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Tag: standard pathway

  • Getting Registered In Australia. The Four Options for International Doctors.

    Getting Registered In Australia. The Four Options for International Doctors.

    *The process of getting a job and getting registered as a doctor in Australia is complex, it’s important to understand that you do need to get individual advice on your circumstance. Circumstances do vary for individuals and also things change over time.

    If you are an ad doctor looking for some general information about your options for getting registered in Australia, then this post is for you. I spend a lot of time on Zoom calls these days explaining to doctors from overseas countries (International Medical Graduates or IMGs) what their options are for working as a doctor in Australia. It’s quite a complex process. And inevitably at some point, it makes sense to talk one on one. Particularly if you are starting to get serious about the idea of working as a doctor in Australia. If that’s you I’d recommend booking a strategy call.

    With that being said. Let’s look at the four pathways available for IMG doctors to become registered in Australia from overseas. And let me be quite clear here. These are not the main pathways. They are the only pathways available for getting registered in Australia, at the time of writing this post. If you are a doctor coming from overseas to Australia your pathways to registration are:

    • The Standard Pathway, which is a general registration pathway for doctors from any country who do not have specialist qualifications and are looking to start at junior doctor level in Australia.
    • The Competent Authority Pathway, which is a restricted pathway that enables both specialist and non-specialist doctors from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Republic of Ireland and Canada to commence their work in Australia.
    • The Specialist Pathway, which is a pathway that can ultimately lead to recognition as a specialist in Australia and requires you to be initially assessed by the relevant medical specialty college.
    • The Short Term Training in a Medical Specialty Pathway, which allows for time-limited registration, so that advanced trainees and specialists from other countries can obtain some top-up training in Australia.

    It All Comes Down To the Medical Board of Australia.

    So the first thing to know about getting registered in Australia is that it’s the same final authority wherever you work in the country. No matter what state or territory you are in, it’s all conducted through what’s called the Medical Board of Australia under the overarching umbrella of the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency.

    This is actually a reasonably new thing in Australia. Prior to 2010, the various state and territory medical boards were responsible for registration, which actually made the process even more complex.

    Under the Medical Board of Australia, there are essentially four pathways to becoming registered as a doctor in the country. And if you’re an IMG, you can find some very helpful information about these pathways on the board website.

    There are even handy flow charts that can help you make some decisions about which option might be best for you.

    But It All Starts with the Australian Medical Council.

    Whilst the endpoint for registration for IMGs is the Medical Board the starting point is always the Australian Medical Council. For some IMGs (those attempting the Standard Pathway) you will have a lot to do with the AMC. But for the rest it’s really a very quick but mandatory step where you have to get your medical degrees verified.

    Why Have Pathways to Registration?

    Pathways to registration in this country for international medical graduates are essentially comparisons against the process by which Australian and also New Zealand medical graduates are given registration.

    Australian graduates first become registered in the system upon graduating from medical school as interns and progress through what is called provisional registration to general registration. After this most Australian doctors hope to eventually add what is called specialist registration to their registration status at some point.

    The four pathways to getting registered in Australia are therefore pathways that lead to a form of initial or provisional registration. But which ultimately lead to the IMG being able to gain either general or specialist registration. This is with one notable exception. The Short Term Specialist Training Pathway, which is a time-limited pathway that does not lead to either general or specialist training.

    The Competent Authority Pathway.

    The competent authority (CA) pathway essentially recognises that doctors that come from other healthcare systems, with similar systems, and processes, and standards to the Australian context, have a level of equivalence.

    The competent authority pathway is for both non-specialists as well as specialist doctors. It is a streamlined process for becoming granted registration in Australia. The board has approved a number of international authorities as competent in their assessment of doctors for medical registration. The reason that these authorities are deemed competent (and others are not) is unclear but historically well before the advent of the Medical Board of Australia, these jurisdictions were given preferred status by the old State and Territory Medical Boards. Arguably these countries do have medical training systems that are equivalent to Australia.

    The authorities are:

    • the General Medical Council in the UK for local UK graduates as well as international graduates who go through the PLAB pathway.
    • the Medical Council of Canada.
    • the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates of the United States and the United States Medical Licensing Exam (essentially, anyone who has the USMLE certificate).
    • the Medical Council of Ireland.
    • And the Medical Council of New Zealand*

    *The Medical Council of New Zealand is only listed here for IMG doctors who go through what’s called the NZREX process. Something akin to the AMC Standard Pathway process in Australia. Actual medical graduates of medical schools in New Zealand are considered absolutely equivalent to Australian graduates of Australian medical schools because these schools are actually also accredited by the Australian Medical Council.

    So if you have primary qualifications in medicine awarded by a training institute, which is recognised in the competent authority jurisdictions and also recognised by the Australian Medical Council you will normally be permitted to apply to work as a doctor in Australia under this pathway.

    This is on the proviso that you have completed some clinical training or assessment within that authority. This differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction but is either a year of training or two. So, for example, in the UK, that would be the first foundation years. Whereas in the US it would mean completing 2 residency years in an ACGME accredited post.

    Why Is The Competent Authority Pathway Attractive?

    If you are eligible for the Competent Authority Pathway in Australia this is generally a good thing as it is considered to be the easiest pathway to getting registered and being able to start working here.

    Often times employers will also prefer say a UK-trained doctor over a doctor from Sri Lanka when there is a need to employ an IMGs.

