Sponsor duties
Check all duties you have as a sponsor to your international medical graduate.
Professional indemnity cover
Check with your professional indemnity insurer about liability for the international medical graduate's practice. You should advise your employee on their own cover.
Mandatory registration standards
To be registered, an international medical graduate must meet the Medical Board of Australia's mandatory registration standards.
Learn about the mandatory registration standards.
Medicare provider number
You must apply for a Medicare provider number on behalf of the international medical graduate you are employing.
Before you do so, the international medical graduate must have:
- a visa
- passed the Pre-employment Structured Clinical Interview, if required
- achieved registration
- paid the registration fee.
Workplace support
All international medical graduates with limited or provisional registration and their supervisors must submit a report to the Medical Board of Australia after 3 months. The report covers orientation and work performance.
You can help your employee settle into their new position by providing a warm welcome, an induction and cultural training.
Your local Rural Workforce Agency can provide more advice on inducting your international medical graduate.
Understanding the health system
The Australian health system will be new to your international medical graduate employee. Help them understand Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
An international medical graduate might also know medical terms and treatments by different names. You may need to provide some resources on Australian medical expressions:
- Australian Medicines Handbook: reference tool for the health workforce
- Therapeutic Goods Administration: keeps a list of Australian approved terms
- Health Translations Directory: reliable translated health information.
Professional support and development
Professional support for your employee helps them with:
- referrals
- second opinions and advice
- access to clinical and procedural medical services
- ongoing professional development.
Try to assign a professional mentor for the international medical graduate. The mentor can be located somewhere else, but can keep in touch with the international medical graduate over the phone.
Professional development for rural medical practitioners is delivered by multiple organisations, including: