Doctors, is your question here?

How can an overseas trained doctor get a job in Australia?
How can I obtain permanent residency in Australia?
Will my overseas qualifications will be acceptable for work in Australia?
Where can overseas trained doctors work?
What is a District of Workforce Shortage?
How do I know if a vacancy is in a District of Workforce Shortage?
Where can I find information about life in Australia?
How much will I get paid?
How do doctors with New Zealand medical training obtain medical registration in Australia?
Does the quality of overseas trained doctors meet the standards required in Australia?

How can an overseas trained doctor get a job in Australia?

The Checklist could help an overseas trained doctor find a job in Australia. You can also contact medical recruitment agencies listed on DoctorConnect to help you find a job as a doctor in Australia. Other sources of employment are also listed in the Finding a job section of DoctorConnect.

How can I 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 in Australia also need to obtain full medical registration in Australia or, complete the standard pathway for general practitioner assessment or complete the standard pathway for specialist assessment. You also need to understand Medicare provider number restrictions which affect where you can practise in Australia and what postgraduate medical qualifications you require.

Will my overseas qualifications will be acceptable for work in Australia?

Assessment of medical qualifications in Australia is coordinated by the Australian Medical Council (AMC). For specialists, the AMC will forward applications to the relevant Australian Specialist College for their detailed assessment. Contact details for State and Territory Medical Boards, which are responsible for medical registration for all doctors, are available on DoctorConnect.

You should also look at information on DoctorConnect under the Registering and qualifying section.

Where can overseas trained doctors work?

An overseas trained doctor (OTD) must work in an Area of Need if they are not able to obtain full medical registration in Australia, or they have not completed the standard pathway for general practitioner assessment or, they have not completed the standard pathway for specialist assessment. More information on medical registration can be found on DoctorConnect under Registering and qualifying.

If the position requires the OTD to have a Medicare provider number for Medicare billing purposes, the doctor will also need to work in a District of Workforce Shortage in order to access Medicare rebates.

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.

How do I know if a vacancy is in a District of Workforce Shortage?

The district of workforce shortage process is administered by the Department of Health and Ageing and is linked to the provision of Medicare Provider Numbers. This process only applies to positions that require a Medicare provider number for the provision of services that attract Medicare rebates.

Medicare provider number restrictions apply to overseas trained doctors who have not worked in Australia prior to 1997 to help achieve an equitable distribution of medical services across Australia.

An exemption from the Medicare provider number restrictions may be granted if the doctor agrees to work in a location that has been identified as a district of workforce shortage. This exemption enables a doctor to bill for services that will attract Medicare rebates --- Australia’s universal public health insurance scheme.

Further information on whether a vacancy is in a District of Workforce Shortage should be obtained from the Australian employer or medical recruitment agency advertising the position.

Where can I find information about life in Australia?

There is comprehensive information on Life in Australia on DoctorConnect. Also, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has helpful information on its website.

How much will I get paid?

Pay rates for doctors in Australia differ among the various specialties and are also dependent on your location of work and employment situation.

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations provides estimates of average weekly earnings of various occupations together with other relevant information. Statistics for income for professionals in the health sector can be found on the JobSearch website. Please note that this information is purely indicative and does not provide any form of wage guarantee.

You may also like to check with the State and Territory Health Departments for information on pay rates for doctors in the public hospital sector.

How do doctors with New Zealand medical training obtain medical registration in Australia?

Full medical registration is granted to graduates of medical schools in Australia or New Zealand that have been accredited by the Australian Medical Council and who have completed the approved period of intern training.

Do all 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. State and Territory Medical Boards have responsibility for the registration of medical practitioners in each State or Territory.

General practitioners/family physicians or hospital non-specialist doctors can check the likelihood of obtaining medical registration in Australia, by completing the practice test for the Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) examination, which is accessible online. The practice exam consists of 50 questions and has a 1 hour time limit. You will be given a score at the end of the practice exam.

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.