Medical education in Australia

Medical education in Australia includes the educational activities involved in the initial and ongoing training of Medical Practitioners. In Australia, medical education begins in Medical School; upon graduation it is followed by a period of pre-vocational training including Internship and Residency; thereafter, enrolment into a specialist-vocational training program as a Registrar eventually leads to fellowship qualification and recognition as a fully qualified Specialist Medical Practitioner (that is a fully qualified General Practitioner or Consultant). Medical education in Australia is facilitated by Medical Schools and the Medical Specialty Colleges, and is regulated by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) of which includes the Medical Board of Australia where medical practitioners are registered nationally.

The Australian medical education system is historically similar to that of the United Kingdom, but in recent decades, has received influences from the United States and Canada. In contrast to their North American counterparts, Internship and Residency in Australia are pre-vocational terms intended for general clinical rotations so that the junior doctor can gain a broader clinical experience in various medical specialties prior to embarking on a specialist-vocational training program as a Registrar, and upon successful completion, qualification as a Fellow of a Specialist Medical College and therefore registration with AHPRA as a Specialist Medical Practitioner. In the United States, there are no pre-vocational terms, whereby specialty selection during Internship ensures streamlined clinical rotations for that intended specialty pathway, and thereafter, enrolment and progression onto a Residency program towards achieving specialist board certification; therefore, Residency in the United States is equivalent to a Registrarship in Australia. 'Board certified' Attending Physicians in the United States are equivalent to AHPRA registered Specialist Medical Practitioners.

In Australia and for the purposes of this article: Consultants refer to Specialist Medical Practitioners who practice in an AHPRA recognised specialist field of medicine that is beyond the scope of and not General Practice (or Family Medicine). General Practitioners refer to Specialist Medical Practitioners who practice in the AHPRA recognised specialist field of General Practice (or Family Medicine). In Australia, General Practitioners (GPs) are essentially alike family physicians in the United States, who typically fufil the role of a primary care physician that is responsible for coordinating, assessing and managing general healthcare of their patients. GPs typically refer patients to (or 'consult' with) Consultants for a further expert opinion and/or specialised treatment if required.

The education and training requirements of a medical practitioner from starting medical school to completing specialist training typically takes between 9 years to 16 years (or more) assuming full-time study and work, and dependent on the specialty choice and satisfying in-training requirements. In Australia, medical practitioners typically pursue a career pathway to become a Specialist Medical Practitioner with the endpoint of working as either a General Practitioner or Consultant. There is a small subset of medical practitioners who decide not to formally complete registrarship nor attain fellowship qualification, and instead opt for a career as non-specialist medical practitioners, which are known as Career Hospital Doctors or Career Medical Officers; non-specialist medical practitioners can typically work with a reasonable level of autonomy and independence dependent on their experience and skill, but nonetheless under the auspicies of a Specialist Medical Practitioner.

Most of the specialist fellowship qualifications and medical school degrees awarded to Australian-trained clinicians are internationally recognised. Reciprocally, Australia accepts most recognised university and specialty qualifications of international medical graduates from countries with well-established medical education programs and health systems; that is, pending verification of the person's identity (including visa and immigration requirements), qualifications, practice history and experience, English language competency, a probationary period of supervised practice, and any necessary examinations and assessments to abridge any gaps in knowledge to ensure clinicians are aligned to the current standard of medical practice in Australia as dictated by the relevant Medical Specialty College, Australian Medical Council and Medical Board of Australia.