Hi. This is for anyone who is dejected with the Australian system because they are either not getting jobs/positions. The truth is its not a closed door…but it is closing up.
I gave AMC-MCQ in 2009 during internship (just for fun) but I never persued coming to Australia until 2014. I passed AMC MCQ at my first attempt but went on to work in India, where I worked in multiple medical specialties at a medical college till 2014. I applied for registrar positions in Australia- late Dec 2014 and got a job offer in Feb 2014 as a medical registrar in one of the metropolitan hospitals. And my life has never been the same. I’m thoroughly enjoying the system here (the working hours and pay are 1000x better here than back home!) plus it lives up to an extremely high standard of academic and professional excellence and development which you are (either voluntarily or forcibly) meant to be a part of. I highly recommend Australia. I am now aiming to enter the BPT- basic physician training program and so preparing for AMC- clinical to get my general registration.
So among all the dejecting/depressing posts out there, thought I could share a more optimistic view of this country and its health system.
So here are a few tips for the prospective job hunters, as long as you’ve passed AMC MCQ and your IELTS.
-
EXPERIENCE- I had more than 4 yrs of post-grad work experience and this is the least I guess they expect from an IMG - if you expect a registrar position.
-
RESEARCH WORK- research papers/presentations. I had around 20 in my career so far and this makes your resume look more attractive.
-
RESUME/CV : At the end of the day, they want to employ someone who not only has experience but is competent and safe. So working on a good resume -sometimes having to resort to high flown descriptions of your experiences. Don’t leave out anything. Make it long but not too long also- if you know what I mean. If you’ve done it- write it and describe it.
-
GOOD REFERENCES- I got 2 job offers since I applied (within a span of 3 months) and they both expected good references. I added a referee who was a senior from my medical college back home and is now a consultant here in Australia. Though I never worked with him, I added him and guess what- the hospital here questioned me on that! They asked me to add references from doctors I worked back in India. This makes sense now as they want to know more about you from people you have worked with and not from people you know. So in short- don’t think that an Australian reference is all they are looking for. If you have worked with one closely, then it is preferred but don’t just add it just for the heck of it- they will catch you as THEY DO CONTACT YOUR REFERENCES. Either by email or phone call.
So in short my friends- if you are set to give Australia a try- go for it. I may have been lucky but I’m sure you will be lucky too- if you play smart and have the right stuff. Don’t let anything/anybody discourage you (God knows how many people discouraged me!). It will be a long road here- esp if you starting from RMO/intern level or are coming here after completing your postgraduation/worked as a consultant in your home country. But at the end- its all worth it.
BTW- RMO jobs are virtually closing up due to the new health budget cuts plus they are employing a lot of UK doctors as RMOs. But if you have the experience, I’m sure you will be able to grab a registrar position (Its not as scary as it sounds, you probably know lot more than your australian counterparts).
Jobs are getting more competitive and with the new job cuts and UK competition- I have a feeling Australia will shut its doors to SE Asian doctors within the next 2-3 years. SO ACT NOW!
ALL THE BEST.