Australia Medical Practitioner (Doctor - AMC & AHPRA Registration)
From Medical Degree (MBBS/MD) or AMC Pathway to Supervised Internship (PGY1), AHPRA General Licensure, and Medical College Fellowship (FRACGP/FRACS)
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Where it leads
- Hospital Intern / Resident Medical Officer (PGY1 / PGY2)
- Specialty Medical / Surgical Registrar (Accredited Training Stream)
- General Practitioner (FRACGP / FACRRM - Primary Healthcare)
- Hospital Staff Specialist / Medical Consultant (Public Hospital)
- Private Medical / Surgical Consultant Specialist
0 of 8 steps done
Before you spend money or years
Check these first; they can end the journey before it costs you
Go / no-go check
Red light: check these before paying any fees.
International doctors must navigate the Section 19AB '10-Year Moratorium' requiring practice in Distribution Priority Areas (DPA), alongside intense competition for accredited specialty registrar training positions.
Is this you?
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8 steps to your licence
Your route to practise: 8 steps in 4 stages. Tap a step to read it; log the date when you finish it.
Graduate from an Australian medical school or complete the Australian Medical Council (AMC) examination pathway.
Complete your mandatory 12-month supervised internship, earn General AHPRA registration, and gain acute ward experience.
Enter an accredited training scheme with a royal medical college, pass primary and fellowship written/clinical exams.
Obtain Specialist AHPRA Registration, practice as a Consultant / Staff Specialist or GP Principal, and lead healthcare services.
More about this career
About the job, pay where you live, questions people ask, and where this career can take you next.
About the job
What you’d do
- Examine patients and order tests, X-rays and other diagnostic procedures
- Make a diagnosis from the examination and test results
- Choose and give treatments, and advise patients on further options and prevention
- Prescribe and administer medicines, and perform minor surgery in general practice
- Monitor and record patients' progress and response to treatment
- Refer patients to specialists and arrange hospital admissions
Where you’d work
- General practice in the community
- Hospitals (interns work only in accredited positions)
- Health care and social assistance sector
Licence to practise
Registration is with Medical Board of Australia (MBA)
- In your final year of medical school, apply through the Ahpra portal for provisional registration
- Complete an accredited intern year (PGY1): 47 weeks full-time, with at least four terms of 10 weeks or more
- Finish PGY1 satisfactorily to become eligible for general registration
- If you trained overseas (AMC Standard pathway), pass the AMC CAT MCQ exam and then the AMC Clinical Exam or a workplace-based assessment
Directions you can take
- General practice
- Anaesthesia
- Specialist physician
- Psychiatry
- Surgery
Every step in full
The complete text of every step, to read or print. Work through them in the journey above.
Medical Qualification or AMC Standard Pathway for Overseas Doctors 2 steps
Complete Australian Medical Degree (BMed/MD) & Hospital Placements
Complete accredited Australian university medical studies with clinical hospital clerkships across major specialties.
Real-world task: Perform an acute clinical evaluation and formulate an admission management plan for a patient presenting to the emergency department with acute dyspnoea.
Why it matters: Graduating from an Australian medical school guarantees direct access to state-allocated PGY1 hospital internships.
Checklist
- Complete core preclinical coursework in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and pathology
- Undertake clinical rotations in Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and GP
- Demonstrate proficiency in clinical procedural skills (ECG interpretation, venepuncture, catheterization, CPR)
- Graduate with an AMC-accredited Doctor of Medicine (MD) or MBBS qualification
Pass AMC MCQ & Clinical Examinations (International Medical Graduates)
For foreign-trained doctors: verify medical credentials via EPIC-ECFMG and clear the two-part AMC exam sequence.
Real-world task: Complete a timed 8-minute simulated OSCE station taking a focused history and counseling a distressed parent on acute pediatric febrile convulsions.
Why it matters: The AMC Certificate proves equivalent clinical competence to an Australian medical graduate, unlocking hospital employment eligibility.
