Working in Australia as a doctor

Author: Shaun Hughston

Thousands of health professionals come to Australia each year looking for a new start, sun, sand, and the surf. Some even master surfing - but more learn how to fall from a surfboard! The sheer danger of some of the parts of our country is tempered by the absolute beauty and impressiveness of the natural features and very unique animals of Australia.

In Australia, we are exceptionally outgoing, confident, and always happy. Our personality, and the tendency to light-heartedly make fun of others sometimes bewilders, or shocks international visitors.

This article is the start of a series relating to how to start working in Australia as a health professional, and what you can do to get here - and have a successful career.

I have helped thousands of health professionals find work in Australia, and my company Beat Medical focusses on employment for doctors, dentists, physiotherapists, psychologists, senior nurses, and health managers. This article relates specifically to doctors.

The focus of this article is about what types of jobs are available in Australia, and what type of working conditions you can generally expect.

 
About the Australian Health System

The health system in Australia is largely a government funded, public healthcare system. It is of a very high standard, but is supplemented in part by a private healthcare system (funded by private paying patients, and health insurance companies).

It is not mandatory to have health insurance in Australia, as all citizens, and permanent residents are covered by the Medicare (www.medicare.gov.au) system - which is a federally funded system available to everyone. Healthcare is administered by the individual states around Australia through Public Hospitals. Visitors Australia from the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Malta, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, and Italy are entitled to a limited amount of free healthcare in Australia.

Many Australians choose to take out private health insurance to supplement what the public system provides. This usually enables an individual to have their choice of doctor, and to stay in a private facility.

Most employment as a doctor in Australia is in a public hospital. There are different terms used in each region, but essentially there are four levels of doctor.

Interns are undergoing a supervised training year.

Residents are fully registered doctors, working in a general rotational position in a hospital.

Registrars are taking part in a speciality training program (equivalent to a resident in the USA).

Consultants are qualified specialists.

You would most likely be considering a position in one of the last three categories.


Medical Registration in Australia

The Australian Medical Council (http://www.amc.org.au/index.php/img) oversees the entry of international medical graduates into the Australian system. They have a very comprehensive and informative website, which you should review for information on how to become registered in Australia.

The Competent Authority model is one of the most straightforward ways to become registered in Australia. If your primary medical training was undertaken any of these countries, you are generally not required to complete any examinations to start work in Australia:?

United States of America

United Kingdom

Canada

New Zealand

Ireland

The standard pathway requires that you complete a multiple choice, and sometimes a clinical examination before commencing work in an Australian state.

The specialist pathway is for doctors who are trained as a medical specialist in their home country. This pathway is also dependent on the relevant medical training college in Australia - as they will be the body responsible for assessing your qualifications and experience before recommending you to be registered in Australia.

As medical registration is a state based matter, the rules vary from state to state.

When you apply for a position in Australia, the recruitment company or hospital you are dealing with will generally assist you through the registration process.


Working Visas

Australia has very strict immigration policies, which are governed by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Depending on your country of origin, there are a number of visas that may be appropriate for you. The most common method of entry, though, is the 457 Temporary Business (Long Stay) Visa (http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/). This visa requires sponsorship from an employer, and quite a detailed process for entry. It is relatively straightforward, though, and most can be managed online.

 
Working conditions

In Australia, the general working hours a 38-40 hours per week (0800-1700). As you can imagine, however, the working hours for a doctor are significantly different from the norm.

It is quite variable, but you can expect to work an additional 20 hours or so per week in overtime (which is generally paid at a higher rate). Those working in shift-work (for example in Emergency or Intensive Care) will work four or five twelve hour shifts per week, as well as some overtime.

The pay is quite variable, as it is state-based. However, the salaries in Australia are quite significant in comparison to many other countries. They are generally considered appropriate in relation to the cost of living in Australia.

In broad terms, as a resident you can expect to earn a base (before overtime) salary of between $60-70k per annum. As a registrar, $75-90k per annum, and a consultant $150k + per annum. These figures are open to significant variation, and simply provide a guide.

In Australia, employers are legally required to contribute at least 9% of your salary towards a superannuation (retirement) fund. You have complete control over how this fund is managed. You may be able to claim all of this money back if you depart Australia. Otherwise, it cannot be accessed until you are retirement age.

Taxation in Australia is relatively high, as we have a very high level of social services funded by the government. Go to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website for more information. You would generally be considered resident for taxation purposes if you are here for an extended period.

