Australia planning to close doors for IMGs?

[Jay71483]

Hello all,

Take a look at this Quora answer.

The Anonymous person mentions this:

"Australia is considering closing applications to any and all international medical applicants. "

Do you know anything related to this?

Thanks,

Jay

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[txm88]

theoretically for IMGs you are able to gain eligibility (not entitled to) registration by either the standard (AMC exam), specialist or competent authority pathways - this is unlikely to change soon

but as we have known for over a decade that in australia we do not need any more junior doctors coming into the system, so IMGs even if eligible via the above pathways aren't able to secure a job. note you need to find a job first before applying for medical registration - obviously there is a need in the rural/regional areas but many of these do not have the infrastructure or supervision required for a junior level IMG to progress to general (full) registration

 

[Jay71483]

theoretically for IMGs you are able to gain eligibility (not entitled to) registration by either the standard (AMC exam), specialist or competent authority pathways - this is unlikely to change soon

but as we have known for over a decade that in australia we do not need any more junior doctors coming into the system, so IMGs even if eligible via the above pathways aren't able to secure a job. note you need to find a job first before applying for medical registration - obviously there is a need in the rural/regional areas but many of these do not have the infrastructure or supervision required for a junior level IMG to progress to general (full) registration

@txm88 Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I am sorry I did not mention this earlier, I was asking for IMGs who aimed at securing a training spot at the specialist training/vocational training level.

Are you or any of your colleagues aware of any plan to bar IMGs for "applying to vocational training"?

Thank you and kind regards,

Jay

 

[sean80439]

That statement is probably related to doctors on provisional then obtaining general registration. To be fair I’ve seen a lot of doctors trained overseas with garbage skills on a provisional and they spend far more than the 1 year that Australian trained interns need. Colleges don’t particularly care as long as you are here with a PR. And honestly I haven’t even heard that. We aren’t inundated with junior doctors with general registration. We need more RMOs to staff hospitals but that is funding limited.

 

[Jay71483]

That statement is probably related to doctors on provisional then obtaining general registration. To be fair I’ve seen a lot of doctors trained overseas with garbage skills on a provisional and they spend far more than the 1 year that Australian trained interns need. Colleges don’t particularly care as long as you are here with a PR. And honestly I haven’t even heard that. We aren’t inundated with junior doctors with general registration. We need more RMOs to staff hospitals but that is funding limited.

Thanks @sean80439 for your answer!

 

[txm88]

you seem quite interested on the chances that IMGs get into specialist/college training programs, and whether or not there is a law that automatically discriminates IMGs compared to local doctors. as we said before, there is none, and as long as you have general registration and PR, you can apply for most.

i think rather than focussing on specialist training , try to focus first on finding a job, to get provisional medical registration in the first place via the standard or competent authority pathway- this is the rate limiting step and the first job is always the hardest to get especially for standard pathway doctors. if you perform well, general registration will be granted to you with time. similarly, IMGs who are already in the system do eventually get onto specialist training, some specialties more than others

just because IMGs fit the minimum eligibility criteria doesn't mean that you are on the same level as a local applicant (and vice versa) .college training is competetive - most colleges require minimum training and clinical experiences in certain departments , completing primary exams and references from consultants. we cannot speculate on IMG discrimination as it certainly not law, so you really need to see the individual college training criteria for information on what makes an applicant competitive

Another big factor why IMGs are under-represented in certain specialties is that many are much older than their local counterparts and dont have the luxury of time to train - hence many go into general practice training which enables job stability and good remuneration. consultant jobs in the hospital are rare compared to an abundance of GP jobs.

of course, many imgs who are determined and have their minds set do get specialist training - many consultants coming out now will be of IMG background . and even if you dont get in to specialist training, general reg is more than enough to work as an RMO, and you will still be employed - think of specialist training as a matter of time thing if you are determined

 

[sean80439]

As txm88 said - Focus on the 25m target.

 

[Jay71483]

you seem quite interested on the chances that IMGs get into specialist/college training programs, and whether or not there is a law that automatically discriminates IMGs compared to local doctors. as we said before, there is none, and as long as you have general registration and PR, you can apply for most.

i think rather than focussing on specialist training , try to focus first on finding a job, to get provisional medical registration in the first place via the standard or competent authority pathway- this is the rate limiting step and the first job is always the hardest to get especially for standard pathway doctors. if you perform well, general registration will be granted to you with time. similarly, IMGs who are already in the system do eventually get onto specialist training, some specialties more than others

just because IMGs fit the minimum eligibility criteria doesn't mean that you are on the same level as a local applicant (and vice versa) .college training is competetive - most colleges require minimum training and clinical experiences in certain departments , completing primary exams and references from consultants. we cannot speculate on IMG discrimination as it certainly not law, so you really need to see the individual college training criteria for information on what makes an applicant competitive

Another big factor why IMGs are under-represented in certain specialties is that many are much older than their local counterparts and dont have the luxury of time to train - hence many go into general practice training which enables job stability and good remuneration. consultant jobs in the hospital are rare compared to an abundance of GP jobs.

of course, many imgs who are determined and have their minds set do get specialist training - many consultants coming out now will be of IMG background . and even if you dont get in to specialist training, general reg is more than enough to work as an RMO, and you will still be employed - think of specialist training as a matter of time thing if you are determined

@txm88 Thank you so much for your invaluable advice. I am determined to get ahead and learn regardless of the specialty is competitive for IMGs or not.

And as a last sentence of this thread, thanks @sean80439 too!

 

[pitman]

Australian has a massive dependence on IMGs (30% of the workforce, far greater outside of regional centres), and this hasn't changed. The govt simply cannot shut them out, since Australian doctors and trainees would never accept a genearlized mandatory service period in the bush.

What the OP heard on Quora is simply a trope that's persisted for nearly two decades. It just ain't gonna happen.

 

[bzora]

I work at an Australian medical school, (University of Tasmania School of Medicine,) and I can confirm that there is no plan to stop accepting international students. Happy to be PM'd if you have other questions about practicing in Australia, (I am originally Canadian and now hold registration in both countries.)

 

[premedstud101]

Hello guys,

I'm Canadian, I got my MD in the Caribbean in 2019, and passed the USMLE steps 1 and 2 (both CK and CS). I heard that, in NZ, I need to apply for house officer jobs, get an offer, and then apply for registration. Is it the same case in Australia? How competitive is this type of application?

 

[BigPikachu]

In Australian, generally speaking - and others on the forum may correct me if I'm wrong - re: United States IMGs...

Medical Degree + USMLE + INSUFFICIENT CLINICAL EXPERIENCE (i.e. have not worked long enough as a doctor yet) = Standard Pathway
Medical Degree + USMLE + 2+ years of Clinical Experience (i.e. have been working as a doctor) = Competent Authority Pathway
Medical Degree + USMLE + Board Certification (i.e. qualified & experienced specialist already) = Specialist Pathway

Standard Pathway:

Competent Pathway:

Specialist Pathway:

In my experience its easier to come over via the Competent or Specialist Pathway. It's harder to secure a position via the Standard Pathway. It's always good to have worked at least a few years as a doctor prior to moving internationally, since most local hospitals are looking to hire people who are already competent and/or preferentially already giving most of their junior trainee doctor positions to local graduates.

More detailed information available on the AHPRA website: Medical Board of Australia - International medical graduates (IMGs)