Become An OEM Physician

Criteria of Entry to the AFOEM Training Program

An applicant's eligibility to undertake training/practice in Australia is dependent upon a number of factors, including your resident status, previous training and experience, and eligibility for registration with the State and Territory Medical Boards. 

To be eligible to apply to become a trainee of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational & Environmental medicine, an applicant must:

At the time of writing there is no minimum duration a Trainee must be enrolled in the Training Program, although it is recognised that 3 to 4 years is the norm for allowing sufficient experiential time. The Faculty is currently reviewing the minimum period of training required.

You will need to contact a Regional Director of Training (DoT) in your state/region. They will advise you whether any previous academic course  that you may have completed, may be counted as appropriate, or which courses should be considered.

Overseas Trained Physicians and Doctors

Before practising in Australia or New Zealand all overseas trained doctors (OTDs) or International Medical Graduates (IMGs) must first obtain registration from the Medical Boards in the State or Territory in which they wish to work, or from the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ). There are a number of pathways that can be taken towards medical registration, depending upon the particular circumstances and qualifications and whether the OTD is a specialist or hospital non-specialist.

By national agreement, all jurisdiction in Australia have introduced consistent assessment and registration pathways for IMGs in addition to the existing AMC examination pathway. Details of these pathways can be found at the AMC website.

The same criteria (listed above) for AFOEM training program admission applies for all applicants, including overseas trained doctors. If your basic medical degree was conferred overseas and you are seeking to obtain unconditional registration in Australia, you are required to pass the Australian Medical Council (AMC) Examinations.

Before submitting an application to the relevant Medical Council (AMC or MCNZ) it is suggested that applicants check the following:

In order to be a registered Medical Practitioner in Australia or New Zealand, overseas trained physicians are advised to first contact the Australian Medical Council or the Medical Council of New Zealand regarding specialist registration. Their contact details are:

Overseas trained doctors are granted an alternative pathway to conditional registration to practise in their area of specialty  if they:

The application process for assessment of OTDs is administered by the AMC or the MCNZ, but the specialist assessment of an applicant's training and experience is undertaken by the relevant specialist medical college. The AFOEM has agreed to assess the Occupational & Environmental Medicine specialist qualifications of OTDs. The purpose of this specialist assessment process is to determine the comparibility of training qualifications and experience of overseas trained specialists, with Australasian trained specialists.

Once the Australian Medical Council has endorsed the applicant's qualifications and specified that they are eligible for specialist registration, the overseas trained physician may apply to the AFOEM for Faculty Fellowship under By-Law 6.

For further details regarding Overseas Trained Physicians/Doctors, please contact our OTP Department on +61 2 8247 6204.

Training Program Application Process 

  1. Enquiry received at AFOEM.
  2. Potential applicant contact appropriate Regional Director of Training (Find a Regional Director of Training).
  3. Decide to apply.
  4. Application prepared and Supervisor is assigned.
  5. Complete application form (DOC | 288KB) including signed Regional Director of Training form.
  6. Send to AFOEM with application fee (non-refundable).
  7. AFOEM forwards application to Teaching & Learning Committee for approval.
  8. AFOEM sends successful letter and receipt of application payment to trainee, enters trainee into database or AFOEM sends unsuccessful letter.
  9. Applicant commences as an AFOEM Trainee at the next training cycle (ie, January 1st or July 1st) upon payment of annual trainee subscription fee.

Training Program Intake Dates

Applications for admission into the AFOEM training program for January 2010 commencement are now closed. 

There are two (2) intakes into the AFOEM training program annually:

To ensure that your application is processed in time for the next intake, please complete steps 1-6 (outlined above) prior to either 30 March or 30 September of each calendar year.

Should your application be received after the intake dates, please note that your admission into the AFOEM training program may be delayed to up to six (6) months.

Fellowship Via Equivalence (By-Law 6)

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians Board, on recommendation of the Australasian Facutly of Occupational & Environmental Medicine Council, may admit as a Fellow of the Faculty a person who is a registered medical practitioner of a State or Territory of Australia or of New Zealand or another country approved by the Board, or holds a medical qualification regarded as satisfactory by the Board and the Faculty Council, and

  1. has fullfilled the specified terms and conditions prescribed by the Board and the Faculty Council for the candidate's training and qualifications, including any assessment, general or specialised training, and necessary practical experience; or
  2. has been predominantly engaged in the practice of occupational and environmental medicine; or
  3. in the opinion of the Faculty Council has made a special or highly significant contribution in any branch of medicine or medical science pertaining to occupational and environmental medicine; or
  4. in the opinion of the Faculty Council has scientific attainments of outstanding merit and holds a specialist qualification or a higher degree of a university or equivalent or an academic appointment regarded as satisfactory by the RACP Board.

Further details, guidelines, applicant requirements, and application form for Faculty Fellowship applications under By-Law 6 are detailed in the provided documents below.

Need Help?

Feel free to contact any of staff here at the AFOEM office. Please refer to our Contact Us page.

Page Last Reviewed or Updated: Monday 26, July 2010