Checklist
- Verify primary medical qualification via the ECFMG EPIC electronic portal
- Pass the 3.5-hour AMC CAT MCQ Examination (150 computer-adaptive multiple choice questions)
- Pass the 16-station AMC Clinical Examination (OSCE assessing clinical, diagnostic, and communication skills) or enroll in an accredited Workplace-Based Assessment (WBA) program
- Obtain the official AMC Certificate qualifying for AHPRA provisional registration
Internship (PGY1), General Registration & Residency (PGY2+) 2 steps
Complete 12-Month Accredited Hospital Internship (PGY1)
Work as an Intern under provisional registration completing mandatory core hospital rotations.
Real-world task: Conduct a rapid MET call assessment on a postoperative ward patient with acute hypotension, stabilizing vitals and initiating fluid resuscitation.
Why it matters: Satisfactory completion of PGY1 internship fulfills the statutory requirement to receive unconditional General AHPRA medical registration.
Checklist
- Complete mandatory 10 weeks in General Medicine, 10 weeks in General Surgery, and 8 weeks in Emergency Medical Care
- Manage inpatient fluid balances, drug charts, clinical handovers (ISBAR format), and perioperative orders
- Respond to hospital Medical Emergency Team (MET) callouts and deteriorating patient alerts
- Receive satisfactory End-of-Term Assessment reports across all clinical attachments
Practice as Resident Medical Officer (PGY2/PGY3) & Build CV
Work as an independent Resident Medical Officer (RMO) rotating through competitive subspecialties.
Real-world task: Lead the safe bedside insertion of an ultrasound-guided central venous line in an unstable patient in the high-dependency unit.
Why it matters: RMO years provide the competitive clinical audit and procedural portfolio required for entry into accredited specialty college training.
Checklist
- Obtain Full General Medical Registration with the Medical Board of Australia / AHPRA
- Rotate through chosen specialty terms: Intensive Care (ICU), Cardiology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Anaesthetics, or Paediatrics
- Attain Advanced Life Support 2 (ALS2) and Emergency Management of Severe Trauma (EMST) certifications
- Publish peer-reviewed clinical research and present audits at national medical conferences
Specialty College Training (Registrar) & Fellowship Examinations 2 steps
Enter Accredited Specialty College Registrar Training
Secure an accredited training post with your chosen royal college (e.g. RACGP for GP, RACP for Physicians, RACS for Surgeons).
Real-world task: Autonomously perform an emergency diagnostic laparoscopy and appendectomy overnight under indirect consultant on-call supervision.
Why it matters: Registrar training develops the high-level diagnostic autonomy and surgical/clinical execution demanded of senior specialists.
Checklist
- Apply through college selection processes (interview, situational judgment, CV benchmarking, referee reports)
- Enter formal training stream (e.g., General Practice: RACGP/ACRRM 3 years; Physician/Surgery: RACP/RACS 5–6 years)
- Perform independently on hospital on-call rosters managing acute admissions and complex theatre cases
- Supervise junior residents and medical students on ward rounds
Pass Royal College Fellowship Written & Clinical Examinations
Clear the comprehensive primary basic science and advanced fellowship exit examinations of your college.
Real-world task: Successfully defend diagnosis and treatment options across a grueling 8-case consultant viva examination panel with senior college examiners.
Why it matters: Passing fellowship examinations is the definitive requirement to be admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College.
Checklist
- Pass the College Primary / Basic Sciences Examination (anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology)
- Pass the Fellowship Exit Written Examinations (multiple choice and extended clinical data analysis)
- Pass the rigorous Fellowship Clinical Viva / OSCE examination testing real-world case management
- Complete mandatory logbook numbers and workplace-based direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS)
Fellowship Admission, Specialist Registration & Consultant Practice 2 steps
Admitted to Fellowship & Obtain Specialist AHPRA Registration
Receive formal Fellowship (FRACGP, FRACP, FRACS, FANZCA) and register as a Medical Specialist with AHPRA.
Real-world task: Establish an independent specialist outpatient clinic providing complex tertiary consultations and procedures under Medicare billing.