    If you are eligible for the Competent Authority pathway essentially all you need to do is convince an employer to offer you a suitable position and have the intended supervision for this position assessed by the Medical Board of Australia.

    Once you are approved for registration you work for 12 months under provisional registration and will need to complete satisfactory supervisor reports. If all goes well at the end of this process you are able to apply for general registration. There’s no need for examinations or other forms of assessment (other than supervisor reports).

    (It should be noted that sometimes doctors from CA countries who are applying for specialist registration also work for 12 months under this pathway. In this situation you do not gain general registration at the end of the process you gain specialist registration in your particular specialty.)

    The Standard Pathway.

    The next pathway is the most common pathway that the majority of IMGs attempt in order to work as doctors in Australia.

    The standard pathway applies to IMGs who are not eligible for the competent authority pathway and who do not have specialist qualifications. To come in through this category, you need to have a recognised primary qualification in medicine. But before you can apply to the Medical Board of Australia for registration or approach employers for jobs, you have to go through some additional steps with the Australian Medical Council.

    These steps include the mandatory check of your degree, which all IMGs have to do. But also include sitting for the AMC Certificate examinations, which is a 2 part examination, consisting of a Part 1 MCQ Exam, and then a Part 2 Clinical Examination.

    You can actually begin to apply for jobs once you have successfully passed the AMC Part 1. But you will only be able to gain general registration once you have completed the full certificate.

    We have a guide to the AMC exam here. The AMC Exam, particularly the clinical exam, is generally considered to be a very tough and difficult examination to complete. Despite this, there are quite a few IMG doctors who have obtained their certificate but have been unable to find employment as a doctor in Australia.

    The Specialist Pathway.

    The final main pathway for most IMGs is the specialist pathway. This pathway is for overseas trained specialists so that they can apply to be assessed against the capability of a similar Australian-trained specialist. A process that is called “comparability”.

    This process includes IMGs applying for what is called Area of Need positions, which are extremely rare to find these days. As well as specialist IMGs just going for assessment with the college.

    As with all other pathways, you need to have a recognised primary degree first. But then just to create more confusion IMGs applying for the specialist pathway don’t apply to the AMC or the Medical Board for assessment they apply to the relevant specialist college. Which then performs an assessment.

    So if, for example, you’re a specialist from a competent authority country, it can be very confusing because you can apply to the Medical Board of Australia for provisional registration under the competent authority pathway to work in a supervised position.

    But at the same time, you need to also apply it to the college to assess your specialty training and experience and qualifications in order to get registered as a specialist and come through the specialist pathway.

    Applying for the Specialist Pathway assessment involves quite a bit of time and money. In general, you will need to fill out an extensive application outlining all of your past experiences to date. The more complete and detailed you make this generally the better the outcome. The college may just reject you based on your application. But generally, in the case of most colleges you are then invited to an interview to further explore your credentials.

    There are only 3 outcomes for this assessment process:

    1. You are deemed not comparable.
    2. You are deemed partially comparable.
    3. You are deemed substantially comparable.

    Being deemed not comparable means you need to think about other pathways.

    Being deemed partially comparable or substantially comparable means that the college views you as either being within 2 years (partially comparable) or 1 year (substantially comparable) of becoming a specialist in Australia.

    If you achieve comparability you will still need to secure an appropriate post where you can receive oversight by other specialists in your field. In the case of partially comparable, it is also likely that you will need to sit further examinations.

    If you gain a post and complete all the requirements you will finally be recommended to the Medical Board for specialist registration.

    We will eventually have a more detailed post about the specialist pathway. But in the meantime the following 2 blog posts are useful:

    As well as our series of videos on the Specialist Pathway on YouTube.

    The Short Term Specialist Training Pathway. The Final Pathway.

    There is actually a fourth pathway option. This option is not as well known to IMGs as the other 3 options. And this is perhaps because it is not a pathway to permanent registration in Australia.

    The final pathway is called the Short Term Training in a Medical Specialty Pathway, or Short Term Specialist Training Pathway. This pathway is limited to IMG doctors who are either already specialists or in the advanced or final phase of their specialty training. Ostensibly the pathway is designed to facilitate additional “top-up” training or experience, i.e. it is designed to give a specialist from another country some additional training and experience to help when they return to their own country.

    The pathway is therefore strictly limited to 2 years and you generally have to complete a form indicating that you are intending to return to your own country at the end of this period of registration.

    To be eligible for this pathway you first need to secure a job offer (usually an Advanced Training post) from an employer. Like all other pathways, you need to verify your degree with the AMC. You also need to apply to the specialist college for assessment of your credentials against the post you have secured.

    Unlike the specialist pathway, the college assessment is only paper-based, requires less information, and generally easier to pass.

    Is Short Term Specialist Training A Pathway to Working Permanently in Australia?

    Even prior to the advent of the one Medical Board there were registration categories in existence that enabled trainee doctors from other countries to come to Australia and work for a limited period of time.

    It was not uncommon for these doctors to take the opportunity whilst working in Australia to pursue other forms of registration and the case is the same still with the Short Term Specialist Training Pathway.

    So, whilst the pathway itself is designed to be time-limited and there is a requirement to state your intention to return at the end of your registration period. There is really no way of enforcing this and there is nothing to say that you might change your mind halfway through the process.

