Public consultation: revised Good practice guidelines for the specialist international medical graduate assessment process

13 Nov 2019

The Medical Board of Australia is now consulting on revised guidelines for the specialist international medical graduate assessment process.

The consultation paper, including the revised guidelines, is published on the current consultations page.

The accredited specialist medical colleges assess specialist international medical graduates (SIMGs) who are seeking specialist registration.

The proposed revised Good practice guidelines for the specialist international medical graduate assessment process (reframed as Standards) build on the existing Guidelines implemented in November 2015. They define the Medical Board of Australia’s expectations of the specialist medical college assessment process for SIMGs.

The proposed Standards were developed in response to the findings and recommendations of the Deloitte Access Economics Final report – External review of the specialist medical colleges’ performance – specialist international medical graduate assessment process and in response to requests for further guidance from specialist medical colleges.

The proposed Standards do not significantly change existing assessment processes for SIMGs. They aim to give greater clarity to existing processes and improve transparency and procedural fairness in the process.

Proposed key changes are:

• A proposal to give SIMGs a Summary of preliminary findings about their comparability to an Australian trained specialist before an interim assessment decision is finalised.
  • The Summary of preliminary findings sets out the college’s findings of the information that they will rely on to make an interim assessment decision about a SIMG’s comparability. The Summary of preliminary findings gives a SIMG an opportunity to provide clarification or submit further evidence where they believe the college has made findings which are incomplete or inaccurate before an interim assessment decision is finalised.
  • The proposal aims to ensure transparency and procedural fairness in the assessment process
• A proposal for SIMGs assessed as substantially comparable or partially comparable to an Australian trained specialist to complete a minimum period of supervised practice. The Board proposes SIMGs assessed as:
  • substantially comparable must complete up to a maximum period of 12 months FTE supervised practice, with a minimum of three (3) months
  • partially comparable must complete up to a maximum of 24 months FTE supervised practice, with a minimum of six (6) months.

Currently, SIMGs assessed as substantially comparable are required to complete up to 12 months of supervised practice and SIMGs assessed as partially comparable are required to complete up to 24 months of supervised practice with upskilling and associated assessments.

Most SIMGs will require more than the minimum period of supervised practice to fulfil college requirements for recognition as a specialist.

In addition to providing the college with additional information, the period of supervised practice will:

• support the SIMG to transition to the Australian healthcare system
• help the SIMG to access continuing professional development programs
• align with the Board’s requirement that all applicants who are granted limited or provisional registration must practise under supervision to ensure safe practise.

The consultation is open until 14 February 2020. More information about the proposed Standards and the consultation process is on the current consultations page.