Why it matters: Specialist registration provides total clinical independence and unlocks top-tier public and private billing rates.
Checklist
- Conferred Fellowship of your royal medical college and receive your specialist postnominals
- Obtain Specialist Class Medical Registration with the Medical Board of Australia / AHPRA
- Secure individual Medicare Provider Number and PBS Prescriber Number
- Procure specialist Medical Indemnity Insurance (e.g., Avant, MIGA, MDA National)
Lead as Hospital Staff Specialist, Department Head or Practice Owner
Command acute hospital departments, mentor registrar teams, and lead clinical service delivery.
Real-world task: Lead the hospital-wide clinical response to an emergency mass casualty disaster, coordinating triage and surgical theatre allocation.
Why it matters: Senior medical leadership shapes regional public healthcare policy and ensures high standards of clinical governance across Australia.
Checklist
- Appointed as Public Hospital Staff Specialist / Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) with salaries from A$280,000 to A$450,000+ AUD
- Or establish an independent GP / Specialist medical centre generating substantial business revenue
- Direct multi-specialty clinical governance committees and safety incident reviews
- Hold academic clinical professorship appointments with affiliated university medical faculties
Questions people ask about Australia Medical Practitioner (Doctor - AMC & AHPRA Registration)
Clear answers regarding timelines, prerequisites, salaries, and study strategies.
What are the differences between the Standard, Competent Authority, and Specialist Pathways for IMGs in Australia?
International Medical Graduates (IMGs) migrating to Australia follow one of three primary pathways based on their training country. 1) Competent Authority Pathway: For doctors trained in designated countries with comparable systems (UK, Ireland, Canada, USA, New Zealand). These doctors bypass the AMC exams, receive provisional registration, and transition to general registration after 12 months of supervised practice. 2) Standard Pathway: For all other international medical graduates; requires clearing the AMC CAT MCQ exam and either the AMC Clinical Examination or a Workplace-Based Assessment (WBA) before obtaining provisional registration. 3) Specialist Pathway: For overseas-trained medical specialists seeking recognition; assessed directly by the relevant Australian Royal College for comparability to an Australian-trained specialist.
What is the 10-Year Moratorium (Section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act) in Australia?
Under Section 19AB of the Australian Health Insurance Act 1973, all International Medical Graduates (IMGs) and foreign-national Australian graduates are subject to the '10-Year Moratorium'. This rule restricts doctors from accessing Medicare provider numbers to bill the government unless they practice in designated 'Distribution Priority Areas' (DPA) for General Practice or 'Districts of Workforce Shortage' (DWS) for specialists—typically located in regional, rural, and outer-metropolitan communities. Doctors can reduce the 10-year period (down to as low as 3–5 years) through the 'scaling initiative' by working in more remote geographic zones (Modified Monash Model / MMM categories 4 to 7).
How much do doctors earn in Australia (Intern vs Registrar vs Consultant / Specialist)?
Doctors in Australian public hospitals are paid under each state’s or territory’s enterprise agreement, with steps for interns, residents, registrars and specialists, plus allowances for overtime and unsociable hours. Read the current agreement for the state where you plan to work: rates differ between states and change with each agreement.
How difficult is the AMC CAT MCQ and Clinical exam sequence?
The Australian Medical Council’s CAT MCQ examination is a computer-adaptive exam of 150 questions (120 scored, 30 pilot) in one 3.5-hour session; scores run from 0 to 500 and 250 is a pass (AMC). The AMC Clinical Examination is a multi-station clinical assessment; some candidates instead complete an accredited workplace-based assessment program. Check the AMC’s current specifications before you book.
What visas are available for overseas doctors to work and obtain Permanent Residency in Australia?
Overseas doctors usually work in Australia on employer-sponsored visas, such as the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), which replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage visa on 7 December 2024, or the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) for permanent residence; regional visas (for example subclasses 491 and 494) also exist. Check the Department of Home Affairs for current requirements and processing times.