GP AUSTRALIA

Opportunities to practice as an employee have increased over the years with the rise in the number of corporatised practices, community and other primary medical service providers.  The shortage of GPs, particularly in rural and outer metropolitan locations, has also increased the demand for GPs as employees. With increased demand there is often greater opportunity for employee doctors to have attractive terms of employment.

There are many sources of employment information and ways to seek employment as a GP in Australia, from medical organisations to recruitment companies, some more information is further down the page.

Doctors who trained overseas or who were born overseas and were not an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident when they commenced their Australian or New Zealand medical degree may not be able to take up positions in any location within Australia. Medical qualification and other requirements will vary from person to person.

Before applying for a position, please read about ‘what you need know’ and complete the Checklist for overseas trained doctors to gain a better understanding of the kind of vacancies for which you may be eligible. International students who completed an Australian medical degree may be affected by some Australian Government requirements and should also review this information and the checklist. Organisations recruiting doctors trained overseas usually offer assistance with understanding and meeting the requirements to allow you to work in Australia.

Medical organisations

Divisions of General Practice have a membership covering 90% of GPs and as providers of workforce support are an avenue for seeking employment. Use the network map of the 110 Divisions to locate ones to contact.

Media

The Medical Journal of Australia has a JobSearch feature powered by seek.com.au, which allows you to search for positions in all medical fields.

Medical Observer has online classified advertising called ‘Freebies’ which includes job listings under Career Opportunities.

Australian Doctor has online employment classified for general practitioners.

Most Australian newspapers have their employment classifieds listed on the Careerone or Mycareer websites.

Rural Workforce Agencies

Rural Workforce Agencies are funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and their respective State governments. They recruit and support GPs in rural and remote communities and offer locum opportunities through the Rural GP Locum Program. They offer a number of services:

• Expert recruitment advisory and retention services for Australian-trained GPs and International Medical Graduates
• Site visits and orientation programs
• Recruitment incentives and relocation grants
• GP locum relief programs
• Upskilling programs and continuing professional development
• Personal and family support

For details on the options and incentives available in a selected region, click on the map to link to each State’s agency website

Recruitment agencies

Many agencies handle both permanent placements and locum work.

Recruitment agencies will vary in their approach to filling the permanent positions they have available. They may advertise them, or they may seek to match candidates who have registered with them to the position. Their websites will provide information about how they work and any registration processes.

Locum work can be from one shift, to short or mid-term coverage. It could be in a general practice or a role with cruise ships, sporting clubs, companies which need to provide medical services to their employees, pharmaceutical and medical device companies and private clinics or other medical service organisations.

Doctors working full-time and wishing to locum must be aware of the safe working hours and be sure to balance their locum work with their full-time job effectively.

The Association of Medical Recruiters Australia & New Zealand (AMRANZ) is part of the peak professional body for recruiters; RCSA. AMRANZ has a membership of agencies whose business focus is medical practice recruitment. A listing of AMRANZ members can be accessed in the search facility on the RCSA website.

The Medical Journal of Australia has a guide to medical recruiters.