A standard GP consultation in Australia is typically 10-15 minutes, but longer appointments (20-40+ mins) are available and often needed for new patients, multiple issues, mental health care, or complex conditions, with the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) classifying them into various time tiers (brief, standard, long, prolonged) to reflect complexity and rebate levels.
Short Consultation (5-20 minutes)
Typical consult, usually up to 20 minutes duration, covering 1 problem in detail, or 2 simple problems.
An ageing population, increasing medical complexity and rising multi- co-morbidities require longer patient contacts. We strongly recommend practices move to an average of 15-minute appointments. There is no requirement within the GMS/PMS contract that defines the length of a patient contact.
According to a study cited by the National Institutes of Health, the typical doctor's appointment lasts only about 17.4 minutes on average, with the median time being even less, 15.7 minutes.
Number of patients seen per hour
Longer and shorter sessions are possible and will change your annual earnings. Typically, GPs will average 4–5 patients per hour but this is largely dependent on your patient profile and practice mix.
Unlike hospital doctors, GPs are not employed by the NHS – the practice works like a small business, receiving a sum of money per patient.
Physicians in geriatric and hospice care see the fewest patients per hour, while physicians in orthopedic surgery, ophthalmology and diagnostic radiology see the most patients, according to a report cited by Medpage Today.
Average wait times to see a doctor in Australia vary significantly: for a General Practitioner (GP), it's often a few days (around 4 days recently), with many getting same-day or next-day appointments, but urgent care can take longer. For specialists, waiting lists can stretch from weeks to many months or even years for non-urgent issues, depending on the specialty and location, while emergency department waits are measured in minutes.
Physicians say they typically see about 1% of their patient panel per day, meaning in a fee-for-service (FFS) model, primary care doctors often see 20 to 25 patients daily.
An Overburdened Healthcare System
The demand for healthcare is greater than ever, and the system struggles to keep up. Doctors' schedules are packed, often weeks or months in advance.
The European Union of General Practitioners and BMA have recommended a safe level of patient contacts per day in order for a GP to deliver safe care at not more than 25 contacts per day.
Standard Consultation : 6-20 minutes
A standard consultation is 15 minutes and is usually long enough to address a single query or 1-2 simple concerns.
Canada has the longest waits for family doctors, specialists and emergency care of 11 peer countries.
Your GP surgery decides how far in advance appointments are available to book. Appointments are usually 10 minutes long. Some GP surgeries may offer longer appointments. Depending on the type of appointment you need, you may be able to book a longer appointment.
A GP visit in Australia varies, with standard appointments often costing $80-$150 out-of-pocket after the Medicare rebate, though some clinics bulk bill (no cost), while others charge much higher fees, especially for longer consults or in private settings, with the average gap increasing.
The "4-hour rule" in emergency departments (EDs) is a performance target, particularly in places like Australia (called NEAT/WEAT) and the UK, aiming for most patients to be admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours to improve efficiency, reduce overcrowding, and decrease mortality, though its success is debated, with benefits in flow but also potential negative impacts like increased ICU bed block and staff burnout.
From today (1 October 2025), patients will be able to request appointments, ask questions and describe symptoms online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person. This will help free up practice phone lines for those who need them most, and make it more convenient to access appointments.
How specialties compare
As an important step in becoming a doctor, medical students must take the Hippocratic Oath. And one of the promises within that oath is "first, do no harm" (or "primum non nocere," the Latin translation from the original Greek.)
GP salaries in Australia vary significantly but typically range from $200,000 to over $350,000 annually for experienced, full-time doctors, with some rural roles or high-billing practices reaching $400,000+; registrar earnings are lower ($85k-$130k), while locums earn per day ($2k-$3k), influenced by location (rural pays more), billing (private higher), experience, and practice type. Full-time GPs (8+ sessions) average around $345k, while part-timers average $240k.
High Patient Demand: The demand for GP appointments often exceeds the available supply. The growing population, an aging demographic, and increased awareness of healthcare services can contribute to high patient demand. This can result in longer wait times and limited availability of appointments.
What are the most time-intensive medical specialties? Specialties with the longest residency programs typically include neurosurgery (7 years), plastic surgery (6–7 years), and cardiothoracic surgery (6–8 years, if including integrated pathways or fellowships).
Medical Specialities with Lowest Reported Salaries
TL;DR: The best medical specialties for work life balance are Teleradiology, Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Otolaryngology, Endocrinology, Clinical Pathology, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, Allergy and Immunology, and Pediatrics.
Emergency Medicine
Emergency medicine is the primary physician specialty with highest burnout. This field reports one of the highest stress levels due to its high-paced, high-acuity environment.