Beat Medical Blog

Working as NZ based locum in Australia- Part 2

Posted by Beat Medical

So, you’re a NZ doctor looking to work in Australia?
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at some of the basics of working in Australia. There are some bureaucratic hoops to jump through, and they’re not all exactly straightforward.

To recap on the last article, there are two categories of registration you can apply for: Specialist and General. Forgeneral registration, you can apply directly to AHPRA (Medical Board), and work in a non-specialist position.
If you are a specialist, depending on your qualification/s, your application can take one of two paths- directly to AHPRA, or to the AMC for assessment.

For those holding a speciality which has a joint Australian/NZ College (such as ACEM), you can apply directly to AHPRA, the Australian Medical Registration body.

If you hold a speciality with a college which is solely NZ based (such as RNZCGP), you’re going to have to apply to the equivalent Australian college for recognition (i.e. the RACGP) via the Australian Medical Council (which is an intermediary body that forwards your application to the college). The AMC does not deal with medical registration, and is NOT the equivalent of the NZMC.

If you fall into this second category, you will need to apply to the AMC to have your qualifications assessed by the relevant college. In some cases, you will receive full recognition, in other cases you will receive partial recognition of your fellowship.

The role of the AMC is primarily to review documents, and pass them on to the College. Why can’t you apply directly to the College? Well, that’s just the way it is!

Once the AMC is happy with your documents (which need to be absolutely perfect), they will hand over to the college for assessment.

Assuming you are granted full recognition, you will be able to apply for Specialist Registration with AHPRA.
In either pathway, after being granted medical registration, in most cases you will be required to apply for a provider number. This enables you to bill as a private practitioner, request pathology, x-ray, etc., and the prescriber number you are granted will enable you to prescribe. Whilst you need a new provider number for each location you work at, your prescriber number is the same, wherever you go.

A few tips from us about the process:
-make sure you plan ahead, and give yourself lots of time to go through the process
-don’t book any work in Australia until your registration is approved
-when you’re having documents certified, make sure it is by the right person - and get more copies than you think you need
-and the most important: supply exactly the documentation requested on the relevant forms. You’re dealing with a government bureaucracy, so it needs to be exact!

There are a couple of things you can do if you want to get through the process a bit easier.

The first is: avoid it altogether! We offer work in a number of other places such as Solomon Islands, and East Timor where you can work with your NZ registration.

The second is to call or email us to discuss your situation. We can go through the process in more detail with you, and manage it every step of the way for you. We have taken loads of doctors through mutual recognition processes, and know many of the loopholes and tricks of the system.

There are some other considerations, particularly with regard to GPs, so do get in touch to discuss your individual requirements.

Call us on +61 2 4254 1004 to talk about your options in working in Australia as a NZ based locum.

Here are some links which you may find useful in the process:

AHPRA (Medical Registration)
Australian Medical Council
Medicare Australia

National medical registration system struggling with demand from doctors, agencies, employers in Australia

Posted by Beat Medical

Following criticism levelled by doctors, medical recruiters, and employers, the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) is reporting that they are increasing their capacity.

After failing to respond to enquiries, poor response times, lack of available documentation, and serious mistakes when transferring information about practitioners to the new national database, AHPRA has advised that they are taking action on the emergent issues.

Representatives of the Board have said that: "AHPRA’s focus continues to be on boosting our enquiry response capacity and bedding down our IT systems. By early next week, we will have doubled the number of enquiries staff whose sole priority is to respond effectively to enquiries, in a timely way[...]".

As a medical recruitment and locum agency, we are very concerned that there will be serious after-effects from the lack of preparedness that the Board has shown in the roll-out of national medical registration. Not only are the phones left unanswered, the Board has failed to provide key forms, policies, and documentation to enable us to place doctors where they are needed as quickly as we usually do.

As members of the Association of Medical Recruitment Australia and New Zealand (AMRANZ), Beat Medical are contributing to assisting the MBA to bring their service to the standard expected by the healthcare industry, and the Australian public.

As an AMRANZ councillor, Beat Medical Director Shaun Hughston is playing a key role in exerting pressure on the MBA to meet the immediate demands of medical employment in Australia. We wish to assure our clients and candidates that we are the forefront of addressing the key concerns and issues surrounding the very tenuous implementation of national registration.

