Old OTD (35-38 y/o) wants to work in Oz.

[praetorfenix]

Hi! I'm a 35 y/o OTD from the Philippines (started medical school at 30, got licensed at 35) reincarnated in my second career and loving it. I heard that Australia prefers experienced doctors. Since I'm still a GP, I am considering two career options before moving down under to the jolly land of Oz.

OPTION 1: Go straight to Australia and sit in the MCQs to gain RMO (Registered Medical Officer Status) at 37 y/o, then take my internship there to find a FM / IM residency program, hopefully finishing it before I turn 40. Oh well, life really begins at 40.

OPTION 2: Bite the local offer and finish my 3-year IM residency here in the Philippines, do some research, community service, and boost my CV before heading down under to Oz. I'm considering this (albeit longer) because Oz seems to prefer experienced doctors.

Also a bit off-tangent but relevant -- Would my age (35-38) be a cause for concern in getting into a good residency program in order to practice medicine, given I'm an OTD and a nontraditional medical student? I remember the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

I've included a link to the other forum on general residency. A kind fellow over there suggested that I bring my concerns here to the Ozzies.

Your enlightenment would be very much appreciated.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=545252

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[Ezekiel20]

Hi! I'm a 35 y/o OTD from the Philippines (started medical school at 30, got licensed at 35) reincarnated in my second career and loving it. I heard that Australia prefers experienced doctors. Since I'm still a GP, I am considering two career options before moving down under to the jolly land of Oz.

OPTION 1: Go straight to Australia and sit in the MCQs to gain RMO (Registered Medical Officer Status) at 37 y/o, then take my internship there to find a FM / IM residency program, hopefully finishing it before I turn 40. Oh well, life really begins at 40.

OPTION 2: Bite the local offer and finish my 3-year IM residency here in the Philippines, do some research, community service, and boost my CV before heading down under to Oz. I'm considering this (albeit longer) because Oz seems to prefer experienced doctors.

Also a bit off-tangent but relevant -- Would my age (35-38) be a cause for concern in getting into a good residency program in order to practice medicine, given I'm an OTD and a nontraditional medical student? I remember the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

I've included a link to the other forum on general residency. A kind fellow over there suggested that I bring my concerns here to the Ozzies.

Your enlightenment would be very much appreciated.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=545252

I don't have all the answers, but here are some pointers.

A GP is a 'specialist' of sorts in Australia, as the minimum training period to qualify as a GP is 4 years after graduation from medical school. You must be a registered fellow of the RACGP (aust. college of GPs) to practice as a GP/family practitioner.

Once you pass the AMC exams and start work as an intern in Oz, you are pretty much on equal footing as a local graduate, except you will not get a provider number for 10 years, meaning you cannot bulk bill public patients under Medicare (pls correct me here if i'm wrong.. as a local student I've only heard this 2nd hand).

Whereas if you finish your post-graduate qualifications overseas, you will be assessed by the relevant college (e.g. the college of physicians, college of GPs etc), which is risky as they may not recognise your training as equivalent.


Good luck

 

[praetorfenix]

Thanks for the feedback!

I've heard stuff about that 10 year moratorium from the other forums too. Yes I know it sucks big time but we all have to roll with the punches.

What would be the average annual compensation of a GP? 70k-80k?