Information for Employers
If you are an employer and have been unable to recruit an Australian trained medical practitioner, it is possible to recruit and employ an international medical graduate, subject to legislative requirements being met.
Please note: Processing of Area of Need support can take up to 10 days. Please be aware of this timeframe when applying.
The definition of an international medical graduate 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', international medical graduates are those who have not yet received full registration with the Medical Board of Australia. Please note all registration enquiries are now handled by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Overview of areas of need and districts of workforce shortage
In most circumstance there are two government requirements that must be met before an international medical graduate is considered eligible for employment in SA.
The two requirements are:
Area of Need (AON) - SA Government;
If an international medical graduate is being employed into a position that does not require billing to Medicare (eg hospital Salaried Medical Officer) then the second requirement does not apply.
An international medical graduate with Limited Registration from the Medical Board of SA can only work in SA and access Medicare Benefits in positions that have been deemed Position of Need and Districts of Workforce Shortage.
The link between international medical graduates working in Districts of Workforce Shortage determined by the Australian Government, and Area of Need administered by the State Government, is indicated in the Diagram.
International Medical Graduates may only access the Medicare Benefits Schedule if they agree to work in a designated District of Workforce Shortage (see Ten Year Moratorium below).
International medical graduates can only apply for Limited Registration with the Medical Board of Australia if there is a current determination for Area of Need. Please note all registration enquiries are now handled by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Ten Year Moratorium
An international medical graduate 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 Medicare Australia.
The 5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Scheme
In SA the 5 Year Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Scheme is managed by the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency (RDWA).
International medical graduates wishing to work long-term in rural SA 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 GPs (FRACGP) and a Permanent Resident of Australia, the doctor will be able to work anywhere in Australia without restriction.
International medical graduates who are not part of the 5 Year OTD Scheme would usually be required to obtain the FRACGP, and work in a District of Workforce Shortage for a full 10-year period after obtaining permanent residency, before being granted an unrestricted Medicare Provider Number.
For further information refer to Doctor Connect.