    And I have certainly seen a number of IMG doctors use this particular pathway as a “stepping stone” to a more permanent registration category.

    Whilst, specialist colleges are not permitted to take into account any experience you have gathered under the Short Term Specialist Training Pathway, it is hard for them to ignore the fact that you have already worked successfully in the Australian context and also hard to ignore references from Australian College Fellows attesting to your capability.

    Similarly, if you have proven your work capability in an Australian health service then this tends to dramatically improve your prospects with employers in Australia for other jobs over and above most other things, including things like qualifications and observerships.

    Related Questions.

    I Have More Questions About the Standard Pathway and AMC Exams.

    We recommend you check out this extensive post that we wrote.

    Where Can I Find More Information About the Specialist Colleges?

    We have you covered in this post

    Do I Need to Pass an English Test?

    Unless you have high schooled and trained in English in a small number of countries that the Medical Board recognises it is likely that you will have to pass one of the English competency tests. This is a requirement prior to obtaining registration and may also be required prior to other assessments, such as specialty college assessments. We have a detailed guide about this issue here.

  • Common Questions (and Answers) About AMC Standard Pathway

    Common Questions (and Answers) About AMC Standard Pathway

    Over the last year, I have been pleasantly surprised by the interest of doctors all over the world in some of the explanations that I have been providing both here on the blog as well as on my Career Doctor YouTube channel about the processes for working as a doctor in Australia. There have been a lot of questions and comments seeking further understanding about the Standard Pathway Process. So here is a list of common questions and answers to help you out.

    What is the Standard Pathway Process?

    The Standard Pathway is a process whereby doctors who have medical degrees from outside of Australia can apply to have their capability as a doctor evaluated in order to work in Medicine in Australia. The process is intended to ensure that doctors are competent to the level of Australian doctors at the point at which they graduate from medical school and go onto successfully complete a provisional intern year.

    Which Doctors Should Apply for the Standard Pathway?

    The Pathway applies to international doctors who do not have specialist qualifications and who are not from one of the “competent authority” countries. So the majority of international doctors seeking general registration do apply for this pathway.

    What Are the Competent Authority Countries?

    The medical regulatory system in Australia recognizes 4 other countries as having medical training systems that are equivalent in terms of outcomes to Australia. The countries are the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada and the Republic of Ireland. Doctors from New Zealand are also recognized as having identical outcomes in their medical degree as the Australian Medical Council also accredits New Zealand medical schools.

    This means that if you graduated in medicine from one of these countries you have a more streamlined pathway available for being able to work as a doctor in Australia.

    In addition, some international doctors who have been through the process of gaining registration in a competent authority country will also be able to apply via this competent authority pathway. For e.g. if you have successfully completed the PLAB.

    What Are the Australian Medical Council Examinations?

    According to the Australian Medical Council

    The AMC examinations are set at the level of attainment of medical knowledge, clinical skills and attitudes required of newly qualified graduates of Australian medical schools who are about to begin intern training. They consist of a computer adaptive test (CAT) multiple-choice question (MCQ) examination and a clinical examination:

    • The AMC CAT MCQ Examination tests knowledge of the principles and practice of medicine in the fields of general practice, internal medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and obstetrics and gynaecology. It focuses on essential medical knowledge involving understanding of the disease process; clinical examination and diagnosis; and investigation, therapy and management.
    • The AMC Clinical Examination assesses clinical skills in medicine, surgery, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics and psychiatry. It also assesses ability to communicate with patients, their families and other health workers.

    So an important thing to note here is that the AMC Exams are clinical exams and do not involve being tested around matters of basic science.

    When Can I Sit the AMC Examinations?

    You can sit for the AMC Examinations any time after you graduate from your medical school. All that is needed to sit is proof of a primary medical degree.

    You must sit and pass the first AMC Exam. The MCQ test. Prior to being able to sit for the Clinical Examination.

    Do I Need to Sit An English Test to Sit the AMC Examinations?

    Surprisingly the answer to this question is no. You won’t need an IELTS test or one of the other 3 acceptable tests in order to sit the examination. However, you will likely need one in order to apply for a job and become registered. See below.

    How Often Can I Sit the AMC Examinations?

    You can sit as many times as you wish to. But you can only be preparing for and registered to sit one particular exam at a time. Bear in mind the exams are expensive.

    Is There An Age Limit For Sitting AMC Exams.

    No. You can sit them at whatever age.

    How Long is my Exam Result Valid For?

    Once you pass an AMC exam this result remains valid for life.

    Is There a Time Limit for Sitting the AMC 2 Exam?

    No. There is no time limit by which you may sit this exam.

    How Much Does It Cost to Sit the AMC Exams?

    The AMC Exams are quite expensive. The MCQ exam costs $3,124AUD per sitting and the Clinical exam costs $3,991AUD for an in person sitting and $4,391AUD for an online. These costs are generally more expensive than most College training exams in Australia. There are also other fees that you will have to pay, for example, to establish a portfolio with the AMC, to get your certificate or reissue results.

    AMC Exam Fees 2024

    c/- AMC 2024

    How Hard Are the AMC Exams?

    In essence pretty hard. The MCQ exam is relatively ok with around about a 60% pass rate per sitting. The Clinical Examination is notoriously difficult with a pass rate of around 28%. See this post for a more in-depth explanation.

    When Is the Best Time to Sit the AMC Exams?

