PESCI | PESCI Exemptions | PESCI Preparation | PESCI Providers | Supervision Levels

What is a PESCI?

PESCI stands for Pre-Employment Structured Clinical Interview. AHPRA defines a PESCI as an objective assessment of your knowledge, skills, clinical experience and attributes to determine whether you are suitable to practise in a specific position. The PESCI consists of a clinical interview using scenarios. 

These scenarios are chosen based on the demographics of the practice where you will be working.

When is a PESCI needed?

Doctors intending to apply for Limited registration or Provisional Registration to work in general practice need to sit for a PESCI. Since PESCI is position-specific, this requirement can also apply to General Practitioners who are already registered with AHPRA with Limited Registration or Provisional Registration who wish to work in another practice.

For the doctors in the specialist pathway, PESCI is not a requirement because they will be evaluated by their respective specialist medical colleges.

Take note also that doctors seeking limited registration for an area of need to work in general practice must possess a minimum of three years of full-time equivalent (FTE) experience in general practice or primary care.

ACRRM (Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine) PESCI

Online PESCIs are offered by ACRRM. You may apply through their website and the interviews utilize video conferencing. For more details, contact the IMG Assessment team on 1800 223 226 or email img@acrrm.org.au. 

As part of your application for a PESCI, you will need to provide the following: 

• Proof of a Medical Qualification as listed on International Medical Education Directory (IMED)
• Proof of AMC CAT MCQ Examination Assessment Performance or an Eligibility to Apply for Provisional Registration through the Competent Authority Pathway
• Proof of Current Job Offer in an Area of Need (AON) or Distribution Priority Area (DPA)
• ACRRM CV
• Certified Copy of your Passport 
• ACRRM Position Description 
• PESCI Agreement
• Training Plan – if applying for Limited Registration – Postgraduate Training and Supervised Practice

Once you have paid the fee and the application documentation has been confirmed as accurate and complete, you will be given a date to undertake the interview. You should be prepared to wait within 2 – 3 months of submission of their application. For application withdrawal, there will be additional fees.

The assessment team is composed of the Chair, Assessor and a Community Representative.

The interview includes four clinical scenarios with a duration of 15 minutes which will be conducted as either a role play or case based discussion.

It will assess your competency in each of the following areas, as appropriate to the proposed position:

• Medical Interviewing Skills
• Physical Examination Skills
• Clinical Judgment
• Treatment/Advice
• Communication Skills
• Professionalism
• Procedural Skills
• Other Domains Relevant to the Position, e.g. familiarity with relevant social and cultural issues and Australian language idioms.

IME (Institute of Medical Education) PESCI

IME offers face-to-face PESCIs for all practice locations which are done at its headquarters in Gold Coast, QLD. Virtual interviews are also available.

As part of your application for a PESCI, you will need to provide the following: 

• Proof of a Medical Qualification as listed on International Medical Education Directory (IMED)
• Proof of AMC CAT MCQ Examination Assessment Performance or Eligibility for Provisional Registration through the Competent Authority Pathway
• Proof of Current Job Offer in an Australian General Practice
• IME Position Description
• IME CV
• Certified Copy of Your Passport
• Training Plan – if applying for Limited Registration – Postgraduate Training and Supervised Practice

The interview panel consists of three to five assessors. At least two of them are verified medical practitioners.

The length of the interview is approximately 60-90 minutes.

It is structured to evaluate your capacity in the following areas:

• Medical Interviewing Skills
• Physical Examination Skills
• Clinical Judgement
• Treatment/Advice
• Communication Skills
• Professionalism
• Procedural Skills
• Relevant Social and Cultural Needs

RACGP (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) PESCI

Currently, RACGP PESCIs are done via Zoom only and are open to all states in Australia. RACGP also accepts applications from individuals with job offers all over the country, as they are already nationally accredited.