How to find a position

You can find a position through many of the job websites such as www.seek.com.au,

www.careerone.com.au, or www.mycareer.com.au. You can also access the individual health department websites, which all have job search engines.

There are a number of recruitment agencies in Australia who can assist you with the process of finding a position, and dealing with medical registration, working visas, relocation, and contract negotiation. Not all companies are the same, or offer the same level of service and quality. You should never pay a recruitment company in Australia (they should charge the employer).

We can be contacted at any time on +61 2 8014 0175, via recruit@beatmedical.com.au, through skype (user name: beat medical), our our website www.beatmedical.com.au.

We offer a no-obligation consultation, and will work with you to access the ‘hidden’, unadvertised employment market - which is often where the best jobs are found.

Next time:

How to write a stand out resume (the Australian way!). Yes, there is an Australian way to write a resume (C.V). It may mean the difference between an interview - or no interview.



About the Author:
Shaun Hughston is the Director of Beat Medical, a health recruitment company based in Australia.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Working in Australia as a doctor

Australia’s Job Market Weathers the Recession Storm

J Samuel

Recent figures released by the Australian government have revealed that the Australian job market is showing some real endurance during these testing times.

Whilst it was expected that the unemployment rate would increase, at least marginally, economists were shocked to find that nothing has changed, despite the recession. This is good news for the Australian labour market as it means job cuts are not diminishing employment opportunities within the country. Now sitting at a steady 5.8 %, the unemployment rate is a good indication of a solid economy capable of maintaining the labour market.

This positive result has been attributed to a multitude of factors, but the most noted contributor is the Australian government’s commitment to stimulus spending in order to maintain the unemployment rate. It also indicates responsibility and commitment on behalf of employers, who are fighting to keep their staff working versus redundancy and unemployment.

This is great news for anyone currently employed or looking to find a job in Australia. Even better still are the reports regarding the financial services sector. Whilst the financial industry is in pretty bad shape, the world over, it has been reported that the financial services recruitment industry in Australia has been maintaining some sort of stability, despite the recession. Furthermore, the IFA reported that salaries across the senior financial areas have remained static over 2009, a huge rarity given the amount of salary cutting that is taking place worldwide.

All in all it seems Australia is definitely doing something right during this downturn, and I suppose you could put it this way… If I were job hunting right now, I’d want to be job hunting in Australia!

About the Author:
Julie Samuel is an enthusiastic freelance writer who enjoys researching and reporting on the Australian labour market, particularly Jobs in Australia.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Australia’s Job Market Weathers the Recession Storm

Best graduate jobs in Australia

Anney Mannings

Graduate careers in Australia are actually an immense aid to the students who get over with their graduation in Australia. The programs of graduation which are offered in Australia have actually helped a lot of students in getting the most ideal job according to their interest and education. Usually universities and colleges assist their students in finding jobs after the completion of their degree, but if someone doesnot find a job he should seek assistance from various recruitment agencies across Australia. The graduate jobs in Australia have resulted in bringing some of the best individuals who have excelled in their filed and are now one of the most renowned names. Now, with the help these graduate programs, the people have reached top. To find the right job in a desired field it is necessary that you know what the current trends are if in an IT job coding is at a hike you should try for coding job. Same goes for other fields. With the recent recession across the global economy there is a dearth of jobs. But despite all these problems there are certain placement agencies which help you find the right job you always wished to attain.

Accounting is one main field which has been seeing a great demand in the recent times. The students who graduate in the accounting stream can now get a lot of options. Each year, a lot of companies hire accounting graduates who look to be completely focused in their work. It entirely depends upon your confidence and skill for the companies to select you for their company. If you are talented and completely directed towards your work, then you may even get recruited in the best companies. The students who do their graduation in accounting may get jobs in the numerous different fields which are related to accounting. Like financial analysis, auditing tax and a lot more. Now, a lot of graduate accounting jobs are available and the graduate programs contribute a lot in getting the best job according to your stream and interest.

Red Giraffe is a company which provides a suitable platform to the fresh graduates for getting the best jobs. This is a recruitment agency that has placed a number of fresh graduates job in Australia and graduate accounting jobs in some of the best companies. This recruitment agency also enhances the skills of fresh graduates to help them find the best jobs. Therefore, enroll yourself with this firm and get your dream job.

About the Author:
Anney Mannings has been working for Red Giraffe Recruitment agency ( Red Giraffe Search ) for quite some time now and has helped numerous graduate aspirants to find the right jobs they aspire.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Best graduate jobs in Australia