Australia
Working In Australia |
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RMOs | Registrars | Senior Medical Officers | General (Family) Practitioners | Consultants
Registered Medical Officers – RMOs
The Australian medical training year commences in mid-January and run until mid-January the following year. The training is similar to the UK’s Foundation Programme. The year is usually divided into four to five terms, with each term dedicated to a particular discipline. As an example, a typical year of rotating terms in emergency medicine, O&G, Orthopaedics, general medicine and internal (or country) relieving is quite common. Most of the hospitals will do their best to accommodate requests for specific terms.
Although the majority of RMOs commence at this time, there is considerable flexibility to allow start times throughout the year, and the majority of Australian hospitals are quite accustomed to “fitting in” with the UK year, with a considerable number of UK doctors starting later in February and at other od time throughout the year. At this level, they do prefer that you start work at the beginning of a term rather than in the middle.
Although Australian trainees are given preference when allocating terms, there is always excellent opportunities for rotations in some of the more hard to get disciplines such as ICU/CCU, paediatrics, surgical specialties and more.
Working in Australia at this level can be a fantastic experience that will contribute positively to acquiring a broad range of skills.
Registrars
Following the Senior House Officer (SHO) year, registrar level positions are readily available at the majority of hospitals in Australia. However, not all the positions at this level are necessarily accredited through a collegiate training program, although the duties performed are the same.
The level of position is basically the same as it is in the UK, usually with supervision of a consultant, and in most cases this level of position will be the last in line for advice and action before a consultant is called.
Accredited positions are in high demand from Australian graduates, however there is every possibility that the experience gained will be accepted by colleges based overseas. It is advisable to check this out before committing to a position at this level.
Some international medical graduates are welcome to join some training programmes in Australia. These include general medical, paediatric and emergency medicine training.
If you are wanting training from overseas to be accredited by an Australasian College, the majority will recognise basic training conducted in recognised overseas centres. Again the best advice here is to check and ask the questions before your accept the position. A list of the colleges can be found here.
Senior Medical Officers
Senior Medical Officer positions, also referred to as Career Medical Officer, are similar to the UK Staff Grade. Most commonly these positions require medical practitioners with considerable post-graduate experience in areas such as general practice, emergency medicine obstetric & gynaecology and/or anaesthetics.
Senior Medical Officers and Career Medical Officers are required to work unsupervised so they need to have extensive experience. They are also responsible for the supervision of Registrars and other Resident Medical Officers.
General Practitioners
A general practitioner (family physician) is commonly referred to as a GP in Australia. A GP is a doctor who works in family medicine or primary healthcare. Most GPs work in small private practices (nearly 65%) and are usually the first point of contact for someone seeking general healthcare services. They may be self-employed or contracted to a practice. Roughly 25% of GPs work in hospitals. Rural GPs tend to work in both private practice and in public and private hospital settings.
General Practice is considered a specialty in Australia, and considerable information about working in gemeral practice in Australia can be found by visit the Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners web site.
For mored detailed information about working as a General Practitioner in Australia is available here.
Consultant Specialists
If you are an overseas trained specialist, your qualifications will not grant you automatic recognition as a specialist in Australia, regardless of the length of your intended stay or the location of employment. To be recognised as a specialist, you must be assessed by the relevant college prior to being able to obtain registration as a specialist with the relevant state medical board or council.
About the Pathways to Recognition of Specialist Qualifications obtained overseas.
There are two pathways in Australia for recognition of specialist qualifications obtained overseas.
The OTS (Overseas Trained Specialist) Pathway
The Area of Need Pathway
The OTS Pathway
This involves assessment and verification of your qualifications by the Australian Medical Council (AMC), before referring your application to the relevant Australasian College for further assessment.
Your application to commence this process can be done easily and quickly via the AMC web site. The process does take some time, however as you are considering permanent relocation, it is imperative that you commence this process as early as possible. The process is well explained on the AMC web site.
Application for assessment must be initiated by you via their web site. The AMC charges a small fee for the initial assessment process for specialist qualifications, and this must be paid prior to you obtaining the necessary forms. This application fee also includes the fee payable to the International Credentials Service of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates of the United States (ECFMG). Assessment fees from the various colleges range from AU$1,000 to nearly AU$7,000.
The Area of Need Pathway
Latitudes can assist you to secure a position for you in what has been determined as an"Area of Need". Area of Need status is granted if it can be demonstrated that the employer has not been able to attract suitable applicants from Australia. This status can afford an international medical graduate with specialist qualifications obtained overseas the opportunity to be recognised as an overseas trained specialist to fill a specific position which has not been filled by an Australian trained specialist.
Should an Area of Need position become available, then Latitudes Medical Recruitment can instigate the process for specialist recognition in that specific position. This process is considerably faster than the normal pathway - usually taking a period of approximately 8-12 weeks. The AMC charges a fee for the initial assessment process for specialist qualifications. Assessment fees for the College are their normal fees, however in the majority of cases, these fees are paid by the facility that has offered to employ you.
It is important to note that the Area of Need Pathway provides recognition as a specialist only in the specific position that you are accepting. Recognition of your qualifications Australia-wide will still require the normal pathway to be completed. The advantage of the Area of Need Pathway is that you can be in Australia, working, and the colleges has far better access to undertake your assessment toward Australia-wide recognition.
Also, recognition under the Area of Need Pathway does not guarantee recognition through the OTS Pathway, as the assessment process of the latter is far more involved, and may require further training and examination processes.
Further Information
Job Levels
Working as a General (Family) Practitioner
Specialist Colleges
Indemnity Insurance
Taxation
Living in Australia
