ACRRM – Specialist Stream
What is the ACRRM – Specialist Pathway?
This pathway is available for General Practitioners being assessed by ACRRM to join the specialist pathway and become a FACRRM General Practitioner in Australia.
Am I eligible?
At this stage, the ACRRM Codified List or the following qualifications below have been approved as acceptable for comparability assessment. If your qualification isn’t there, you’ll first need to have your curriculum assessed.
| Country | Qualifications |
| Belgium | Specialist Certificate in General practice/family medicine |
| Canada | Qualification required: Certification in the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP) Post-1992 – Completion of the two-year family medicine residency training and CFPC certification examination – are eligible to apply for Fellowship Ad Eundem Gradum (AEG) Pre-1992 – Completion of the rotating internship and CFPC certification examination – are only eligible to apply for Fellowship via Specialist Pathway |
| Denmark | Specialist Certificate in Family Medicine |
| Hong Kong | Fellowship of the Hong Kong College of General Practitioners |
| Ireland | Members of the Irish College of General Practice (MICGP) that are graduates of ICGP through passing the MICGP examination |
| Netherlands | Certificate of Specific Training for General Practice |
| New Zealand | Fellowship of the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine New Zealand (FDRHMNZ). Holders of Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP) and the Certificate of Completion of Training can apply for Fellowship ad eundem gradum |
| Norway | Certificate of Specific Training for General Medical Practice |
| Singapore | Fellowship of the College of Family Physicians Singapore |
| South Africa | Holders of Master of Family Medicine, South Africa Holders of Fellowship of the College of Family Physicians |
| Sweden | Certificate of Specific Training for General Practice |
| United Kingdom | Membership of the Royal College of General Practice (MRCGP) holding the Certificate of Completion of Training Membership of the Royal College of General Practice holding the Certificate of the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (MRCGP with JCPTGP) Membership of the Royal College of General Practice holding the Certificate of Completion of Training from the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) Membership of the Royal College of General Practice via iMAP – As this is a newly developed pathway to MRCGP, until December 2014 ACRRM will be conducting a comparative analysis and evaluation of iMAP to assess equivalence to Australian training and assessment for the purposes of Specialist Pathway. While these activities are being conducted ACRRM will as part of the evaluation process accept applications from candidates who hold MRCGP via iMAP |
| USA | Holders of Certificate of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) |
If you have one of the following qualifications above, then you are eligible to apply, but keep in mind that you’ll also need to have:
- at least 3 years of delivering healthcare in locations where specialized medical, diagnostic, and allied health services are not easily available, after obtaining your specialist qualification
- achieving their qualification through completion of a supervised training program
- partial or substantial comparability in each of the eight domains
- extended practice relevant to community needs
- ongoing professional development that is comparable to MBA requirements
- Additionally, a minimum of 6 months experience in a rural area will assist your application but is not required to apply.
What is the process?
Step 1: Eligibility
See ACRRM’s codified list and the qualifications above to check if you are eligible.
Step 2: Verification
Obtain an EPIC number by starting an application with the Australian Medical Council to verify your qualifications.
Step 3: Application
Apply to ACRRM for an assessment with the Specialist Pathway Application Form by uploading in your My Documents panel within MyCollege.
Step 4: Assessment
Your application will be reviewed to check if details are complete and to see if you are qualified to proceed for an interview.
Step 5: Interview
You will be invited to have a structured interview via video-conference if you are eligible.
Step 6: Outcome
After the assessment process is completed, you will be determined as either substantially or partially comparable. If you are awarded not comparable, you will need to apply either through the Standard Pathway or Competent Authority Pathway.
If assessed as partially comparable you will be required to participate in a 6 months to a maximum of 24 months full time equivalent (FTE) practice with a supervisor approved by the college, including further training, assessments and possibly examinations. If you have exceeded the 24 months mark and the college recommends that you need more time to demonstrate the required standard, then you will be deemed not comparable.
If assessed as substantially comparable you will be required to participate in a 3 months to a maximum of 12 months full time equivalent (FTE) practice with a supervisor approved by the college. If you have exceeded the 12 months mark and the college recommends that you need more time to demonstrate the required standard, then you will either be deemed as partially comparable or not comparable.
If assessed as not comparable, then you will be given more information on other AHPRA medical registration pathways and other pathways to achieve Fellowship of ACRRM.
What are the fees?
| What Body? | What For? | Fee? |
| EPIC | EPIC Portfolio Establishment | $130US |
| EPIC | Add a Credential to EPIC Portfolio | $100US/credential |
| EPIC | Send a Report Verifying the Authenticity of a Credential | First Report: Free/credential Subsequent Report: $50US/credential |
| AMC | Establish an AMC portfolio (including 1 x qualification) | $600AUD *From 8 Jan 2024, $642AUD |
| AMC | Additional Qualifications | $100AUD/qualification *From 8 Jan 2024, $107AUD |
| ACRRM | Application fee Paper based assessment fee Structured Interview fee Medical Educator session fee Annual pathway fee | $735AUD $625AUD $2,125AUD $1,420AUD $2,720AUD annually |
| AHPRA | AHPRA Application | Limited: $1,020AUD Provisional: $698AUD |
| AHPRA | AHPRA Registration | Limited: $995AUD Provisional: $490AUD Specialist: $995AUD |
| Other Considerations |
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What are the timelines?
| What Body? | Time |
| EPIC | When you upload a credential to EPIC, it will be processed within 5 business days, and a request to your institution issued for verification. Once a response from your institution is received, EPIC will process this and update the portal within 5 business days. EPIC will make 4 attempts to contact your institution for verification of your qualification. |
| AMC | This process will take 3-5 working days. Your AMC candidate number will be confirmed in the email once your application has been processed, with further instructions. |
| ACRRM | 60 days |
| AHPRA | Pending next board meeting date, 5 business days to process “AHPRA in Principle” then 5 business days once the doctor has done their physical ID check |
| Medicare | 28 Business Days |
Here are some quick links for you to check out:
| What Body? | Time |
| EPIC | https://epic.ecfmgepic.org/Registration.aspx |
| AMC | https://account.amc.org.au/sign_in |
| ACRRM | https://www.acrrm.org.au/becoming-registered-in-australia/specialist-pathway |
| AHPRA | http://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Registration/Forms.aspx under “Specialist Registration” “Application for registration as a medical specialist (applicants who do not hold general registration) – AGSP-30” |
| Medicare | https://www.humanservices.gov.au/health-professionals/forms/hw019 |
Note: The information presented above has been gathered from the ACCRM, AHPRA, AMC and EPIC websites and has been updated as of 2023-10-31.
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