Electives for Registrars/ GP-trainees or aios in Australia
Dutch aios or GP-trainees can apply for an elective in Australia. This could be in your second or third year of the GP-training. One has to realize that Australia wants safeguards against an influx of GPs who may be incompetent or are culturally incompatable without further acculturalisation. Due to some dysfunctional doctors, working in Australia has become even more difficult since 2008.
Currently we (The WHIG) are exploring possibilities in Australia with Chris O’Connell who brought me into contact with all the key persons in the health forces. He is willing to help anyone to guide him to the right spot in Australia. His e-mail is chrisoco@bigpond.net.au The WHIG is exploring the possibility of a formalised elective with the GP training division of the UMC Utrecht (University Medical Center) If you already have a specific idea of where to do the elective read the information per state at the end of this page.
The following information is based on old meetings in oktober 2006 with various people involved in creating favourable conditions for GPs who are interested in a future practice in Australia. Dutch GP-trainees may want to find out how GPs work in another country, or they may be interested to work with patient of a different culture (Australia has besides Europeans many Asians and Aboriginals and others). Australia may be willing to offer a trainee to groom him/ her for a possible career switch to Australia. Both GPs and GP-trainee are Temporary Registrar Overseas Trainee Doctor (TROTD) and to become TROTD you have to pass the test for proficiency in english. This should be done in advance in The Netherlands and is difficult.
The next step would be that you seek contact with a Health Work Force or The Rural Doctors Network that exist in the various States (they differ in each state). They help you to get the paperwork done. That is a visa (422 or 457: temporary work visa for skilled workors and for Doctors), a work permit and a provider number (necessary to get paid by insurance houses for consultations, etc.)
An attractive option is to choose for working in a center that mainly serves aboriginal or other foreign patients. It would be an extra challenge to experience their culture and to be trained in the different presentation of diseases in a different context.
In Queensland I contacted the health work force http://www.healthworkforce.com.au and spoke Charlene Duncan who regularly visits Holland and will probably be present at the Dutch GP Fair in april. I also spoke with Chris Mitchell the chief executive officer. Bot were very helpful and can be contacted. In Cairns I spoke with various people and there is a demand for the far north.
In New South Wales I met with Jenny Reath in Warimoo, GP manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Unit of the RACGP. She is involved in Post graduate training programs especially for GPs who work in rural areas with aboriginal people. I also spoke with Tony Miles, Director recruitment & Retention in Newcastke and with Chris O’Connell and staff members of the NSW . For information go to www.ahmrc.org.au
In Tasmania I met informally with people from the Tasmanian Health Work Force. They were also very willing to consider an elective.