Employers, is your question here?
How can I arrange to get an overseas trained doctor to fill a vacancy in Australia?
What advice can I give an overseas trained doctor who wants to obtain permanent residency in Australia?
How can I find out if a candidate with overseas qualifications will be acceptable for work in Australia?
Can an overseas trained doctor work in my hospital or practice?
What is a District of Workforce Shortage?
How should an employer obtain District of Workforce Shortage approval?
Which medical recruitment agencies can employers and overseas trained doctors use?
Where can I find information about life in Australia that I can send overseas to a prospective candidate for a medical position?
Does the quality of overseas trained doctors meet the standards required in Australia?
Will doctors from developing countries be targeted?
How can I arrange to get an overseas trained doctor to fill a vacancy in Australia?
The Checklist for employers will help you navigate the process for employing an overseas trained doctor. DoctorConnect also has information about medical recruitment including details on medical recruitment agencies funded by the Department.What advice can I give an overseas trained doctor who wants to obtain permanent residency in Australia?
Australian immigration arrangements may enable an overseas trained doctor to obtain permanent residency in Australia. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship website has detailed information on visas and other immigration issues.Overseas trained doctors wishing to obtain permanent residency/citizenship will also need to obtain full medical registration in Australia or complete the standard pathway for general practitioner assessment or the standard pathway for specialist assessment. Further, the OTD needs to understand Medicare provider number restrictions, which affect where they can practice and what postgraduate medical qualifications they require.
How can I find out if a candidate with overseas qualifications will be acceptable for work in Australia?
As a minimum, all overseas trained doctors (OTDs) need to obtain medical registration in Australia in order to practise as a doctor.OTDs may be registered by a the Medical Board of Australia under one of the 2 broad categories of registration, namely conditional medical registration or full medical registration.
Conditional registration is granted by the Medical Boards on a case by case basis following an assessment by the Board of the doctor's qualifications and experience against the relevant position. Conditional registration places limits on the practice of OTDs, such as the requirement to work under supervision.
OTDs can gain full (unconditional) registration by either passing the Australian Medical Council examination, or by having their general practitioner (GP/family physician) or specialist qualifications recognised by an Australian Specialist Medical College.
Overseas trained specialists must apply to the Australian Medical Council in order to have their specialist qualifications and experience assessed by the relevant Specialist Medical College. The Medical Board of Australia makes use of the College's assessment findings for registration purposes, and specialist registration may be granted.
Further information on assessment pathways for GPs, assessment pathways for hospital non-specialists and assessment pathways for specialists can be found on DoctorConnect.
Can an overseas trained doctor work in my hospital or practice?
Before employing an overseas trained doctor who is eligible for conditional medical registration in Australia an employer will need to demonstrate that the position is in an Area of Need. Area of Need approval is not required if you are recruiting an OTD who is eligible for full medical registration in Australia, or if they have completed the standard pathway for general practitioner assessment or the standard pathway for specialist assessment. In addition, occupational/postgraduate trainee positions in hospitals do not require Area of Need approval.An Area of Need is any location in which there is a lack of specific medical practitioners or where there are medical positions that remain unfilled even after recruitment efforts have taken place over a period of time. Area of Need applies to both public and private sector positions. State and Territory Governments determine Area of Need.
If the overseas trained doctor requires a Medicare provider number for Medicare billing purposes, the employer will also need to demonstrate that the vacancy is in a District of Workforce Shortage.
What is a District of Workforce Shortage?
A District of Workforce Shortage is a geographic area in which the general population need for health services is not fully met. This occurs where a community has less access to medical professional services, of the type provided by the applicant, than the national average. Districts of Workforce Shortage are determined by the Department of Health and Ageing.How should an employer obtain District of Workforce Shortage approval?
Employers must ensure that their vacancy is in an approved District of Workforce Shortage in order for an overseas trained doctor to obtain access to Medicare rebates in that vacancy. This process is administered by the Department of Health and Ageing. Employers should obtain a current Preliminary Assessment of District of Workforce Shortage for the position.Which medical recruitment agencies can employers and overseas trained doctors use?
Employers or agencies representing employers, such as divisions of general practice, may use a medical recruitment agency of their choice to fill their medical vacancy. However, the Department may meet the cost of recruitment fees associated with placing an overseas trained doctor in an eligible vacancy under its international medical recruitment program.More information on medical recruitment agencies can be found on DoctorConnect.
Where can I find information about life in Australia that I can send overseas to a prospective candidate for a medical position?
There is comprehensive information on Life in Australia on this site. Also, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has helpful information on its website.Does the quality of overseas trained doctors meet the standards required in Australia?
Overseas trained doctors that enter Australia must meet certain quality standards in order to be eligible for medical registration. The Medical Board of Australia has responsibility for the registration of medical practitioners in each State or Territory.Employers who wish to understand assessment pathways for overseas trained doctors, should read information under the Registering and qualifying section on DoctorConnect.
Medical education and clinical practice vary considerably from one country to another, reflecting access to educational and clinical resources, disease patterns and local healthcare priorities. These variations are even more significant in the area of specialist medical practice. Experience with the assessment of overseas trained specialists in New South Wales from 1990, and nationally through the Australian Medical Council since 1993, confirms that many overseas trained specialists will experience difficulties meeting the standards required for specialist practice in Australia, or will require significant periods of advanced training to meet the standards. Advanced training positions are few and are subject to open competition with Australian applicants.