5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Scheme

The 5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Scheme (5 Year OTD Scheme) was developed to address long term rural medical workforce shortages. The name of this scheme may vary across the States and Territories (such as the ‘Doctors for the Bush’ scheme).

This scheme allows experienced and/or qualified overseas trained general practitioners (GPs/family physicians), who seek or possess permanent residency in Australia, to be assessed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) as an alternative to undertaking Australian Medical Council (AMC) examinations.

The College sorts doctors into one of 5 categories, based on postgraduate GP qualifications and experience. GPs are mainly recruited from categories 1, 2 or 3 and, in special circumstances, category 4. These categories are more fully explained in Categories of general practitioners.

Immigration procedures and Medicare access have been streamlined to assist in filling these positions.

Doctors joining the Scheme are conditionally registered to work in rural areas for a period of 5 years. A doctor on this scheme needs to:

• Complete 5 years service in general practice in an agreed rural location (in some very remote locations, the requirement may be as little as 3 years);
• Obtain Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (assistance is available to prepare for the exams); and
• Obtain permanent residency in Australia;
• Meet all requirements of the State or Northern Territory scheme.

Once the 4 conditions listed above have been met, the Department will waive the balance of time on any Medicare provider number restrictions, which means that you will be free to practise as a GP anywhere in Australia.

For more information, contact the relevant State or Territory Rural Workforce Agency.