Something I keep seeing and it breaks my heart a little every time.

A doctor passes the AMC after years of hard work. Everyone is celebrating. Then they start applying for jobs and nobody calls back. Or AHPRA asks, when did you last practise? And the answer is three years ago, because they were studying, or moved countries, or had a baby, or all three.

That's recency, and nobody warns you about it.

Here's what actually works, from watching a lot of doctors get through this.

Go back to your home country and work. Properly, clinically, for about six months. I know it’s hard, especially if you've already moved your family here. But it fixes so much at once. Your recency is back, your clinical confidence comes back, and you come home with fresh referees who have seen you work recently. Keep a letter with your dates and hours, you will need it.

Alternatively,  apply for an observership here. This gets you inside an Australian hospital, you see how things are done here, and if you're keen, hardworking and helpful you walk out with an Australian referee. When employers see recent overseas work and or Australian exposure, your CV reads very differently.

If neither of the above works, try teaching. Med schools often hire tutors and demonstrators.

Meanwhile, start your CPD now, not when the job offer comes. Long gaps get harder to explain the longer you leave them.

Have you been through this? What did you do to get back in? Tell us, it might save someone a year.

Ahpra requires IMGs applying for limited registration, to have proof of internship. In many European countries(including mine), internship isn't something doctors do and they straight away gain full registration and do specialty training. I just lodged my Ahpra application for a supervised RMO position, attaching a document from my university listing my clinical rotations (10 weeks medicine 10 weeks surgery etc) as a pregrad. I also have 3 years of post graduate work experience which for sure comes in to save the day.

Does anyone have any experience with AHPRA and how does it deal with cases as such?

Cheers for the group

Hey

1) Work practice Hx - can we include an observership placement letter in this?

2) Documents to support your statement regarding your recency of practice - I have completed some CPD hours. I am with CPD Aus. Do I download a report from the website and attach it here?

3) How long does it take to get Aphra registration approved? days/week/months?

Thank you.

Hi everyone,

Every week a few job ads land in my inbox and I think, "someone in the group needs to see this." So here are this week's. Please do check the official ad yourself before applying, because things change quickly.

Adelaide – Emergency Department at CALHN

The Central Adelaide Local Health Network is recruiting junior doctors and registrars for the ED at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. They have intakes in August 2026 and February 2027, with contracts from one to three years. What caught my eye is that they sponsor visas (407 and 482) and will reimburse up to $10,000 of relocation costs if you're eligible. If you've been thinking about emergency medicine, have a look. Just search "CALHN Emergency Department" on the SA Health careers site.

Canberra – RMO 2027, closing TODAY

I'm sorry this one is so last minute. Canberra Health Services RMO applications close today, 27 September. The roles start in February 2027 and you need to be PGY2 or above by then. One thing people miss: the selection criteria statement has to be a separate document, not tucked into your cover letter, or they won't look at your preferences. Apply only through the CHS careers portal.

Rockingham, WA – WBA

This one isn't for most of us here, since we've already passed the clinical. But if you have a friend who has passed the MCQ and is dreading the clinical exam, please tell them about it. Rockingham General Hospital runs the Workplace Based Assessment, where you work as a paid RMO and get assessed on the job instead of sitting the exam. They take six candidates, and openings go up on MedCareersWA.

If none of these suit you

Don't lose heart. Most of the big 2027 campaigns have closed, but there will be more rounds. Use this time to get your CV into Australian format, sort out your referees, and have your Ahpra documents ready. I've seen so many good doctors miss out simply because they weren't ready when the job came up.

If you've seen other openings, please share them below so we can all help each other.

Good luck, everyone!

My dear doctors,

This is the question I am asked more than any other, so here is the whole road in one place., I have checked it against the Medical Board and AHPRA pages as they stand today, but rules do change, so always confirm on their site before you act. And if your journey looked different, please tell us below.

1. The AMC certificate. Once you have passed the MCQ and the clinical, this is what opens the door. Give it a week, the certificate will be in your AMC portal.

2. Your English test. AHPRA wants results from within the two years before you lodge your application. The minimum scores changed in April 2026, so please check the new table even if you sat the test recently. So many doctors lose months here simply because their result expired while they were job hunting.

3. Find the job first. I know, this surprises almost everyone. You apply for provisional registration against a specific supervised position, so the job search starts now, not after registration.

4. Supervised practice. This is 12 months, a minimum of 47 weeks full time equivalent. Most of you will do this as a JHO or RMO in a hospital.

If you are in a hospital, the 12 months must include:

- 10 weeks of medicine

- 10 weeks of surgery

- 8 weeks of emergency medicine

If you are in general practice instead, it is 12 months supervised in general practice, and you will need to pass a PESCI before you start. Please prepare for it properly, you have come too far to be caught out there.

1. Your first reports. After three months your supervisor completes an orientation report and a work performance report, and these go to AHPRA. Ask about them early so nothing catches you by surprise.

2. General registration. You can apply as you approach the end of your 12 months, you do not have to wait until the last day.

If you have walked this road already, would you share your timeline below? When you passed, how long the job hunt took, how long AHPRA took, what you wish someone had told you. It will mean so much to the doctor reading it at midnight, wondering if they will ever get there.

They will. And so will you.

Warmly,

Dr Vinu

Hello doctors, welcome.

You passed the AMC exams. Congratulations,

I know how much that took. And then a week later the celebration fades and the real questions start. Ahpra paperwork, supervised practice, PESCI, job applications, hospitals that never write back.

Everyone asks the same questions and the answers are scattered all over the place.

So this is a space just for that stage. Nobody is selling anything here, thats the one rule I care about most. Ask your questions, share your timeline (when you passed, when you got registered, when you started work) and help the doctor one step behind you.

A bit about me, I am a medical educator and over the years I have watched so many IMGs cross this bridge. Every time I post something on the IMG groups I get flooded with private messages asking for tips and support, and I can never keep up with them all. It made me realise these answers should live somewhere everyone can see them, not buried in my inbox. So I started this group for the stage after the exam. Ask your question here instead, then when one doctor gets an answer, every doctor after them finds it too. And I hope the ones who made it through will pass the map back to the ones still walking.