The Competent Authority Pathway of the Australian Medical Board Explained

Obtaining registration to practice medicine in Australia is probably the most confusing out of all of the options IMGs have. To make some sense of the chaos and to understand the various pathways to obtaining medical registration it’s best to start by understanding the various players in the skills assessment and registration processes.

There are 6 you should know about:

1. Australian Medical Board (AMB) – Registers all medical practitioners and students;

2. Australian Medical Council (AMC) – is the Australian verifications authority for all medical qualifications and also conducts the Standard Pathway assessment examinations;

3. Approved Competent Authorities are international authorities who are approved by the Australian Medical Board to assess applied medical knowledge and basic clinical skills – only needed for the Competent Authority Pathway;

4. Australian Specialist Medical Colleges – conduct the Specialist Pathway assessments.

5. Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) – provide verification of medical qualifications through their Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC) service;

6. Last but not least, you, the applicant.

The Competent Authority Pathway can be used by non-specialists or specialists (including general practitioners) who are seeking general registration (not specialist registration) with the AMB. The Competent Authority Pathway is administered by the Australian Medical Board, which essentially recognizes a combination of training and supervised work experience (internship equivalent or residency program) by approved authorities in the UK, Canada, USA, New Zealand and Ireland as being valid for provisional medical registration in Australia. Additionally, the AMB requires that you have an offer of employment prior to applying for provisional registration. Applicants under this pathway may be required to undertake a pre-employment structured clinical interview (PESCI) prior to having their application for provisional registration considered by the AMB. You can find out more about this pathway here.

To be eligible for the assessment under the Competent Authority Pathway, you must be holding a primary qualification (MD, MBBS, etc.) from one of the following:

· a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.

· a medical school in the United Kingdom accredited by the General Medical Council

· a medical school in Ireland accredited by the Medical Council of Ireland

Furthermore, you must also successfully complete of a 1-2 years (depending on where you are training) of graduate medical education within a residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Given below is a complete and brief description of the eligibility requirements of the Competent Authority Pathway based on where you are: