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Students / trainees

BMP Scheme - Where can I work?

Under the BMP Scheme, you may choose to work anywhere in Australia, as long as the position is a designated District of Workforce Shortage position for your chosen specialty.

Districts of Workforce Shortage are outer metropolitan areas in capital cities, as well as regional, rural and remote areas, that are experiencing doctor shortages.

Districts of Workforce Shortage are subject to change, so you should check the current status of your preferred District of Workforce Shortage location. A 'look-up' database on the Map Locator relating to Districts of Workforce Shortage (DWS).

GPs can work in most rural and regional areas and many outer metropolitan areas in capital cities.

The only requirement is that you work in an eligible District of Workforce Shortage for your specialty, including general practice.

You can undertake up to half your return of service during prevocational training and vocational training. From your second year of prevocational training, the eligible areas to count towards your return of service are Districts of Workforce Shortage (DWS) in outer metropolitan areas only of RA1 (Major Cities of Australia), and RA2 (Inner Regional Australia) to RA5 (Very Remote Australia) locations.

Sometimes, a general shortage in a specialty results in the whole of Australia being deemed a District of Workforce Shortage. For example, Radiation Oncology fell into this category in 2004.

For both GPs and other specialists, all Aboriginal Medical Services funded by the Australian Government Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, as well as After-Hours-Only Medical Services are deemed to be in a District of Workforce Shortage, regardless of their location.

You may move as often as you like during your return of service obligation, providing you continue to work in a District of Workforce Shortage. If you move you need to notify the Department of Health and Ageing.

Tenure

You can apply to stay in some locations from the time you commence your vocational training. Eligible locations are RRMA 3-7 areas for general practitioners and RRMA 2-7 areas for specialists.

If you undertake your vocational training in an eligible location and are granted tenure, you can remain in the same location to complete your return of service, even if that location ceases to be a District of Workforce Shortage.

If you have not applied for and been granted tenure, you may have to move to an eligible District of Workforce Shortage to complete your return of service after attaining fellowship.

More information is available in the information booklet.