As part of your application for a PESCI, you will need to provide the following documents:

• Application Form (for each job offer)
• AHPRA CV
• Your Passport’s Details Page
• Proof of EICS Verification / EPIC (Nominate RACGP to view your verification through the AMC Candidate Portal.)
• Proof of AMC CAT MCQ Examination Assessment Performance
• Proof of Passed English Test (within the last 2 years) or Current AHPRA Registration
• Proof of AMC Clinical Component (if applying for Provisional Registration)
• RACGP Position Description
• AHPRA Supervised Practice Plan (SPPA-30) for each job offer

Once your application is completed and processed, you will be contacted to schedule an interview date. You must be prepared to undertake PESCI from the time application is lodged.

The interview panel consists of three general practitioners: two panelists and a chairperson. A community member or a health professional may also be included in the panel.

A PESCI comprises questions and cases asked by the panel to enable you to exhibit your knowledge and skills as indicated in your CV and in consideration of the proposed position description. The interviewers will guide you on what interaction is expected at each stage of the process.

It will take approximately 60 – 90 minutes.

The purpose of the interview is to evaluate your abilities in each of the following areas, as appropriate:

• Medical Interviewing Skills
• Physical Examination Skills
• Clinical Judgement
• Treatment/Advice
• Communication Skills
• Professionalism
• Procedural Skills
• Relevant Social and Cultural Needs

PESCI Exemption

To apply for a PESCI exemption through AHPRA, you will need to submit a request for an exemption with your original application. The request must be lodged with AHPRA. ACRRM is not able to grant exemptions. 

I keep failing my PESCI, what can I do?

It’s important to implement the recommendations provided to you by the panelists. Whether it is educational seminars, more observerships or CPD activities, demonstrating that you have tried to improve upon the skills the panelists have identified that you lack in will help you to pass next time.

If you fail more than a few times, then there is a higher risk your application won’t be approved even if you passed the last PESCI. You will need to clearly outline how you have followed the recommendations of the PESCI panel. 

How long is a PESCI valid for?

There is no official expiry for PESCI results, however, we wouldn’t suggest using any results that are older than 2 years. 

What does a PESCI cost?

An ACRRM PESCI costs $2,495.

An IME PESCI costs $2,497.

An RACGP PESCI costs $2,450.

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Note: The information presented above has been sourced from AHPRA, ACRRM, IME, and RACGP web pages and the new guidelines have been updated as of 16.02.2023.

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How Can We Help You? 

Information for this blog has been taken directly from:
https://www.racgp.org.au/education/imgs/international-graduates/pesci https://www.acrrm.org.au/support/pre-fellowship/international-graduates/pesci
https://www.acrrm.org.au/docs/default-source/all-files/pesci-rules-and-regulations.pdf?sfvrsn=9aaa87eb_6
https://www.acrrm.org.au/docs/default-source/all-files/pesci-handbook.pdf?sfvrsn=eeabefd5_2 https://imemedical.com/products/pesci
https://imemedical.com/collections/pesci-interviews
https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Registration/International-Medical-Graduates/pesci.aspx
https://www.ahpra.gov.au/documents/default.aspx?record=WD15%2f16058%5bv8%5d&dbid=AP&chksum=nIG7S4OGzeKsTzwqoPL624yyKWIApW4oQYdQt9l2cX8%3d

Our team offer General Practitioners assistance with finding jobs and a career pathway, and Medical Facilities to find a new Medical Practitioner. We also help with the full application process with AHPRA, RACGP, ACRRM, Department of Health, Medicare including 19AA & 19AB. If we can help, please contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au. 

People Medical Consulting are a team of professionals with a passion for guiding those specialising in the Medical industry to find their career pathway and settle into Australia. Working with both Australian trained and Overseas trained professionals, we have extensive experience in Recruitment of General Practitioners and Document Assistance for those requiring support with RACGP, AHPRA, 19AA and 19AB Medicare Exemptions.