Use the official route
Find the coordinator or application portal on the institution's own website. Check whether the programme accepts preliminary enquiries or requires an application through a central office. A surgeon's published academic address is not automatically an admissions route.
Read the programme page first and ask only for facts that are missing or unclear. If you found a listing in a directory, include the exact official programme name so the recipient can identify the correct placement.
Recruitment rules take priority over a general enquiry template. The Aesthetic Society states that residents must not contact its endorsed programmes directly about the next Match. Use the Society's published application route and current instructions for that scheme.
Keep the first message focused
- Use a subject identifying the programme and intended intake year.
- State your current specialty, training stage and country of qualification in a few lines.
- Describe one or two learning objectives that match the programme's published scope.
- Ask a small number of specific questions about the current intake, applicant category or permitted participation.
- Provide a professional reply address and attach a CV only when requested or supported by the published instructions.
An enquiry you can adapt
Dear Programme Coordinator, I am a [training stage] in [specialty], trained in [country], and am interested in [official programme name] for [intended year]. My main learning goals are [goals]. Could you confirm whether that intake is recruiting, whether my applicant category is eligible, and the official application route? Thank you for your guidance.
Use placeholders accurately rather than sending a generic message to many programmes. Do not send passport scans, patient information or other sensitive documents with an unsolicited first enquiry. If documentation is required, verify the destination and follow the institution's stated process.
Record the answer carefully
Keep the date and the specific questions answered. Permission to apply does not establish registration eligibility, financial support or operative privileges. If the reply leaves any of those unclear, ask a precise follow-up through the same official route.
Questions to take to the programme
- Am I using the office responsible for this programme, and do its recruitment rules permit this enquiry?
- Can the recipient identify my training stage and intended intake?
- Which unanswered decision would this enquiry resolve?
Official sources and scope
Sources checked on 14 October 2026. Institutional examples apply to their own programmes; requirements can change. These guides support educational decisions and do not determine an individual's regulatory or immigration eligibility.
- UHN clinical observership programme ↗
An institutional example; its conditions apply to UHN placements.
- Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons: fellowship listings ↗
Individual vacancy notices illustrate how documents and eligibility vary by post.
- The Aesthetic Society: endorsed aesthetic fellowships ↗
Endorsement, curriculum and recruitment instructions for this society's participating programmes, including its restriction on direct resident enquiries about the next Match.