Have you had a problem with the new national Medical Board of Australia? Let us know... click on "Comments" below.

Electronic medical records - is it all going wrong?

Posted by Beat Medical

With electronic media so much part of our everyday life, isn't it logical that our medical records are kept electronically?

The benefits of electronic medical records (EMR) are huge - instant access to records, information sharing, standardisation, integration of systems, and so on. Some say that EMR will revolutionise healthcare.

So, why is it that as a medical recruitment and locum agency, we hear so many complaints about EMR? We hear that the systems are slow, and inaccessible. People tell us that they discourage patient and collegial interaction. Some say that the NSW government has not invested enough in the system, and has 'gone cheap'.

It is unlikely that the system with backpedal on EMR, so what can be done right now to change where things are heading?

Let us know your thoughts....  Click on 'comments' below to have your say

Jayant Patel found guilty, but who else is to blame?

Posted by Beat Medical

Yesterday, Jayant Patel, the Bundaberg surgeon accused of gross negligence was found guilty of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm.

Appeals will most likely commence from here, but for the families of his victims, it will hopefully be some resolution.

Alongside the news on the case in the media, this article in The Australian was published today. Tony Morris highlights that there are two issues at play in the case - that of Patel's incompetence and the subsequent deaths, and that of the process that enabled him to work unsupervised as the Director of Surgery in a regional QLD hospital.

It was a complex case, with a number of contributing factors. There were so many preventable events that took place before his employment that it is almost impossible to imagine how Patel was granted registration in the first place:

-the recruitment agency did not adequately check the documentaiton
-the medical board did not complete the requisite checks, and granted registration
-the hospital appointed Patel to a position outside of the scope of his medical registration
-there was internal pressure against the 'whistleblower', who brought matters to the attention of the health service


It is absolutely the responsibility of each person in the medical recruitment process to ensure that they scrutinise, and question the veracity of CV's, references, professional documents. If something feels out of place, dig. If it still feels out of place, keep digging.

It is human to be blinded by pressure to find a doctor for shift, position, or job - and create a false gap between what you actually see, and what you want to see. It is the individual responsibility of us all in this industry to speak up if something is not right, and unless you are completely satisfied of a medical professional's competence and background - do not give them the job.

Consider the deaths of Patel's patients, and their families - who have felt the deepest cut of his behaviour and the omissions of his employers. It is up to administrators and recruiters to work towards preventing this from happening ever again.

The medical recruitment company involved dismissed a staff member, and most likely felt a level of corporate shock they never will again. The health service and the medical board were held to account, and a whistleblower's life and career still stands deeply affected by the events.

We ask the same question Tony Morris asks: should there have been other people in the dock?

Click on 'comments' below to have your say

Medical indemnity insurance - why it is a must for working as a doctor in Australia

Posted by Beat Medical

A phrase we hear every day from locum doctors and doctors looking for jobs is: why do I need medical indemnity insurance? I thought the hospital provides cover...it's in my contract...

It may well be the case, but there are a number of good reasons why you need to have your own medical indemnity insurance cover. This is best illustrated with a scenario:

Dr X is working as a locum in Bigtown Hospital Emergency department, and sees a patient for a simple, minor presentation. Dr X treats the patient according to protocols, and common sense - but the patient returns to the ED the next day with serious complications, which appear to be as a result of the treatment provided by Dr X. The patient says they are going to sue the hospital, make a complaint to the HCCC, and go to the media about the shoddy treatment they received.

The hospital conducts its own investigation and finds that Dr X did not follow the latest protocol, and that Dr X is at fault. They suspend Dr X pending the HCCC investigation, and write a letter to the Medical Board, informing them of the situation.


Dr X is obviously going to be in a difficult situation here - his reputation is already damaged, the hospital is distancing themselves from him, and he may have to face the legal costs of fronting the HCCC, the Medical Board, and of course - the court case. Although the hospital may indeed be found negligent - Dr X may be stung with contributory negligence if it is found that he did not follow the protocols and policies of the hospital.

