The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) maintains the national register that confirms the registration status, qualifications, and specialty endorsements of every medical practitioner in Australia. For patients considering surgery in Perth, the AHPRA register is a useful public resource for reviewing a practitioner’s registration details before arranging a consultation.
This article explains how the AHPRA register works, what FRACS specialty registration means, the cosmetic surgery endorsement introduced in 2023, and the practical steps patients should take before consulting any surgeon in Australia.
| This article has been written by Dr Mark Hanikeri, FRACS (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery), based on clinical experience practising in Perth for over two decades. It is intended as general educational information about practitioner verification in Australia and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Individual circumstances vary. |
What is AHPRA?
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency works in partnership with national boards to regulate registered health practitioners across Australia. The Medical Board of Australia is the national board responsible for medical practitioners, including general practitioners, specialists, and surgeons.
Every medical practitioner in Australia must be registered with AHPRA to practise medicine. The register is publicly accessible and free to search.
The information available on the AHPRA register includes:
- Registration status – whether current, suspended, cancelled, or otherwise
- Registration type – general, specialist, provisional, or limited
- Specialty registration – the field in which the practitioner holds specialist qualifications
- Specialty endorsements – additional formally recognised areas of practice
- Conditions or undertakings on registration – any restrictions placed on the practitioner
- Reprimands or disciplinary findings – where applicable and where publication is required
This information is updated as registrations change and provides the official public record of a practitioner’s registration status.
How to search the AHPRA register
The AHPRA register is publicly accessible through the Registers of Practitioners section at www.ahpra.gov.au. Patients can search using a practitioner’s name, registration number, profession, or practising location. For most patients researching surgery, searching by practitioner name is the simplest approach.
The register displays information relating to registration status, specialty registration, endorsements, and any published conditions or undertakings. Patients considering surgery are encouraged to review this information directly before arranging consultation, as the register serves as the official public record of practitioner registration in Australia.
What does FRACS mean?
FRACS stands for Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is the body responsible for training, examining, and awarding surgical specialty qualifications in Australia and New Zealand.
To be awarded FRACS in a surgical specialty such as Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a medical practitioner must:
- Complete an undergraduate medical degree
- Complete internship and resident medical officer years
- Successfully apply for and enter an accredited surgical training programme
- Complete a minimum of five years of accredited specialist surgical training
- Pass written and clinical examinations administered by the College
- Demonstrate competence across the full scope of the specialty
- Be admitted to Fellowship by the College
A practitioner who has completed this pathway in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is registered with AHPRA as a specialist in Plastic Surgery and may use the postnominal FRACS (Plast).
The training pathway from medical school graduation to award of FRACS in Plastic Surgery commonly takes a minimum of 14 years and frequently longer.
The 2023 AHPRA cosmetic surgery endorsement
In 2023, AHPRA and the Medical Board of Australia introduced significant changes to the regulation of cosmetic surgery in Australia. These changes followed a review of patient safety concerns in the cosmetic surgery sector.
The key change was the introduction of a formal endorsement for cosmetic surgery. Under this framework, a medical practitioner who is not a registered specialist in plastic surgery may apply for endorsement to advertise as ‘endorsed for cosmetic surgery’ provided they meet specific training and assessment requirements set by the Medical Board.
This is a separate pathway from FRACS specialist registration in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
The introduction of the endorsement does not change the qualifications of FRACS-registered specialist plastic surgeons. It establishes a regulated pathway for medical practitioners outside the specialist plastic surgery training programme who wish to advertise services using the term ‘cosmetic surgery’.
Patients considering cosmetic procedures may wish to understand which category their practitioner falls into. Both categories appear on the AHPRA register, and the register specifies the type of registration and any endorsements held.
What to check on the AHPRA register
When reviewing a practitioner on the AHPRA register, patients are encouraged to confirm that registration is current and to review the type of registration held. For surgeons practising in plastic surgery, the register should clearly identify specialist registration in Plastic Surgery under the broader category of Surgery. Patients may also wish to review whether any endorsements, conditions, undertakings, or disciplinary findings are listed on the public register.
The register also distinguishes between specialist registration in Plastic Surgery and the cosmetic surgery endorsement introduced in 2023. These are recorded separately and reflect different regulatory pathways within the Australian healthcare system.
Hospital admitting privileges
The AHPRA register confirms registration and qualifications but does not list hospital admitting privileges.
Hospital admitting privileges are granted by individual hospitals based on the practitioner’s qualifications, training, and ongoing peer review. A surgeon performing procedures in an accredited private or public hospital has been credentialled by that hospital to perform the procedures listed in their scope of practice.
Patients may ask a surgeon directly:
- Which accredited hospitals do you hold admitting privileges at?
- Where will my surgery be performed?
- Will the surgery be performed in an accredited hospital or a day surgery facility?
- Who will provide anaesthesia, and are they a specialist anaesthetist?
Accredited hospitals operate under strict clinical governance requirements, including infection control, equipment standards, emergency response capability, and post-operative care.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a surgeon is registered with AHPRA?
Visit www.ahpra.gov.au and search the Registers of Practitioners by the practitioner’s name. The results display registration status, registration type, specialty, and any endorsements.
What is the difference between FRACS specialist registration and the cosmetic surgery endorsement?
FRACS specialist registration in Plastic Surgery is awarded after completion of an accredited surgical training programme run by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, typically taking a minimum of five years of supervised specialist training following completion of prerequisite medical training. The cosmetic surgery endorsement, introduced in 2023, is a separate pathway allowing medical practitioners who are not registered specialists in plastic surgery to be endorsed to advertise as ‘endorsed for cosmetic surgery’ provided they meet defined training and assessment requirements. Both are recorded on the AHPRA register.
What does FRACS (Plast) stand for?
FRACS (Plast) refers to the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in the specialty of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. It indicates that the practitioner has completed accredited specialist training in plastic surgery and has been admitted as a Fellow of the College in that specialty.
Can a general practitioner perform cosmetic surgery in Australia?
Whether a medical practitioner can perform or advertise cosmetic surgery depends on their registration, training, scope of practice, and whether any cosmetic surgery endorsement requirements apply. Patients should check the AHPRA register and ask the practitioner directly about their qualifications, training, facility accreditation, and scope of practice.
Next steps for Perth patients
Reviewing a surgeon’s registration details through the AHPRA register is a practical step patients may take before consultation. Patients considering any surgical procedure in Perth are encouraged to verify the registration status, specialty, and any endorsements of the practitioner they are consulting.
A consultation with Dr Mark Hanikeri involves detailed clinical assessment, discussion of the procedure, recovery expectations, and long-term considerations. Before consultation, patients are welcome to verify Dr Hanikeri’s registration on the AHPRA register.
Dr Mark Hanikeri holds FRACS in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and consults at accredited facilities in Perth.
Further reading on plastic surgery in Perth
- About Dr Mark Hanikeri – markhanikeri.com/about-us/
- Breast Surgery Procedures – markhanikeri.com/breast/
- Facial Surgery Procedures – markhanikeri.com/face/
- Body Surgery Procedures – markhanikeri.com/body/
- Surgery Risks and Complications – markhanikeri.com/surgery-risks-and-complications/
| Written by Dr Mark Hanikeri – Specialist Plastic Surgeon, Perth WA. Dr Hanikeri holds Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and has practised in Perth for over two decades. Consultations are conducted at accredited facilities in Subiaco and Murdoch. |
