Pre-employment structured clinical interview (PESCI)

Registration

If you are an international medical graduate (IMG) on the Competent Authority or Standard pathway applying for provisional or limited registration, you may be required to undergo a pre-employment structured clinical interview (PESCI).

The Board considers the information provided in a PESCI when it decides whether to grant you registration.

A PESCI is an objective assessment of your knowledge, skills, clinical experience and attributes to determine whether you are suitable to practise in a specific position. A PESCI involves a structured clinical interview using scenarios.

Who needs a PESCI?

IMGs on the Competent Authority or Standard pathway who are applying for provisional or limited registration to work in general practice are required to have a PESCI.

Specialist IMGs on the Specialist pathway do not require a PESCI because they are assessed by the relevant specialist medical college. Specialist IMGs on the Expedited Specialist pathway do not need a PESCI.

When should you arrange a PESCI?

In general, you should arrange a PESCI before you apply for registration if you meet the requirements of the Board’s registration standards. This includes any standards that are specific to your type of registration.

The advice is slightly different if you are applying for limited registration for area of need to work in general practice.

Limited registration for area of need

If you are applying for limited registration for area of need to work in general practice, you must have at least three years of full-time equivalent (FTE) experience working in general practice or primary care.

Ahpra advises you to apply for registration before you arrange a PESCI so that the Board can assess your experience in general practice or primary care. You need to complete all the other sections of your registration application, except for the outcome of the PESCI.

If you do have three years FTE experience in general practice or primary care, you will require a PESCI for this type of position. You will need to arrange a PESCI before we process your application for registration.

If you do not have three years FTE experience in general practice or primary care, you will not be eligible for registration to work in general practice and therefore will not require a PESCI for this type of position.

If the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) has assessed your experience or formally assessed you for another reason (for example, as part of an assessment for eligibility for the specialist pathway or the RACGP’s Fellowship Support Program (FSP) pathway), the Board will not require further assessment of your experience. You will need to provide evidence from the RACGP or ACRRM confirming you have three years FTE experience working in general practice or primary care with your application for registration.

If you don’t have three years FTE experience in general practice or primary care, you may choose to apply for registration to work in a non-specialist hospital position.

For more information:

What does a PESCI involve?

The PESCI is conducted by organisations that have been accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC).

At the PESCI, a panel of interviewers assess your training, knowledge, clinical experience and attributes against the requirements of the specific position for which you are seeking registration. The PESCI will take into consideration the supports, orientation and level of supervision that can be provided to you.

Conducted in an interview setting, the PESCI uses a set of structured questions and scenarios tailored to a specific position or role. The PESCI report is specific to each position and cannot usually be used for other positions. The limited exceptions are detailed in section A.3 of the PESCI guidelines.

At least three interviewers will conduct the PESCI, including at least two registered medical practitioners. One member of the PESCI interview panel may be a community member, another health practitioner or a registered medical practitioner. The PESCI panel members will be familiar with the clinical and professional demands of the type of position for which you are seeking registration.

More information about what a PESCI involves, the role and responsibilities of PESCI providers, and the criteria for the approval of PESCI providers is in the PESCI guidelines.

Pre-employment Structured Clinical Interview (PESCI) Guidelines and Criteria for AMC Accreditation of PESCI Providers (1003 KB,PDF)

Recommendations of the PESCI panel

The PESCI provider will provide the results of the PESCI to you and to the Board. The PESCI provider will advise the Board whether you are suitable for the position. While the Board is guided by the recommendations of a PESCI panel, the PESCI panel report is one piece of the information that the Board considers when deciding whether to grant you registration.

If you are applying for registration, you need to meet a range of requirements under the National Law including meeting the registration standards for recency of practice, criminal history, professional indemnity insurance and English language skills.

Unsuccessful PESCI result

The recommendations of each PESCI panel are specific to each position. If the PESCI panel deems you unsuitable for one position, you may still be suitable for another position that offers support and supervision that is more appropriate for your level of training, knowledge and experience.

You may be asked to sit another PESCI if you apply for registration to practise in a different position.

AMC-accredited PESCI providers

The AMC-accredited PESCI providers are:

Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (All states and territories)
METC Institute Pty Ltd trading as Institute of Medical Education (All states and territories)
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (All states and territories)