    The AMC Exams run constantly throughout the year with a bit of a break over the Australian summer period. There is no best time to sit from this perspective.

    As the exams are a test of your medical knowledge and abilities at the end of medical school it is generally considered that it gets harder to sit and pass these exams the longer it has been since you yourself finished medical school. So its best to sit as soon as possible. Many doctors will sit the MCQ whilst completing their own internship year in their own country.

    Is There a Waiting List for the AMC Exams?

    According to the AMC there is no wait list for the exams and no need for a wait list as they are able to offer enough examination spots to satisfy demand. This is achieved by running a number of MCQ exams both in Australia and across the world as well as having increased the number of clinical examination spots available.

    Whilst it may be true now that there is no wait list there have certainly been concerns in the past particularly in relation to waiting significant amounts of time (18 months or more) for the Clinical examination.

    The process itself also imposes a waiting period. Because once you have applied for and selected an examination date you cannot apply for another exam date. And you have to await the results of your MCQ exam before either applying to do it again or applying for the Clinical exam.

    What’s the Best Way to Prepare for the AMC Exams?

    In the AMC exams you compete against a standard. Not other candidates. So most doctors who have been successful in the AMC exams will tell you that one of the best ways to prepare is to form a small study group.

    Generally, most candidates prepare by using examples of past questions. You can purchase some official questions from the AMC. But there are also a number of other MCQ questions and Clinical stations floating digitally around the internet as many AMC candidates do attempt to recall questions after their exam.

    Given the expense of the exams themselves, it may be difficult to afford to pay for additional resources such as textbooks and online and face to face courses. Most international doctors do recommend purchasing a copy of Professor Murtagh’s book on General Practice as this covers a lot of the Australian specific knowledge for both the MCQ and Clinical. There are also a number of online tutoring and courses available as well as face to face courses and opportunities to undertake observerships if you are able to afford these.

    Follow the affiliate link below to purchase your copy of Murtagh’s General Practice.

    Can the USMLE or PLAB Substitute For the AMC Exams?

    Yes. But only if you complete all the steps required and in the case of the PLAB undertake at least 12 months supervised placement in the UK or in the case of the USMLE undertake at least 24 months in an accredited residency program. Otherwise, these exams are of no use and you have to sit all of the AMC Exams.

    Are There Other Alternatives to Sitting the AMC Exams?

    Yes. If you are from a Competent Authority Country you can apply via this pathway. If you are a specialist you can apply for the specialist pathway.

    If you are fortunate to be employed at one of the 1o places that are accredited for the Work Place Based Assessment Program by the AMC then you will also most likely have the option of completing a WBA program which is an alternative to the Clinical Component of the AMC exam with a much higher pass rate and lower cost for applicants.

    I Need to Complete An Internship. How Can I Obtain An Internship in Australia?

    You have probably read something on facebook or the Medical Board website itself telling you that you need to complete an internship to be able to be registered. In most cases, you probably do not need to complete an internship. As you will have done something similar in your own country. In general, the Medical Board wishes to see evidence that you have been granted a full license or general registration to practice in your own country. In some cases, this may require passing an internship or similar during medical school. In others, it may mean completing a provisional year after graduating.

    If you have not done any of these things so far. Then you do still need to complete an internship. But you are much better off completing this in another country. As the chances of being able to actually gain an internship position in Australia are extremely small.

    Do I Need to Sit an English Test?

    Most likely the answer to this question is yes. However, you may have some options to be exempt from this requirement if you can prove for example that all of your high schooling was in English.

    How Well Do I Need to Do In the English Test?

    There are minimum requirements for the various English Language Standard tests that you can do. For a fuller explanation see here. As an example to be able to gain registration if you sit the IELTS you need 7 or above in all four domains of this test.

    Many doctors think that achieving the minimum requirement in the English test is all that is needed. However, the minimum requirements often correlate with being less than sufficient in English in the eyes of the employer and can often mean that you are rejected for an interview in the first place or find out that your English language skills were the main reason the interview panel felt you were not suitable.

    You should endeavour to practice and build in your Australian English as much as possible and consider taking the test again to demonstrate a better score.

    When Can I Apply for a Job?

    As soon as you are successful in the AMC Part 1 you can begin applying for a medical position. Most doctors recommend this strategy and not waiting until you complete the Clinical Examination. This is because it can often take a lot of time and persistence to obtain a position. The downside of this approach is that you will probably get a lot of rejections and find yourself in a big group of candidates who all just have the AMC Part 1 exam.

    What Are the Best Jobs to Apply For?

    What job you apply for may depend on where you are intending to head in your career, particularly if you are looking at general practice. Bear in mind however that most of the doctor jobs in Australia will not be available to you until you have obtained general registration. The most common type of job that will be available is called a resident medical officer (RMO) job. These are often advertised at times during the year when hospitals have had vacancies in their ranks. The RMO role is normally a position that is one more year advanced than the intern position. But you are generally doing the same roles as interns, i.e. acting as the most junior member on the team looking after the day to day patient issues on the ward.

    A key phrase to look for in any job description which will indicate that you can apply for a position is:

    “eligible for registration”

    How Can I Improve My Prospects of Gaining a Job?

    I’d recommend you watch this video I did with Dr Naj Soomro. In it, we highlight a number of things that can help you gain a job.

