Recruitment agencies

Medical recruitment agencies work on behalf of both private and public employers. They actively seek appropriately qualified doctors to fill positions all over Australia, including overseas trained doctors (OTDs). Most recruitment agencies will also list your employment opportunity on their website.

In addition, a recruiter will generally provide assistance in navigating processes such as immigration and medical registration. Some may even provide assistance in organising the OTD's move to Australia, once the employer has deemed an applicant suitable for a particular position.

Services provided may vary between agencies, so if you have a particular need, you should ask if an agency is able to assist you with it.

Department of Health and Ageing funded medical recruitment

The Australian Government funds Rural Workforce Agencies to assist overseas doctors who wish to work as general practitioners in rural areas. Rural Workforce Agencies can be contacted through Rural Health Workforce Australia www.rhwa.org.au

The Department of Health and Ageing has contracted several medical recruitment agencies to assist Australian employers to fill eligible medical vacancies for GPs or specialists. Fees for recruitment in these circumstances will be met by the Department of Health and Ageing. Australian employers are advised to check the eligibility of their medical vacancy before contacting one of these agencies.

If you would like to know if an agency is professionally accredited, you can check with the Australian Association of Medical Recruitment Agents (AAMRA). AAMRA has been established under the auspices of the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA).

All AAMRA members need to comply with the RCSA's Constitution, Code for Professional Practice, Disciplinary and Dispute Resolution Process and other compliance criteria established by the RCSA. Members of AAMRA also need to have met accreditation requirements established by the RCSA.

For more information on AAMRA, please contact the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association on 03 9663 0555 (in Australia).