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Employment Opportunities for IMGs
The Medical Board of Queensland may grant ‘Special Purpose Registration’ to international medical graduates (IMGs) allowing IMGs to practice in Queensland. Special Purpose Registration currently contains 8 categories, of which Area of Need is one of them.
Applicants must have full registration in their country of origin to be eligible to apply for Area of Need.
Interns are not eligible to work in designated area of need positions and are therefore ineligible to be registered under ‘Section 135 – Area of Need’. Individuals completing their studies overseas and wishing to undertake their internship in Queensland may be considered for registration by the Medical Board of Queensland under a different Special Purpose Registration category (Section 132 – Postgraduate Study or training).
General Practice in Queensland
In Queensland, General Practitioners work in a wide variety of settings in both the public and private sectors. Queensland Health offers public sector employment opportunities for General Practitioners with an interest in rural medicine in three principle practice settings:
1. As Medical Superintendents with Right of Private Practice (MSRPP) or Medical Officers with Right of Private Practice (MORPP). These positions are generally in smaller rural communities of 1 – 6 doctors only. The majority do not now practice with advanced skills in birthing services but some advanced practice opportunities remain. These doctors practice principally as private practitioners billing a fee for service but are provided a generous retainer by Queensland Health for a smaller hospital-based practice including emergency and inpatient services.
2. As Rural Generalists in Queensland’s larger rural centres. These salaried doctors have hospital-based (and sometimes community-based) primary care practice, as well as hospital-based secondary care practice in at least one advanced practice discipline (such as obstetrics, anaesthetics, surgery, indigenous health, emergency medicine etc). The Rural Generalist generous salary package is nearly equivalent to that of a specialist medical practitioner.
3. As a Visiting Medical Officer (VMO). These practitioners are in the private sector who are engaged in limited public sessional practice or participate in after hours advanced skills birthing practice.
Requirements to Practice
To practice as a General Practitioner in Queensland you must have your general practice qualifications and experience assessed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). This assessment may lead to the requirement for further experience in general practice in Australia, eligibility to sit the FRACGP (Fellowship) examinations, or eligibility for FRACGP ad eundum gradum (without further training, examination or time requirements). Please visit www.racgp.org.au/overseasdoctors for further information on the assessment process and requirements for applications.
Doctors for the Bush is a special program that offers practice opportunities (public or private) to suitably qualified and experienced international medical graduates (IMGs) seeking permanent residency in Australia.
The program is commonly referred to as ‘the 5 year program’ nationally. Each State has its own equivalent to the Doctors for the Bush program.
Applicants must have sufficient general practice training and experience to allow them to obtain the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) within two years of joining the program and an interest in working in rural and remote communities.
Under the ‘Doctors for the Bush’ scheme GPs must:
1. work in rural and remote communities that are deemed ‘Doctors for the Bush’ eligible communities;
2. work for a period of 3 – 5 years (length of service determined by Category of community); and
3. achieve the FRACGP within 2 years.
Once the above criteria has been met, you will be sponsored for permanent residency and be granted unrestricted access to a Medicare provider number that allows you to practice anywhere in Australia.
Please click here to view detailed information on the program, including a list of eligible communities.
If you meet the eligibility criteria and have an interest in rural and remote practice within Queensland Health, please complete the online expression of interest .
Rural Generalist, MSRPP, MORPP and VMO positions are advertised on the Queensland Health jobs board. Please use this search engine to identify any of the above positions that may be currently advertised.
Alternatively, we invite you to submit an expression of interest to the Queensland Health ‘Work For Us’ team who promote eligible candidates to hospitals that may have a vacancy currently not advertised.
In 2010, Queensland Health will offer a Clinical Attachment Program for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who are permanently resident in Queensland and who are not employed by Queensland Health.
The purpose of the program is to offer IMGs familiarisation with the Queensland Health care system for the purpose of employment. Eligibility criteria apply and an assessment process for acceptance onto the program is also undertaken.
Health Service Districts may nominate an IMG to the program if they wish to assess their suitability for employment as a medical practitioner within Queensland Health.
The IMGs participating in the program will have a limited scope of practice and will be registered under “Special Purpose Registration - Clinical Attachment” by the Medical Board of Queensland for the period of the program (twelve weeks).
Further information on the Clinical Attachment Program, the eligibility criteria and assessment process is outlined in the following document
Application to the Clinical Attachment Program
Due to a number of issues it is not possible to offer the Clinical Attachment Program in the second half of 2010. We are currently reviewing this Program and the policy and procedures and further advice will be forthcoming in the near future on the future direction of the Clinical Attachment Program for 2011.
Any queries can be directed to the RAPTS program via email RAPTS@health.qld.gov.au
Eligibility Criteria
An IMG’s application for the program must meet the eligibility criteria for admission to the program.
Please find below a Self Assessment questionnaire which is provided to assist you to determine whether or not you are eligible to submit an application.
1. Can you show written evidence of satisfactory completion of the AMC MCQ examination? Yes No
2. Can you show evidence that you have English language proficiency as defined in the National English Language proficiency requirements for International Medical Graduates policy? Yes No
3. Can you show evidence of recency of practice? ‘Practice’ is defined by the Board as including “work in clinical administration, research and education fields, using the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the profession, whether remunerated or not, whether retired or not, and regardless of job title.” Careful consideration should be given to the nature, extent and context of recent practice to establish the value and relevance of a period of clinical attachment. Yes No
4. Can you show evidence of permanent residency in Australia (ie. Independent of the IMG needing employment with Queensland Health)? Please note IMGs temporarily residing in Queensland on student or tourist visa are not eligible for these attachments. Yes No
If you have answered Yes to ALL of the questions above then you are eligible to apply for admission into the program and should email Clinical Workforce Solutions and request an application form in the appropriate application periods outlined below.
If you have answered No to any of the questions above then you are not eligible to apply for admission into the program. Enquires can be directed to Clinical Workforce Solutions at RAPTS@health.qld.gov.au.
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