    Some of the key things are:

    1. Having a really well put together resume
    2. Establishing networks to identify ad hoc job opportunities
    3. Being prepared to look outside of the major cities
    4. Preparing for job interviews

    Once I Get a Job Offer. What Happens Next?

    It is very important that you ask for a contract. There have been situations where international doctors have been offered a job in the past but this has been withdrawn at a later date. You are really not secure in your job until you have started working. It’s important that you are responsive during the phase between the offer and commencing as you will need to help the hospital sort out things like your registration and visa status.

    Once you are up and running you should make sure that you are aware of your supervision requirements and ensuring that you are getting regular feedback on your performance and completing the reports that need to go back to the Medical Board. It’s much better to identify problems in your performance early on so you can fix these rather than letting them become a big issue and jeopardizing your sign off at the end of the 12 months of limited registration.

    When Can I Apply for Training Positions?

    Once you have completed the process, ie. you have your full AMC Certificate and a satisfactory 12 month’s supervised practice you will be able to apply for general registration.

    Once you have general registration you will be eligible to apply for most of the specialty training schemes.

    There are some exceptions to this where you also require permanent residency. For example, the Australian General Practice Training Scheme and the College of Surgeons training programs. So, if you are aiming for these you will need to consider alternatives or wait a few more years till you can obtain permanent residency.

  • Indian Doctors Australia: Jobs, Chances, Salary, Registration.

    Indian Doctors Australia: Jobs, Chances, Salary, Registration.

    Many doctors from India have successfully migrated to work in Australia. Doctors from India were the fourth-highest country to be granted a visa to work as a doctor in Australia in 2017. After the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Malaysia. As someone who has worked in Medical HR for more than two decades, I have found Indian doctors on the whole to be a really good group of doctors to work with.

    Can Indian doctors work in Australia? The answer is, of course, yes. India provides one of the largest sources of overseas doctors or International Medical Graduates (IMGs) working in Australia at both a trainee doctor as well as specialist level. Of course, no doctor coming from another country is absolutely guaranteed to be able to work in Australia.

    Just like doctors from other countries. Doctors from India are limited in regards to what doctor jobs they can initially apply for in Australia. Once employed you receive the same rates of salary and pay as other doctors, with some possible restrictions on where you can work. Salary packages vary from about $70,000 AUD for a very junior level job to $300,000 AUD and much more for consultant-type positions. There are two main ways that Indian doctors need to either apply for initial registration. Both are quite hard.

    • The Standard Pathway is the process if you are not a specialist. It requires sitting for the Australian Medical Council exams, which have an overall pass rate of about 60% for the MCQ component and 25% for the clinical component.
    • The Specialist Pathway is the process if you are a specialist. Between the years 2015 and 2021, 729 specialist Indian doctors applied to a specialist medical college for assessment. 244 were deemed to not be comparable. 401 were deemed to be partially comparable and only 84 were deemed to be substantially comparable (a 66% rate of being found comparable.

    So the prospects for working in Australia as an Indian doctor are good for many but challenging for some. So it’s important to give you a little bit more detail. There are also other options for getting registered which I will outline.

    So let’s dig into a bit more of the details of the top of Indian Doctors Australia.

    Get a Guide

    A bundle of resources written by a local Australian expert covering how Indian doctors can work in Australia.

    Only $5.70 AUD

    The Standard Pathway. The Option for Trainee Indian Doctors Australia.

    If you are a trainee doctor from India and do not have specialty status then the Standard Pathway is the main option for you.

    The major hurdle in this process is pursuing the Australian Medical Council examinations, which we have written about in more depth here.

    In order to be able to sit for the AMC, you must first establish what is called a portfolio

    1. You first create a registration with the AMC website.
    2. You should also check that your medical degree is awarded by an institution recognized by the AMC. The AMC recognizes most but not all medical schools which are listed with the World Directory of Medical Schools. There is a handy search on the AMC site.
    3. You must then also create an EPIC account and confirm your identity with the ECFMG (located in the United States).
    4. You get an EPIC id in about 3 working days, which you use to establish your AMC portfolio.
    5. You upload your qualifications to EPIC. As you do so YOU MUST REQUEST that EPIC send a report to the AMC.
    6. EPIC notifies you and the AMC when they have completed their check.

    This whole process will cost you $500 AUD to register with the AMC and about $205 USD for EPIC (more if you are wanting more than one qualification verified).

    Once EPIC reports back in the affirmative to the AMC you will be allowed to request to sit for the AMC Part 1 Examinations.

    There is no actual work experience requirement to sit the AMC Part 1 Examination and you can, in fact, start preparing for this whenever you like. But of course, you will not be able to sit the exam without a verified medical degree. So you can start studying for it in medical school but won’t be able to sit it till after you graduate.

    The Part 1 MCQ Examination

    The AMC Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) MCQ Examination is a computer-administered fully integrated multi-choice question examination delivered in one sitting that lasts 3 and a half hours.

    There are regular invigilated examinations in Australia as well as a number of sessions available in the examination across the world.

    The examination itself consists of 150 “A-type MCQs”. You must select the one correct response from amongst the five options. 120 of the questions are “live” questions, which means they count towards your score. The remaining 30 questions are being piloted and don’t count towards your final score. You do not know which questions are being piloted so you have to give your best for all 150.

