Type of Doctor?
See what’s involved in working as one of the following types of doctors. An outline of the steps involved follows below.
NOTE: This page applies only to Australian positions.
Specialists
Any specialist wishing to practice in
Australia must be registered to do so. The specialist registration
process, which is the process for registering overseas specialist
medical qualifications, requires submission to the AMC and the relevant
specialist college for assessment. The assessment gauges whether the
training, experience and skills are comparable to the Australian
system. The assessment will determine the type of specialist
registration granted.
Australia has one of the most comprehensive medical training
programs in the world, and most specialists will complete the MBBS or
equivalent followed by internship. After this time is spent in general
hospital appointments followed by up to 6 years vocational specialist
training depending on the discipline. During the vocational training
Australian graduates will sit both clinical and written examinations.
Being granted a fellowship of the college is the recognition as a
Specialist in Australia. The title of Consultant (used in some
countries) is equal to the title of Specialist in Australia.
Specialists are in high demand in all areas of Australia. The
predominance of the positions will be in semi metropolitan areas, maybe
1 -2 hours outside of the main state capitals. The eastern states are
the most populated hence there are more vacant roles in those areas.
Medacs place specialists into both the public and private system. In
regards to remuneration; each state is individually managed and has its
own medical board and state award system for staff specialist
remuneration. On average a staff specialist in the public system can
expect to earn anywhere from $300,000 - $400,000 AUD TOTAL PACKAGE.
Typically a salary package may include base salary, superannuation,
allowances, car and relocation. Salaries in the private system are
similar in structure but can range from $250,000 - $400,000 depending
on the role and location.
General Practitioners
Australian
General Practice is considered to be one of the most advanced in the
world. Thus it is encourages all trainees to obtain a specialist
qualification in GP and maintain a high level of ongoing education.
Now in Australia, GP or Family Medicine Practices are all privately
run as either Corporate or non Corporate businesses. These in turn
supply the facilities, staff, computers, telephones and more
importantly the patients. The GP is engaged on a “fee for service”
basis and in the capacity relating to their qualifications. You will
therefore be responsible for your salary, pension (Superannuation as
it’s called in Australia) sickness and holiday pay.
Typically, the GP would either have a specialist qualification or
equivalent to the FRACGP or work as a Non Specialist GP and thus would
receive a percentage of the income generated commensurate with their
experience and qualifications. Non specialists have the capacity to
learn and qualify to sit for the exams to become a Specialist. This is
encouraged greatly by the Australian Medical Board and the Royal
Australian College of General Practitioners that provides many courses
and support facilities for overseas trained GP’s.
Now GP’s earn their income from Medicare or private patients paying
private fees. The rebate from Medicare is greater if the GP has a
specialist qualification. In 1997, in order to access rebates from
Medicare some restrictions were introduced whereby overseas trained
GP’s had to work in either an Area of Need (AON) and/or District of
Workforce Shortage (DWS) for a period of 10years from the date of
gaining their registration. These areas are located in Outer
metropolitan, Coastal or Rural settings. The positions that you will be
offered therefore will reflect this situation and every effort would be
made to meet your specific GP needs and aspirations.
The annual income that a GP would earn is between $150-$300,000 AUD
per annum. This can increase depending on if you wish to take on extra
hours or work After Hours. Most GP’s are contracted to work a 40 hour
week over 4 or 5 days and can be arranged accordingly with the practice
and its roster. GP’s are expected to see anything from 4-6 patients per
hour and can also obtain additional income from other care services
they may provide.
Non-Specialists
Any
international medical graduate (IMG) wishing to practice as
non-specialist in Australia must be registered to do so. This process
entails liaising with Australian Medical Council (AMC) and a respective
medical board of the state they wish to register in. There are two
registration pathways for non- specialist IMGs. The competent authority
pathway recognizes qualifications and training from a comparable health
system, while the standard pathway is for IMGs who trained in a
non-comparable medical system, and involves taking a qualifying exam –
AMC MCQ. Additionally, IMGs will need to comply with English language
proficiency requirements.
Australia has one of the most comprehensive medical training
programs in the world. Medical graduates will complete a 12-month
internship followed by 2-3 years rotations between departments and
hospitals as medical officers. After this time they can enter
vocational specialist training (registrar level), which will take
between 3- 5 years, depending on the discipline. During the vocational
training Australian graduates will sit both clinical and written
examinations. Being granted a fellowship of the college is the
recognition as a Specialist (Consultant) in Australia.
Non-specialist doctors who have more than two or three years of
postgraduate experience and are able to step up to a registrar level
are in high demand across Australia. The areas of biggest shortage are
emergency medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry and paediatrics. The
number of intern or junior house officers’ positions has been on a
decline recently due to an increasing number of local medical graduates
released every year; nevertheless they are still widely available in
secondary level hospitals.
Generally, most of the positions for non-specialists are located in
semi metropolitan areas, 1-2 hours outside of the main state capitals,
or in teaching hospitals on the outskirts of big cities. The eastern
states are the most populated hence there are more vacant roles in
those areas. Medacs place non-specialists mainly into the public
system.
With regards to remuneration, each state is individually managed and
has its own state award system for medical staff. On average a junior
doctor in the 2nd or 3rd postgraduate year can earn around AUD 55.000 -
70.000 a year. Registrar’s annual salary will range from AUD 70.000 to
90.000 for 76 hours per fortnight. This constitutes base salary, which
excludes allowances for overtime and on-call hours. Additionally,
facilities based in rural and semi-metropolitan areas will usually
offer a relocation package covering the airfare and the registration
costs, and will assist IMGs and their families with temporary
accommodation.