On 15 February 2018, a revised registration standard for AMC certificate holders applying for general registration came into effect. What does this mean for you?
Firstly, the revised standard does not change your requirements for general registration eligibility. So you can breathe a sigh of relief. The reason for the revised standard was to make it clearer to AMC certificate holders how you can demonstrate that you have met the requirements.
So, let’s start from the beginning. International medical graduates on the standard pathway who are working under supervision, must demonstrate to the Board that they are performing at least at the standard of an Australian intern (at the end of an intern’s 12-month internship) to become eligible for general registration. If you were working with limited registration, you must also complete your AMC clinical examination to become eligible for general registration.
So the question is, during your supervised practice, how do you demonstrate to the Board that you are achieving the learning outcomes of an Australian intern? You can find detailed information about the national standards framework for intern training here. Here you will find an overview of what is expected of interns; an outline of the learning outcomes; guidelines on each of the core rotations including notes on supervision; and guides on assessment criteria and forms. This information is crucial for all IMGs in supervised practice, so be sure to read through it all and keep check of yourself. That is, ensure that you are meeting the learning outcomes and that you are up-to-date on your term assessments.
As a side note, it is a great idea to keep a log of all the patients that you see. A basic de-identified patient summary, for example, 64-yo woman with acute abdomen, and what you did, for example, initial assessment and management, or assisted in open appendicectomy. And that’s it. Two lines in a notebook for each patient you see and you have a log of your clinical experience to refer to.
Back to how to demonstrate that you have met the requirements for general registration. The Board has released detailed information about the evidence required to demonstrate satisfactory completion of supervised practice for applications for general registration. You can download Guidance: Evidence of supervised practice to support applications for general registration from Australian Medical Council certificate holders here.
For IMGs commencing supervised practice in an HMO/RMO/JMO/SMO position from February 2018, you can simply follow the above guidance.
For IMGs currently in supervised practice in general practice, there are transitional arrangements in place. For applications for general registration received by AHPRA up to and including 30 June 2018, AMC certificate holders who have undertaken supervised practice in general practice can continue to provide the evidence as required under the previous standard. The previous requirements are outlined in the update here, and can be downloaded from the retired version of the Granting general registration to medical practitioners who hold an Australian Medical Council certificate Registration Standard found at the bottom of the page here.
From 1 July 2018, AMC certificate holders who complete all their supervised practice in general practice must provide documentary evidence as outlined in the revised guidelines.