    You are expected to complete all 150 items and must complete the 120 scored items. Failure to complete all 120 scored items in the examination may lead to insufficient information for a reliable determination of your ability and therefore a result on the AMC adaptive scale.

    You should practice as many MCQs as you can. There is also an official online practice exam through the AMC website.

    Because the MCQ exam is computerized you will receive your result fairly quickly in about 4 weeks. You get a printout that indicates where you performed overall, as well as the range for all candidates appearing for that particular exam. You also get a breakdown of your performance in the question domains. This is useful if you don’t pass to know where to put your efforts next time.

    You need to score 250 or more to pass. Less than 60% of candidates pass. Although this score is probably depressed somewhat by those candidates sitting more than once.

    It currently costs $2,920 AUD to sit for the MCQ.

    The AMC Clinical Examination Part 2

    Once you pass the AMC MCQ exam, you are then able to appear for the AMC Clinical exam. These are all held in Melbourne at the AMC’s purpose-built examination National Testing Centre or online.

    Clinical Exam Format

    The Clinical exam format is a 20-station multidisciplinary structured clinical exam that assesses your skills in Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry. There are 14 scored stations, 2 pilot (non-scored) stations and 4 rest (non-scored) stations.

    As of 2019, the result is graded as either a clear pass or a clear fail. Prior to this borderline candidates were offered a retest. However, the AMC found that the time between examination and retest was becoming so long that the results were not meaningful.

    You must pass 10 or more of the stations to pass the exam. The pass rate is incredibly low. About 28%

    It is recommended that you should study the Handbook of Clinical Assessment and practice roleplays as much as you can. You may want to attend a course. Candidates also study different notes such as Karen notes, and the VMPF notes. John Murtagh’s General Practice is also worth revising.

    It is extremely wise to form a study group and there are many groups around where you can practice what is called “recalls”, which is when a candidate who has previously sat the exam attempts to reconstruct the station.

    The cost of sitting the Clinical Examination is currently $3,730 AUD ($400 extra for the online version).

    When and What types of jobs can I apply for as an Indian Trainee?

    You can apply for a range of trainee jobs. The main limitation is whether the employer will accept an IMG. Which for the majority of cases they will not.

    You can actually start applying for jobs after you have passed your AMC Part 1 Examination. But you will need a valid English language test if you do.

    There are often a number of postgraduate year 2 or 3 general jobs on offer. They are generally termed Resident Medical Officers in most States and Territories, but may also be called House Officers or Hospital Medical Officers in some places.

    Above these sorts of posts, come the specialty training positions. In Australia, you tend to enter specialty training around postgraduate year 3. These positions are generally referred to as Registrar positions. But you might also see advertised as Senior House Officer or Trainee or Advanced Trainee.

    One key thing to look out for is that most of these jobs will not accept an overseas applicant.

    A key thing to look for is the phrase “eligible for registration” in the selection criteria.

    It is very important to try and secure an employment offer. Whilst you can apply to the Australian Medical Council to check your primary medical degree at any stage. You won’t be able to gain registration until you have an offer of employment. This is because the Medical Board needs to see a supervision plan from your employer.

    Outside of general practice, the majority of employment opportunities for trainee doctors occur within public hospitals. So your best places for finding suitable job postings are on the State and Territory health department recruitment sites. We have a listing of these on our international doctors’ resource page.

    What Type of Supervision Do I Need Or Get?

    The Medical Board of Australia is very vigilant about supervision standards for IMG doctors. What sort of supervision you receive will depend on a number of factors, including:

    • your qualifications
    • your previous experience, especially in the type of position for which you have applied
    • whether you have practised recently and the scope of your recent practice
    • the requirements of the position including the type of skills required for the position
    • the position itself, including the level of risk, the location of the hospital or practice and the availability of supports (supervisors)
    • the seniority of the position, for a hospital position

    In general, you will either be approved for Level 1 or Level 2 Supervision. There are 4 Levels and the higher up you go the less direct oversight you require.

    Level 1 Supervision.

    Level 1 Supervision requires your supervisor (or alternative supervisor) to be present in the hospital or practice with you at all times and you must consult with them about all patients. This is the level of supervision that most Indian doctors will receive Remote supervision (e.g. by telephone) is not permitted. This type of supervision is generally recommended when you are very junior yourself or entering a junior role which you are not very familiar with. In Australian major public hospitals, there are many layers of other doctors who you can get supervision from. So Level 1 is not too much of an issue in these circumstances.

    Level 2 Supervision.

    Level 2 Supervision, is what most other Indian trainees approved to work in Australia will be approved for. It is a step up from Level 1 Supervision. Supervision must primarily be in person but your supervisor can leave you to do work on your own and you can discuss it by phone. You should discuss with them on a regular (daily) basis what you have been doing with patients. But do not need to discuss every case.

    Level 3 Supervision.

    Level 3 Supervision, is what you might receive if you are working in an Advanced Trainee role in India and transferring to something similar in Australia. In this case, you have much more primary responsibility for the patient. Your supervisor needs to make regular contact with you but can be working elsewhere and available by phone or video.

    What happens after I commence my position?

    Once you are approved for registration and you have your visa issues sorted you will be able to commence work. Your employer should help you out with all these things. You will be working under what is called “provisional registration” by the Medical Board of Australia. Generally, all you need to do for these 12 months is to show that you can learn and grow and get regular feedback from your supervisors. Your supervisors will need to complete regular reports for the Medical Board of Australia and it is your responsibility, not theirs to see that they are completed and returned on time. If all the reports go well you will be able to be recommended at the end of the 12 months for general registration.