Medical indemnity insurance can provide a serious safety net in terms of:

-legal advice and representation
-underwriting in cases of negligence
-expert advocacy

When choosing a policy, it is important to speak with the insurer to understand what the right cover for you is. If you are working as an independent contractor on an ABN, it is very important to let the insurer know so that you can be covered appropriately. Also let them know about any significant changes in your scope of practice, employer, locum work, or anything else that you think might effect your insurance.

If you doubt the value of medical indemnity insurance, the key question you need to ask yourself is "Can I count on my hospital/employer to be my advocate when the worst happens?". The answer is "probably not" in most cases.

This article is intended as broad discussion only, and not as advice on any legal matters, particular product, or service. For advice on medical indemnity matters, speak with your insurer or legal adviser.


Have you ever had an experience which demonstrated the value of medical indemnity insurance? Tell us about it!

Nearly national medical registration?

Posted by Beat Medical

A bane of most locum doctors' existence is the lack of a national medical registration system. Thankfully, there is light at the end of the tunnel, with the formation of the new Medical Board of Australia, and national registration on 1st July 2010.

Many doctors will have already received a letter outlining the new system, and what you need to do next. There are some changes, with greater responsibility placed on the individual doctor to keep up their CME, undertake criminal history checks, and more. The actual registration fee remains unknown.

So, why is it nearly national registration? At the moment, there are three dissenting states - Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania - who have not passed the required legislation to make the national registration happen. Until this is completed, the national system will be rolled out to some states, but not the dissenting ones. If you are not registered in one of those rogue states, and you wish to be, you will still need to apply for mutual recognition.

When will true national registration happen? Your guess is as good as ours. We hope it happens sooner rather than later - with nationally mobile doctors in locum work across Australia, it is almost ridiculous that they need to go through a complex, paperwork laden process just to work in another Australian state.

What do you think about it? Let us know your thoughts...

Specialist recognition for GPs – thanks to the AMC and RACGP

Posted by Beat Medical

From February this year, the Australian Medical Council will be accepting applications from international medical graduates to be assessed as GPs under the specialist category, possibly negating the need for complex area of need registration, and the like. This is a fantastic move which will hopefully make it a more transparent process for GPs to make the transition to working in Australia. Candidates from the UK, Ireland, Canada, United States, and South Africa will particularly benefit from the level of recognition provided for their qualifications and experience.

Well done AMC and RACGP – a positive move in what is already a complex and difficult system. Next stop…. national medical registration!

Working in Australia as a UK trained GP

Posted by Beat Medical

Working in Australia as a UK trained general practitioner is even easier now with the new RACGP specialist pathway into general practice. In short, as a MRCGP, you can apply for ad eundem fellowship of the Australian college. In most cases, after a twelve month mentoring period, you will be a full fellow of the college.

The Australian Medical Council is responsible for the initial assessment and documentation process to get started as a GP in Australia. There are a number of documents which will need to be provided, as well as a verification process for your academic qualifications. When you start, your head will most likely be swimming with forms and regulations, so it is a good idea to get in contact with a medical recruitment agency to discuss your options. A good recruitment agent can manage the entire application process on your behalf, so you can concentrate on the where and when of starting your new job.

About working conditions in Australia

Industry Update - NSW Health Locums

Posted by Beat Medical

We advised in a previous edition of Evolve that there were changes to the NSW Health policy on the employment of locum doctors in pubic hospitals.

Essentially, the process covers non-specialist doctors employed on a casual basis, and focuses on two key areas:

1. Limitation of salaries and condition; and
2. Regulation of medical locum agencies

Since our previous article, there have been a few changes to the policy, which can be downloaded here.

One of the key changes is that there may be a provision for individual health services to invite you to work outside of the auspices of your registered locum agency. Although this is your decision, we do encourage any of our candidates who might be considering a change to discuss it with us in the first instance to help us understand how we may improve our service to you.

We have unfortunately heard reports of some individual health services putting pressure on candidates, or coercing them to work directly for the service rather than a locum agency. These practices are rare, but we do encourage you to report any such instances to the NSW Health Department on 02 9391 9523 , or by emailing them.