I am interested in taking a GP role in Australia. What pathway am I eligible for if I’ve worked in the UK but graduated somewhere else?

This is a FAQ BLOG and you can refer to our Getting Started as a General Practitioner in Australia blog here.

Need help understanding your pathway?

Date Updated: 2025-03-04

If you have a PLAB Certificate and at least 1 year of work experience in the UK, then you are eligible for the Competent Authority Pathway.

However, if you don’t have a PLAB certificate, you may take the Standard Pathway.

The Standard Pathway is the main pathway for Doctors who have GMC registration, but:

Not a graduate of a UK medical program and quality assured by the GMC nor a graduate of a UK medical program, accredited by GMC, and from the Board’s list of eligible offshore courses
Not a graduate of a medical school accredited by the Medical Council of Ireland (Ireland), and from the Board’s list of eligible offshore courses
Have not successfully completed the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test since 1975

Standard Pathway

You can go through the Standard Pathway if you do not have the PLAB certificate and did not graduate in a GMC-accredited course.

In this pathway, you would need to pass the AMC exams and complete the required supervised practice in Australia before you can gain General AHPRA Registration. There are also 2 ways to do this.

You may finish AMC 1 first:

Pass AMC Part 1 (AMC MCQ Exam)
Find a great job offer
Complete PESCI (For general practice positions only. Hospital positions do not require a PESCI)
Apply to AHPRA for Limited Registration
Satisfactorily complete 12 months of supervised practice in Australia (47 weeks FTE)
- For supervised practice in hospital, you would need to complete a standard mix of hospital-based rotations comprising:
  - At least 10 weeks in medicine
  - At least 10 weeks in surgery
  - At least 8 weeks in emergency medical care
  - A range of other positions to make up at least of 47 weeks FTE experience
Pass the AMC Part 2 (AMC Clinical)
Apply to AHPRA for General Registration

You may also finish both AMC exams and gain AMC Certificate:

Pass AMC Part 1 (AMC MCQ Exam) & AMC Part 2 (AMC Clinical)
Find a great job offer
Complete PESCI (For general practice positions only. Hospital positions do not require a PESCI)
Apply to AHPRA for Provisional Registration
Satisfactorily complete 12 months of supervised practice in Australia (47 weeks FTE)
- For supervised practice in hospital, you would need to complete a standard mix of hospital-based rotations comprising:
  - At least 10 weeks in medicine
  - At least 10 weeks in surgery
  - At least 8 weeks in emergency medical care
  - A range of other positions to make up at least of 47 weeks FTE experience
Apply to AHPRA for General Registration

Competent Authority Pathway

If you opt to take the PLAB tests, then you may be eligible for the Competent Authority Pathway.

In this pathway, you will need to accomplish the following:

Find a great job offer
Complete PESCI (For general practice positions only. Hospital positions do not require a PESCI)
Apply to AHPRA for Provisional Registration
Satisfactorily complete 12 months of supervised practice in Australia (47 weeks FTE)
- For supervised practice in hospital, you would need to complete a standard mix of hospital-based rotations comprising:
  - At least 10 weeks in medicine
  - At least 10 weeks in surgery
  - At least 8 weeks in emergency medical care
  - A range of other positions to make up at least of 47 weeks FTE experience
Apply to AHPRA for General Registration

We are noticing that some Doctors prefer completing the PLAB exams than completing AMC Clinicals. Based on Doctors’ feedback, it is quite hard to obtain a slot and pass AMC Part 2 (AMC Clinical).

If you’re still unsure which pathway to go for, you can take the AHPRA Pathway to Registration Self-Assessment tool here to help you decide which pathway you are eligible for registration, or take a look at the process we’ve listed below!

We Can Help You

Here at People Medical Consulting, we have a passion for guiding medical practitioners through their career pathways to Australia. We have extensive experience in assisting medical facilities in recruiting doctors from local and overseas who will best suit their requirements.

We provide Document Assistance for those requiring support for their PESCI with IME, ACRRM or RACGP, registration and all other mandatory AHPRA requirements, fellowship program related forms and letters, application for Medicare provider and prescriber numbers, application for 19AB or 19AA exemptions and preparation of employment documents.

If you want to talk to someone about your pathway or practice management—book a consultation with us below, or if you need Recruitment or Document Assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au or click the buttons below. We’d be glad to help you!

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Information from this blog has been taken directly from the same sources as the related blogs section.