Joint Australian/State/Northern Territory 5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Scheme
5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Scheme
The Australian Government is acutely aware of the difficulties that many rural communities experience in attracting doctors on a long-term basis. It is for this reason that in 1999 the Minister for Health and Ageing, offered to help States and Territories streamline processes for recruiting overseas trained doctors to work in rural areas. All States and the Northern Territory expressed interest in developing initiatives to address the rural medical workforce shortages on a permanent basis.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that the growth, distribution and standard of the medical workforce are appropriate to the needs of the Australian community. Data from the Australian Medical Workforce Advisory Committee demonstrates that there is nationally an oversupply of general practitioners (GPs) in metropolitan areas and a shortage in rural areas. The Government's aim is to encourage both new and existing GPs to relocate to rural areas through a variety of incentive programs.
The Australian Health Ministers' Conference adopted a national framework to facilitate the recruitment of overseas-trained doctors to work in rural areas on 4 August 1999. This allows overseas-trained doctors with general practice qualifications, who seek or possess permanent residency, to be assessed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) as an alternative to their undertaking Australian Medical Council (AMC) examinations. Doctors going through this process are conditionally registered to work in rural areas for a period of 5 years.
The State recruitment schemes aim to attract general practitioners who do not require training or supervision whilst undertaking placements in rural and remote areas. Each State scheme is specifically aimed at those rural and remote areas in most need. The Australian Government assists by providing streamlined immigration processes and Medicare access to help fill positions in those areas which otherwise face great difficulties in attracting doctors.
The main incentive for eligible overseas-trained doctors who complete the five years in approved districts of workforce shortage and obtain the FRACGP is reduction in the 10-year moratorium on provider numbers under section 19AB of the
Health Insurance Act 1973.
The National Reference Panel (NRP) on Overseas Trained Doctors (OTDs) was established to oversee the development of standards for assessment of general practice skills. The NRP on OTDs developed a five-category classification, based on postgraduate general practice qualifications and general practice experience which applies to doctors who may wish to contract to a State/Territory Five Year Scheme. The five categories are as follows:
Category 1
General Practitioners who hold:
- Fellowship of The Royal New Zealand College of GPs (FRNZCGP);
- Certificates in Family Practice from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and successful completion of both parts of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination;
- Both Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP UK) and Certificates from the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP) UK.
Doctors who hold these qualifications are eligible for admission to Fellowship of the RACGP
ad eundum gradum.
Category 2
General Practitioners who hold:
- Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners UK (MRCGP)
- Membership of the Irish College of General Practitioners (MICGP);
- Membership of the Faculty of General Practitioners; or Member of the College of Family Practitioners, South Africa by examination (MFGP or the new MCGP)
- The Certificate of the American Board of Family Practice USA (ABFP);
- The Certificate of the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP) UK;
- Masters of Medicine (Family Medicine) from the National University of Singapore;
- Registration as a Family Physician with the Health Professions Council of South Africa ( formerly the South African Medical and Dental Council of South Africa)
- Masters of Family Medicine, South Africa;
- Masters of Prax Medicine, South Africa.
Doctors who hold these memberships/qualifications are required to undertake the RACGP Fellowship exam. They have two years in which to complete the exam.
Category 3
Doctors who have general practice training and post graduate qualifications not recognised by RACGP but who have more then five years of full time general practice experience. Doctors in this category are eligible for award of Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) via the practice eligibility route after a determination by the RACGP of the equivalence of their general practice experience to five years full time of Australian general practice and completion of the RACGP examination.
Category 4
Doctors who have no general practice training or postgraduate qualifications, but more than five years full time general practice experience in another country.
Category 5
Doctors who have no general practice training or postgraduate qualification and less than five years of equivalent full time GP experience in another country. Doctors in this category would not be eligible for FRACGP until they have completed five years of equivalent general practice. For further details regarding Fellowship of the RACGP, ple
Contact details
Contact details for the State/Territory schemes.
Provider Numbers for Specialist Trainees
The arrangements for allocation of provider numbers for specialist trainees in private hospitals or private practice settings are designed to ensure that those placements are in the best educational interests of trainees. Section 19AA of the
Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) sets minimum proficiency requirements which new medical practitioners must meet before the services they provide can attract Medicare benefits. Doctors who were first recognised as medical practitioners on or before 1 November 1996 are unable to attract Medicare benefits unless they are recognised general practitioners, specialists, consultant physicians or persons who are undertaking 'approved placements' as specified in section 3GA of the Act. Section 3GA of the Act enables doctors enrolled in formal training programs to provide services which attract Medicare rebates while undertaking training placements in a private hospital.
The purpose of this section of the Act is to ensure medical practitioners in approved training placements are within a structure that provides adequate supervision, quality assurance and backup arrangements while allowing Medicare billing from an approved practice placement site. Following consultation with the specialist Colleges and the Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) it has been agreed that access to Medicare rebates for specialist trainees should only be permitted under the following conditions:
- Trainees are in accredited 'advanced' training positions which count fully to training time and other formal requirements;
- The relevant college demonstrates that rotations from the public sector into private hospitals are part of a structured training program, and placements will provide experience which is relevant to the course of training;
- The relevant college demonstrates that appropriate supervision will be provided;
- The relevant college ensures that the required number of training positions and trainees in public hospitals is maintained, and that first priority is given to filling training positions in public hospitals.
Applications
Trainees wishing to apply for 3GA placements should complete the following application form:
The front page of this form provides important details regarding trainee responsibilities in relation to access to Medicare Benefits Schedule Items. A provider number enabling trainees to provide services which attract a Medicare rebate must be applied for separately and will be issued only for the duration of training placements, and for use at particular locations for which they are issued. Trainees and their supervisors should be made aware of these issues and warned against possible misuse. The application form to apply for a Medicare Provider Number is available from. The same process will apply for specialist trainees who require access to Medicare rebates when they are undertaking private practice placements.
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