    The other thing that you need to watch out for is that your employer is ensuring that you gain exposure to the types of experiences that the Medical Board requires for this year. Generally, these shadow the experience that Australian interns go through.

    Depending on whether you have completed AMC Part 2 or not. You will need to try and sit and pass this in these 12 months. Although you may be able to get an extension.

    If you are lucky enough you may be employed in one of the 20 or so health services which offer Workplace-based assessment as an alternative to the AMC Clinical exam. Candidates find this process far easier to complete.

    You will probably be starting to look for another job or negotiating an extension around the end of your 12 months. With general registration, you may be able to apply for a skilled visa, as well as be looking at applying for permanent residency.

    Permanent residency is crucial for applying for most specialty training programs. See below.

    indian doctor australia

    The Specialist Pathway. The Option For Specialist Indian Doctors Australia.

    For Indian specialists, your option for working in Australia is what is called the Specialist Pathway.

    Once again this starts with becoming verified as a doctor with the Australian Medical Council and should again coincide with an active search for a position.

    You may be lucky enough to be in a targeted specialty area where you might successfully be approved for what is called an Area of Need position, in which case the employer or recruitment agent will provide you with a lot of support and will likely pick up the costs of being assessed.

    For most International Doctor specialists however these days you will be approaching the college directly to be assessed for specialist recognition. This is not something to be trifled with. The paperwork requirements and the cost (generally around $10,000 AUD or more) is considerable.

    On the plus side, the colleges all have reasonably helpful information on their websites, including the application forms and a little bit about their criteria for assessment.

    Finding Out What You Need To Do.

    We have saved you the trouble of finding those pages by putting them on our International Doctors resource page here.

    The majority of Indian specialties (but not all) map to a similar college or specialty in Australia. So working out which specialty goes into which Australian college is generally not too confusing. We have put together a summary of the Australian specialist medical colleges here.

    After you go through your specialist assessment you are given an outcome.

    As I have noted the majority of cases for Indian specialists are either deemed not comparable or substantially comparable.

    If you are deemed not to be comparable by the college. This means you cannot directly become a specialist in Australia. You will probably have to go through the standard pathway to work as a doctor in Australia.

    If you are deemed to be partially comparable (a situation where this commonly may occur is if you have just recently finished specialty training but have not worked as a specialist for very long). In this situation you will need to work under supervision for longer and may well also face some formal examinations.

    Substantially comparable is the best result. This essentially means that you will need to work under some form of peer review for up to 12 months and so long as your reports are satisfactory you will be recommended for specialist registration at the end.

    How to Maximize Your Chances of Getting a Substantially Comparable Outcome.

    To ensure that you are seen as substantially comparable by the relevant college I would recommend the following:

    • You should have your Certificate of Completion of Training and relevant college Fellowship
    • You should ideally have worked substantively at a Consultant level in your field for 3 years or more
    • You should be able to demonstrate good standing with your Medical Board and your employers
    • You should be able to demonstrate ongoing continuing professional development
    • You should prepare for your interview with the college as if it were an important job interview

    Can you enter training in Australia if you are an Indian doctor?

    To undertake formal specialty training in Australia you need to be accepted into a college training program. In all circumstances, you will need general registration and in some cases permanent residency or citizenship.

    After receiving your general registration you can apply for specialty training in the same way that Australian-trained doctors do. And if accepted will go through the exact training program and experience. Some colleges may offer recognition of prior learning for any training you have done already. But this is often quite limited and may at best normally shave one year off of your training.

    An Alternative But Limited Option.

    There is an alternative but time-limited pathway for Indian doctors who are just seeking a short-term experience in Australia to add to their training in India. This is called the Short-Term Training in a Medical Specialty Pathway. To do this you must be offered a training position first and you must have either completed your training in India or be less than two years from completion. So this is a program mainly for early career specialists or advanced trainees.

    In this pathway you go through the same steps with the AMC as per the competent authority pathway to gain registration. You will not, however, be able to apply for specialist assessment as part of this pathway. But if you gain general registration you may then be able to apply for another position and then apply for specialist assessment.

    Can you do your internship in Australia as an Indian doctor?

    Basically no. Internship in Australia is a provisional year that only applies to medical graduates from medical schools in Australia and New Zealand. There is a “loophole” which only applies to doctors who have not been able to complete an internship or equivalent in their own country. But the Medical Board warns that this is not a great option and is only granted in limited cases. You are far better off completing the requirements for general registration in India.

    How many Indian doctors are working in Australia?

    There is no one public data source to tell us how many Indian doctors are currently working in Australia.

    From data collected by the Australian Government, we know that:

    • 171 working visas were granted to Indian doctors to work in Australia in the year 2017.
    • 729 applications were made for specialist assessment, of which 244 were deemed not comparable, 401 partially comparable and only 84 substantially comparable (2015-2021).

    How hard is it to become a specialist in Australia if you are from India?

    As we have noted. Many Indian doctors struggle to gain recognition as a specialist. This normally occurs in the first step. The initial specialist college assessment. Once Indian doctors are granted comparability. Most go on to complete the process.

    Are there any particular specialties that are easier to apply for?

