Beat Medical Blog

Crossing the Tasman - NZ doctors locuming in Australia - what you need to know (Part 1)

Posted by Beat Medical

Beat Medical are a medical recruitment and locum agency based in Wollongong, Australia.

Every year, we have a steady stream of doctors from NZ doing locum work in Australia, and other locations in the region. Some come for the pay, others for the climate, and some for exposure to clinical work that they may not be able to access at home.

With the introduction of national Aussie medical registration 2010, it is now easier for NZ locums to work across Australia.

Generally, much of the locum work is outside of capital cities - as that is where the need tends to be. Pay ranges from around $1500 per day for GPs to between $2500-$3000 per day for physicians, anaesthetists, emergency docs, surgeons, and other specialties. More often than not, employers will cover return flights from NZ, as well as accommodation and a vehicle.

Before you book work, there are a few things you need to do. 

1. The first is to confirm your right to work. You need to hold NZ or Australian Citizenship, or a valid Australian visa in order to work here. NZ permanent residents do not have the right to work in Australia. 

2. The second step is applying for mutual recognition of medical registration. This is where it gets a little more complex. There are essentially two categories of medical registration you can apply for. The first is General, the second is Specialist. 

To be eligible for general registration, you need to have full registration in NZ. This category only enables you to work in a general, non-specialist position here. 

To apply for specialist registration, you must hold a medical speciality recognised in Australia or NZ. 

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.

Have a look at this flowchart for a breakdown of the process*

This may sound ridiculous, and complex  - and honestly, in some ways it is. Beat Medical can help you through the process, from start to finish. Although the process is bureaucratic, we’re the experts at making it go as painlessly as possible. With current locum possibilities and rates in Australia, it’s well worth it.

The next part of this series will focus on the how - what you need to do to get registered in Australia ASAP. 

In the meantime, if you are an NZ doctor interested in working in Australia, call us on +61 2 4263 1500.