Doctors who are not Australian, New Zealand and Australian Medical Council (AMC) Graduates are classified as Overseas Trained Doctors OTDs. OTDs are eligible for certain positions but should allow 6-9+ months to find a position and fulfill the administrative requirements for working in Australia. Registration and visa requirements usually preclude overseas trained doctors from working for short stints or in multiple hospitals. They should also anticipate needing to work in a single hospital for at least 12 months (occasionally 6 months for some specialists).
‘Area of Need’ (AON) Positions For Overseas Trained Doctors
Doctors whose primary degree is from NZ or Australia or overseas trained doctors who have passed the AMC exam are eligible for any position in Australia. All other doctors are only eligible to work in positions which have been designated as ‘Area of Need’. These are positions which have not been filled by Australian or NZ graduates. Because of the extreme shortage of Australian/NZ doctors there are many AON positions available in both rural and metropolitan centres.
Registration Requirements
The Australian Medical Council AMC grants full registration to New Zealand trained doctors and they can easily get registration in any Australian state. Registration can usually be completed on the spot or within 3 working days. This usually costs around $500 for the first registration and around $300 for subsequent years. You must be registered in each state you want to work. State Medical Boards LINK http://www.amc.org.au/board.asp
Doctors who have trained in the USA, Canada, UK, South Africa can almost always get registration in any state of Australia without sitting exams. However the registration process is complex and can take 6-9 months.
Doctors who have trained in countries other than those stated above usually need to pass the AMC exam before they can gain registration in Australia. This exam includes a multi-choice part which can be sat in many locations in Europe/Asia and a clinical part which must be sat in Australia. It usually takes a minimum of one year to complete this exam. For further information please see the AMC website. They also need to have passed the IELTS test with a score of 7 in all bands.
Visa requirements
NZ citizens do not require a visa to work in Australia. All other non-Australians doctors will usually be granted a work visa once they have a job offer and have registration to work. For further information please see Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Indemnity
Doctors working for public hospitals usually have indemnity cover provided by the state government. The exception is doctors who are working as contractors and paying their own tax rather than having tax deducted at source. Further advice on indemnity in Australia provided on request.