    The majority of specialties have some vacancies and will provide opportunities for Indian and other IMG doctors from time to time. This is particularly the case if you are prepared to go outside of the major cities. Some areas of medicine are more popular and so finding jobs in areas such as most surgical fields, as well as other fields such as cardiology can be quite difficult.

    On the other end of the spectrum general practice, psychiatry and most parts of critical care medicine are often always looking for doctors.

    Costs of Moving To Australia and Working As a Doctor.

    There are lots of costs to consider when thinking about moving to Australia to work as a doctor.

    There are some direct costs to consider. Most of which relate to the bureaucratic process of being assessed and gaining registration.

    Some of the costs you may be up for, include:

    AUD (unless otherwise noted)
    Establish a Portfolio with the Australian Medical Council$600
    Registering with EPIC and having one primary degree checked $125 USD + $80 USD
    Medical Board Application Fee for Provisional Registration$430
    Medical Board Application Fee for Specialist or General Registration $860
    College Specialist Assessment Fees$6,000-$11,000
    College Placement Fees (for the period of supervision)$8,000-$24,000

    Further, if you are required to undertake further exams there will be a cost for this as well. As an example, RACS charges exam fee is $8,495.

    The Cost of Your Time and Effort.

    Adding to all of this financial cost, you will need to factor in the cost of your own time. It takes a lot of effort and persistence to deal with the paperwork and track down the records you need.

    In addition, you are probably going to have to pay costs in your own country for things like records of schooling and certificates of good standing.

    There are also visa costs.

    And then there is the cost of airfares and transporting your belongings halfway across the world.

    Depending on where you work in Australia you may find that the cost of living is higher or lower than you are used to. House prices and therefore house rental rates have gone through the roof in Australia in the last decade or so but are starting to come down.

    You will probably have to factor in some initial extra hotel or short-term rental charges whilst settling in and you may find if you have children that you have to pay to enrol them in school as public schooling is only generally free if you are a citizen or permanent resident.

    If you are lucky and in one of the specialty areas of demand your employer may offer to pay for some of these costs. It’s certainly worth asking about it.

    The Competent Authority Pathway. An Option For Some Indian Doctors.

    If you have already worked in the United Kingdom, Canada or the United States then you may be able to apply to work in Australia under what is called the competent authority pathway.

    The competent authority pathway assigns a preferential status to any doctor who has completed their primary medical training in one of the following countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and the Republic of Ireland.

    There is largely an historical rationale for this situation. It is based on the premise that all these jurisdictions have similar approaches to medical school training and similar standards.

    New Zealand is not included in the list above as its medical schools are accredited by the same body as Australian medical schools, the Australian Medical Council. So doctors from New Zealand in Australia are generally treated identically to those from Australia.

    If you are an international medical graduate and you have achieved general registration in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom (but not the Republic of Ireland) you are also eligible for the competent authority pathway.

    What are the steps involved for the competent authority pathway?

    You can find out more about the competent authority pathway on the Medical Board of Australia website.

    The key steps are as follows:

    1. Securing an employment offer
    2. Applying to the Australian Medical Council for primary source verification
    3. Applying for registration to the Medical Board of Australia
    4. Completing 12 months of supervised practice
    5. Applying again to the Medical Board of Australia for general registration.

    Eligibility for Competent Authority

    You can do a “self-assessment of your eligibility for the competent authority pathway on the Medical Board of Australia website here.

    The essential requirements for Indian doctors applying via the competent authority pathway are:

    You need to have completed the appropriate process in Canada, the United States or the United Kingdom to become fully registered in that country. This involves an assessment of your English language skills, examinations and a period of supervised training.

    So for example, if you have worked in the United Kingdom, you need to successfully complete the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test

    AND

    Successfully complete the Foundation Year 1, or 12 months supervised training (internship equivalent) in the United Kingdom, or 12 months supervised training (internship equivalent) completed in another Medical Board Australia approved competent authority country, approved by the GMC.

    Conclusion.

    We hope that you found this summary about how Indian doctors can work in Australia useful. If you have any questions or queries or just want to relate your experience. Please feel free to leave a comment below. We would love to hear from Indian doctors who have made the journey to Australia.

    Related Questions.

    Question: Are there any other options for working as an Indian doctor in Australia?

    Answer.
    Some doctors just want to come to Australia for a limited period of time as an opportunity to train in another country.
    As we have highlighted above there is an alternative but time-limited pathway for Indian doctors who are just seeking a short-term experience in Australia to add to their training in India. This is called the Short-Term Training in a Medical Specialty Pathway. To do this you must be offered a training position first and you must have either completed your training in India or be less than two years from completion. So this is a program mainly for early career specialists or advanced trainees.

    Question: Should I use a medical recruitment company if I am considering working in Australia?

    Answer.
    It is possible to deal directly with employers in Australia as an Indian doctor. In general, however, when moving from one country to another most doctors find it useful to engage with a medical recruitment company as they can tend to take some of the stress out of the planning for you and help with all the paperwork and negotiating with prospective employers. Some medical recruitment companies also provide migration services and relocation services as well. We have written more on this subject here. And a list of medical recruitment companies is available here.
    Unfortunately, for most Indian doctors medical recruitment companies will be unlikely to be able to help you until you have either achieved general registration via the Standard Pathway or possibly until you have received a favourable outcome via the specialist pathway process.
    See more about the pros and cons of medical recruitment companies here.