International Medical Graduates National Assessment Process- An overview

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 begun. This process has been 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 new assessment process is founded on these principles:

1. Australian governments aim to ensure all doctors registered in Australia meet the agreed minimum standards of practice.
2. 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 new assessment process consists of three main pathways

1. The Competent Authority pathway


2. The Standard pathways
   For IMGs applying for non-specialist positions who are not eligible for registration under the Competent Authority pathway. Doctors who have not obtained qualifications from authorities presently on the AMC Competent Authority list will be required to undertake either
   • the AMC MCQ and AMC clinical examinations (current pathway) or
   • workplace based assessment (under development)
   
   
3. The Specialist pathway
   Overseas Trained Specialists (OTS) applying for specialist positions that are eligible for registration under the specialist pathway. This pathway is intended for the range of available specialist positions.