National Assessment Process for IMGs
As part of the Commonwealth of Australian Governments (COAG) health reform initiatives, the staged implementation of a nationally consistent assessment process for international medical graduates has been implemented. This process was developed in consultation with representatives of state and territory medical boards, health departments, specialist medical colleges, the Australian Medical Council (AMC), the Australian Medical Association (AMA), postgraduate medical councils and consumer representatives.
Principles
The assessment process is founded on these principles:
- Australian governments aim to ensure all doctors registered in Australia meet the agreed minimum standards of practice.
- In addition to the pre-existing AMC examination pathway which will continue to be available, the new assessment model provides a variety of pathways to registration, depending on the IMGs previous training and assessment, knowledge base, clinical skills, and the suitability of their skills and experience for the position for which they are applying.
The assessment process consists of three main pathways:
- The Competent Authority pathway
- The Standard pathway
- The Specialist pathway