Information for Employers
Information for Employers | Summary of What the Employer is Required to Do | What is a District of Workforce Shortage? | What are Unmet Areas of Need? | How to Apply for Unmet Areas of Need | Recruitment Agencies
Information for Employers
If you are an employer and have been unable to recruit an Australian trained medical practitioner or another medical practitioner with general registration, it is possible to recruit and employ an overseas trained doctor, subject to legislative requirements being met.
The definition of an overseas trained doctor is a doctor who has obtained their primary medical qualification outside an accredited Australian and New Zealand medical school. In the context of this 'Information for Employers', overseas trained doctors are those who have not yet received general (unconditional) registration with the Medical Board of Western Australia.
Overview of Unmet Areas of Need and Districts of Workforce Shortage
In most circumstance there are two requirements that must be met before an overseas trained doctor is considered eligible for employment in WA.
The two requirements are:
- Unmet Areas of Need (UAN) - WA Government;
- Districts of Workforce Shortage (DWS) - Australian Government.
An overseas trained doctor with Conditional Registration from the Medical Board of WA can only work in WA and access Medicare Benefits in locations that have been deemed Unmet Areas of Need and Districts of Workforce Shortage.
The link between overseas trained doctors working in Districts of Workforce Shortage determined by the Australian Government, and Unmet Areas of Need administered by the State Government, is indicated in the diagram.
Overseas trained doctors may only access the Medicare Benefits Schedule if they agree to work in a designated District of Workforce Shortage for a period of 10 years (see Ten Year Moratorium).
Overseas trained doctors can only apply for Conditional Registration with the Medical Board if there is a current determination for Unmet Areas of Need for that position and location. For further information on registration, refer to Medical Board of WA.Ten Year Moratorium
An overseas trained doctor registered in Australia after 1996 is required to work for ten years in a District of Workforce Shortage before being eligible to obtain an unrestricted Medicare Provider Number. The exception to this is explained in The 5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Scheme.
For further information on the Medicare Benefits Schedule refer to Health Insurance Commission.
The 5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Scheme
In Western Australia the 5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Scheme is managed by the WA Centre for Remote and Rural Medicine (WACRRM).
Overseas trained doctors wishing to work long-term in Western Australia can apply to join the 5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Scheme after they have completed a minimum of six months locum work. To be accepted onto the scheme a doctor must agree to work in a rural or remote location that has been approved as a district of workforce shortage, for a period of five years.
At the end of the five year period, and subject to meeting all requirements of the scheme which include becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) and a Permanent Resident of Australia, the doctor will be able to work anywhere in Australia without restriction.
Overseas trained doctors who are not part of the Five Year Scheme would usually be required to obtain the FRACGP, and work in an Unmet Area of Need for a full 10-year period before being granted an unrestricted Medicare Provider Number.
For further information refer to www.wacrrm.uwa.edu.au.
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