.
INSPECTION OF HOSPITALS AND PRIVATE PRACTICE FACILITIES
It is recommended that routine inspection procedures NOT be required. However, the SSA
Executive or its representative(s) may wish to view individual facilities on an ad hoc basis before
recommending a certain Fellowship to the SSA Executive for approval.
ELIGIBILITY FOR AN ACCREDITED FELLOWSHIP
Applicants for SSA Accredited Spine Fellowships must be approved by the Executive of the SSA
prior to any offer being made by the hospital. Requests for approval by the Fellowship Supervisor
should be made on the appropriate form available from the Honorary Secretary.
Accredited Fellows (clinical) must hold a Fellowship or Membership of the respective Royal
Australasian College or its overseas equivalent. Clinicians who have completed accredited
training, but who have not yet been certified as specialists (ie. board-eligible) are eligible to apply.
Certified specialist status in a country other than the UK, Canada, US, New Zealand and South
Africa are eligible to apply but a letter from the respective Royal Australasian College stating that
their specialist qualification is equivalent must accompany their application.
In particular circumstances, the SSA Executive may award Fellowship status to a trainee surgeon
from the UK, Canada, or US.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OVERSEAS-BASED FELLOWS
Overseas-qualified Clinical Fellows must leave Australia on completion of the Fellowship. This
requirement must be guaranteed beforehand by the applicant appending his/her signature to the
following statement, which is contained in the Application for appointment as a SSA Accredited
Spine Fellow:
“I understand that my acceptance of this Fellowship is conditional upon my leaving Australia at
the conclusion of the Fellowship. I understand that the overseas training granted by the
Australian Government Immigration Department covers a period for the tenure of one Fellowship
only.”
Appropriate documentation for temporary registration for a medical practitioner is prepared by the
employing hospital in conjunction with a letter of good standing from the SSA and respective
Royal Australasian College for submission to the State Medical Board and Immigration
authorities.
SUPERVISION OF FELLOWSHIPS
Each accredited Fellow is to be assigned a Fellowship Supervisor.
A Fellowship Supervisor must have the following qualifications:

Membership of the Spine Society of Australia.

In the case of a clinician, current specialist registration with the relevant Medical
Registration Board.

Evidence of leadership in a national or international spine association or other learned
professional society.

At least three (3) relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals during the five years
prior to the initial application.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
A member of the SSA must apply for an Accredited Spine Fellowship using the prescribed forms.
Application forms can be obtained from the SSA website (" www.spinesociety.org.au”).
Alternatively, an application form can be obtained by writing to the Honorary Secretary of the
Spine Society of Australia.
The completed form must be returned to the Honorary Secretary with an application fee of
$250.00. Forms returned without the full application fee will not be processed.
The SSA Executive will assess the application and make recommendations at the Executive
Meeting held in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society which is currently
held in April.
Once approved, the Fellowship will be listed on the SSA website. A form for this purpose will be
sent by the Honorary Secretary to the Fellowship Supervisor.
ADVERTISEMENT OF FELLOWSHIPS
This is to be the responsibility of the employing body, which may advertise for applicants when all
accreditation procedures have been fulfilled and a letter is received from the SSA that the
Fellowship has been accredited.
A Directory of SSA Accredited Spine Fellowships is available on the website at
"http://www.spinesociety.org.au”.
It is the responsibility of the Fellowship Supervisor(s) to intermittently check this online directory,
and to advise the Honorary Secretary when changes become necessary.
TENURE
There is a minimum tenure of six months. Extension to beyond one year may be negotiated
under special circumstances. Fellowships may not be held for more than two years.
FINANCING OF FELLOWSHIPS
AUSTRALIAN GRADUATES: Whilst it is widely acknowledged that an appropriate and
reasonable stipend for a Fellowship should be equivalent to the salary of a first year staff
specialist in the Public Hospital System of a given State, this may not be either practical, or
possible, for a variety of reasons – most notably the inevitable variations in funding mechanisms
from State to State. This particularly applies to existing Fellowships. Accordingly, there will be a
need to accommodate a base salary range with the minimum being equivalent to that of the
senior registrar in a Public Hospital System of a said State, notwithstanding on-call and like
allowances which may, or may not, be applicable to the post.
OVERSEAS-BASED FELLOWS: The remuneration mechanism will be limited to assistants’ fees
(MEDICARE REBATE) only under the Commonwealth Benefits Scheme. Participation in elective
operating sessions is to be limited to three (3) per week. Excess funds generated in this way,
may, at the supervisor’s discretion, be applied to research expenses and attendance at scientific
meetings, including interstate occasions. This should include an appropriate per diem allowance
commensurate with the rates for a first-year staff specialist in the Public Hospital in a given State.
Under no circumstances should the base salary exceed that of a first-year staff specialist in the
Public Hospital System for a given State. Should excess funds be accrued from assistants’ fees
over and above the base stipend, reasonable research expenses, etc, then such monies are to
be placed in a trust account to cover research expenses and travel, as cited above, for future
Fellows occupying the same position.
Medical defence coverage for all Fellowships is the financial responsibility of the employing body.
REPORTING PROCEDURES
At the end of the Fellowship period, a detailed report of the clinical/research activities must be
submitted on the prescribed form to the Scientific Secretary by the Fellow and the Fellowship
Supervisor.
The Scientific Secretary will forward the reports to the SSA Executive for review. Supervisors will
be reminded of this commitment toward the end of the Fellowship period.
Upon receipt of the reports, a Fellowship certificate will be issued by the Spine Society to the
Fellow acknowledging the satisfactory completion of an Accredited Spine Fellowship.
Ongoing accreditation of the Fellowship will be conditional on timely completion of these reports.
It is also understood that Fellowship positions may remain vacant on some occasions. If the
Fellowship position remains vacant for greater than 12 months, ongoing approval shall not be
granted except in extenuating circumstances.
Fellows will be eligible for membership of the Spine Society of Australia on satisfactory
completion of a twelve-month Accredited Spine Fellowship.
CERTIFICATION OF FELLOWSHIPS
Following completion of a Fellowship, a Fellow may apply through the Fellowship Supervisor to
the SSA Executive for a letter certifying that he/she has satisfactorily completed a particular
Fellowship. Certification does not imply competence as this has widespread implications, not the
least being medico-legal implications.
The official letter from the SSA will only be issued after receipt of an official report from the
Fellowship Supervisor and Fellow
RELATION OF FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMMES TO OTHER ACADEMIC AWARDS.
Fellows will not be eligible to present for examination for any Diploma or Degree of a respective
Royal Australasian College during the term of their Spine Fellowship in Australia. Subsequent
presentation for examination for a Degree or Diploma of a Royal Australasian College will be
subject to the rules and regulations of the respective College.
Fellows may be eligible to present for postgraduate degrees of an academic institution other than
a Royal Australasian College during the tenure of their Fellowship subject to the rules and
regulations of the institution.
Fellows will be eligible for membership of the Spine Society of Australia upon satisfactory
completion of a twelve month Fellowship.
REVIEW PROCEDURES
The SSA Executive is to continue to support the Accreditation of all existing Fellowships and
encourage the Accreditation of further Fellowships.
Accredited Spine Fellowships will be reviewed by the SSA in all aspects at five (5) yearly
intervals.
Any Fellowship found not to meet the Guidelines as set down by the SSA will be disaccredited if
recommendations made to enable the Fellowship to be retained cannot be met.
All documents received in relation to a particular Fellowship will be archived for five years and
then discarded following re-accreditation.