Qualifications Required
If you wish to work as a General Practitioner in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), you must be eligible for registration with the Medical Board of Australia (www.medicalboard.gov.au) which forms part of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (www.ahpra.gov.au).
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Specialist Pathway
The RACGP Specialist Pathway is part of a nationally agreed assessment and registration process developed in conjunction with the Australian Medical Board, Australian Medical Council (AMC), the Department of Health and Ageing and the RACGP. This is a process for doctors who do not hold current Australian medical registration but have recognised general practice qualifications from overseas countries.
The Specialist Pathway Program provides a pathway for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) to obtain Fellowship from the RACGP taking into consideration their previous training in general practice. This provides an opportunity for IMGs who want to work in Australia while making a positive contribution to the health care of their communities.
Progress of each candidate will be monitored by the RACGP during all stages of the program. Please visit www.racgp.org.au/overseastraineddoctors for more information.
Specialist qualifications which are considered fully comparable and eligible for Specialist Pathway include:
| UK |
Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) holding the JCPTGP certificate OR MRCGP member holding Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) qualification |
| Ireland |
Graduate of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) holding MICGP membership |
| Canada |
Certificate in Family Medicine from College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) + Evidence of Canadian Qualifying Examinations Part 1 + 2 post 1992 |
| NZ |
Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP) |
The above qualifications are fully comparable to Australian trained specialists for general practice and make you eligible for Fellowship or Fellowship ad eundum gradum (Faeg) with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). There will be no need for RACGP examinations leading to Fellowship, no assessment of general practice experience, and no further training required.
You can choose to be sponsored by your employer or you can speak to the ACT GP Marketing and Support Advisor about the possibility of being sponsored by the ACT Government for permanent residency; or you can enter Australia on a temporary residency visa.
If you meet all the criteria for working as a GP in Canberra, please fill out an Expression of Interest form and view our positions vacant.
For further information on the steps you will need to take to move to Australia, please visit Things to Do.
If you do not hold any of the above qualifications, please check here for information on Partially Comparable Doctors who MAY be eligible to work in Canberra, ACT.
IMPORTANT: If you hold permanent residency but do not have Fellowship or Fellowship ad eundum gradum from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), you are not eligible for a medicare provider number and will not be able to work in Canberra. If you are a temporary resident, this rule does not apply.