HEMISPHERE MIGRATION NEWS

Australia has been welcoming Medical Practitioners for many years and the general public has become familiar with visiting GPs that have learnt the profession in another country and emigrated to Australia as a Qualified General Practitioner. The Australian Medical Association has rightly sought to protect the integrity of the profession by ensuring that General Practitioners are Skills tested by the Australian Medical Council amongst other pathways and after specific training requirements are allowed to be registered to work and practice in Australia.

The need to find suitably qualified General Practitioners from other countries has produced a healthy market for Healthcare Recruiters in Australia. Navigating the ever changing Visa landscape has always proven difficult and credentialing of these Healthcare Professionals is proving to be equalling challenging for these Healthcare Recruitment businesses.

Obtaining Credentialing is half the battle

What comes first the Registration requirements or the visa; which country is eligible; when is the working under supervision required. Where can I find a Registered Migration Professional who can consult with me to take this Medical Practitioner through the process?

Hemisphere Migration have experience in credentialing a range of Medical/Allied health Professionals in readiness for gaining registration and a visa in their chosen profession.

The Medical Profession is a highly respected profession in Australia and overseas Medical Professionals must proceed through a designated pathway to obtain requirements for Registration by the Medical Board of Australia.

What do the options look like for International Medical Graduates wishing to practise medicine in Australia?

International medical graduates (IMGs) whose medical qualifications are from a medical school outside of Australia or New Zealand and who are seeking registration to practise medicine in Australia must provide evidence of eligibility to undertake one of the following assessment pathways:

• Competent Authority pathway
• Standard pathway, or
• Specialist pathway

The assessment process assesses the knowledge and clinical skills of IMGs seeking to qualify for medical registration in Australia.

The Competent Authority pathway

The Competent Authority pathway is for overseas-trained non-specialists, but is also available to specialists, including general practitioners. This pathway leads to general registration.

IMGs who have passed recognised examinations or have completed training through a Board approved competent authority, can apply for assessment under this pathway.

IMGs applying for the Competent Authority pathway should apply directly to the Medical Board of Australia (the Board) for provisional registration.

The Standard pathway

The Standard pathway is for IMGs seeking general registration with the Board. This pathway applies to IMGs who are not eligible for the Competent Authority pathway or the Specialist pathway.

IMGs who have a primary qualification in medicine and surgery awarded by a training institution recognised by both the Australian Medical Council and the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) can apply for assessment under this pathway.

IMGs applying for the Standard pathway should apply directly to the Australian Medical Council (AMC). IMGs must pass the AMC CAT MCQ Examination before they can apply to the Board for registration.

The Specialist pathway

The Specialist pathway is for the following IMGs:

• overseas-trained specialists applying for assessment of comparability to the standard of a specialist trained in that specialty in Australia (specialist recognition), and
• overseas-trained specialists applying for an area of need specialist level position in Australia (area of need)

IMGs who have a primary qualification in medicine and surgery awarded by a training institution recognised by both the Australian Medical Council and the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) and who have satisfied all the training and examination requirements to practise in their field of specialty in their country of training, can apply for assessment under this pathway (specialist recognition or area of need).

IMGs applying for the Specialist pathway should apply directly to the relevant specialist medical college for assessment.

The implications for Healthcare Recruitment Professionals

The risks in managing a process that requires essentially Credentialing and Migration capability are many with losing the placement high on that list of risks.

The opportunity to work with a Migration and Credentialing specialist can ensure that the process of Credentialing an Overseas Medical Practitioner is smooth and risk free. Hemisphere Migration works with Recruitment Professionals to reduce risk and to facilitate the final placement whilst managing expectations of your client.

To find out more contact Hemisphere Migration via email, phone or our website below

patrick@hemispheremigration.com.au or Ph. 0452 473808

www.hemispheremigration.com.au