New fast-track pathway for internationally trained medical specialists in Australia

Internationally trained specialists like GPs, anaesthetists, obstetricians, and psychiatrists will benefit from a new fast-track registration process in Australia, as announced by AHPRA's Medical Board. This initiative aims to address healthcare shortages by recognising and validating comparable overseas qualifications upfront, facilitating quicker integration into the Australian health system.

Consultations are underway with specialist colleges, including the RACGP, to refine the list of recognised qualifications, ensuring more specialists can serve, especially in underserved rural and regional areas.

AHPRA are excited to announce a significant development from the Medical Board of Australia's annual meeting, focusing on a new process to fast-track internationally trained medical specialists into the Australian health system. This initiative is set to begin in October 2024 for general practice and December 2024 for anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and psychiatry.

Key features of the new pathway:

• Priority specialties: Initially, the program will prioritise general practitioners, anaesthetists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, and psychiatrists. These specialties have been identified by jurisdictions as having the most acute needs.

• Consultation and recognition: The process involves consultation with specialist colleges to identify comparable overseas specialist qualifications that will be recognised under this new pathway. This will streamline the integration of these specialists into the Australian healthcare system.

• Safeguards and supervision: To ensure patient safety, initially, conditions will be imposed on the registration of new specialists. They will work under supervision for six months and complete required adjustments such as cultural safety training and orientation to the Australian healthcare system.

• Registration and fellowship: Candidates will directly apply to the medical board for specialist registration, bypassing the need for college assessment of their qualifications. However, fellowship of a specialist medical college will not be an automatic outcome of this pathway.

AHPRA says this initiative comes in response to persistent shortages in the medical workforce across Australia, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the return to pre-COVID migration levels, shortages continue without a clear resolution from the current Australian training pipeline of doctors. The new pathway aims to make Australia an attractive destination for highly skilled doctors by simplifying and expediting the registration process.

The Board is currently consulting on the registration standard to be used for this new pathway, with final review and approval expected from Health Ministers.

We are optimistic that once the details are ironed out that this will provide a smoother route to registration for overseas specialists who are very much in need here in Australia.