*We will be regularly updating this post as the various States and Territories update their processes. Where information is not currently available for the 2021 year we have used information from the previous year, i.e. 2020.
It’s that time of the year again, where the whole medical internship Australia system kicks into gear. The time when each of the States and Territories in Australia open up their process to allow applications for medical internships for the following year. For four years I was responsible for running the largest Intern application system in Australia for 4 years. The NSW Intern application system. So I’d like to share with this year’s medical graduates some of the wisdom I gained from that experience.
(Disclaimer: all information here has been sourced in good faith but things do change so you should always do your own due diligence in such matters, we are providing this information to aid you in your application but take no responsibility for any outcomes)
As has been the case in past years the main Intern application and allocation dates are aligned across Australia so that every State and Territory opens and closes their systems at the same time and makes offers at the same times. There are some variations to this in relation to special priority categories in some States and Territories. The key things that all medical graduates should consider in preparing their medical internship application for the 2022 year in 2021 are as follows:
- Applications open on 4th May 2021.
- Applications close on 3rd June 2021.
- Make sure that you have an Intern Placement Number otherwise you won’t be able to apply.
- You should research the application requirements now as there may be some “surprises”. As soon as the application system opens, register or log in and ensure that you have everything you need to complete your application.
- Understand where you sit in the priority list for any State or Territory you are applying to.
- If you are required to attend an interview. Make sure that you have obtained leave from your medical school requirements to attend.
- Also, consider that the interview is likely to be either via phone or video this year.
- Give yourself time to request referees, put together a Resume, if required and find other documents that you may need.
- The first main round offers come out from 12th July. So make sure that you have regular access to your email as your time for accepting offers can be quite short.
- Stay in touch with your medical school. you may be worried about completing your degree on time but they are all working very hard with the other institutions to give you the best chance of completion.
Tip #1. Your Medical Intern Placement Number.
The IPN is a unique nine-digit number that has been generated by AHPRA and has been provided to medical schools for distribution to all 2021 final-year medical students. The number is used as part of the national audit process (which ensures that intern positions across the country are made available to as many applicants as possible) as well as to streamline registration.
This number is not the same number as your AHPRA registration number or student number. If you have not received you IPN you should check with your school.
If you are not an Australian medical student you won’t be issued an IPN. If you are applying as a non-Australian medical student you do not require an IPN. However, please note that unless you are a New Zealand medical student your chances of gaining an internship are very slim.
Tip #2. Other Things You Will Likely Need.
The majority of States and Territories require you to upload an academic transcript as proof that you are indeed a medical student.
They will also request evidence that you satisfactorily meet the AHPRA English Language requirements. This may seem a bit ridiculous given that you have been attending medical school in English for the last 4 or 5 years. But it is the law. So check whether you may need to submit an up-to-date English test result or some other form of documentary evidence such as a high school certificate.
Most States and Territories will also request a CV or Resume. For tips on your CV or Resume see our ultimate guide to CVs or watch a video series about this.
Some States and Territories have a CV template that they suggest that you use to fill in your information. In the case of Victoria, you are required to use this template. It’s probably fairly harmless to use the template for the other States and Territories. But if you are thinking about your future career, then nows is a good time to be designing your own CV. The risk of using the template is that you don’t stand out from other candidates.
You will need to also provide proof of your identity, citizenship, residency, or visa. And if you have had a name change along the way you will probably also need to provide some documentation in relation to this.
Why All This Information?
The State and Territory bodies who administer the Intern application process have a responsibility to ensure that you are eligible to apply for provisional registration at the end of the year in order to work as an Intern. They collect this information to check that everything is in order so that you are indeed eligible to apply. Employers can get rightly annoyed when told that someone who has been allocated to work with them as an Intern will have a several-month delay whilst they resit an English language test.
However, it’s your responsibility to ensure that you are eligible for registration. So you should also be checking these things yourself.
It’s hard to fathom given the amount of communication from health departments, medical schools and student colleagues. But every year there are a handful of medical students who forget to apply for their internship. This means having to wait another year. Don’t let that be you.
Dr Anthony Llewellyn | Career Doctor
Tip #3. Research and Apply Early.
It’s hard to fathom given the amount of communication from health departments, medical schools, and student colleagues. But every year there are a handful of medical students who forget to apply for their internship. This means having to wait another year. Don’t let that be you.
There are even more students who leave their applications to the last minute. Only to find that they are missing a vital document. For example, this could be evidence you need to substantiate that English is your first language, such as a high school certificate. Or perhaps your last name has changed whilst you have been in medical school? Or maybe you need to submit a CV with your application?
As soon as the application page opens for each State and Territory you are going to apply to make sure your register. And then go as far through the process of applying as possible so you can see if there is some sort of document you need to obtain.
Tip #4. Practice Your Video Interview Technique.
If you are one of the many students who may need to undertake an interview for your internship choices as occurs in certain situations, such as rural preferential recruitment and certain States such as Victoria. Then you should be prepared for the fact that this year your interview is unlikely to be held in person and very likely to be conducted on video.
There’s a lot more than you think to video interviewing. For a rundown on this check out this recent post.
Tip #5. Know Where You Sit In The Priority List.
ts important to know where you sit on the priority list. Each State and Territory has a slightly different order but in essence, it goes something like this:
- If you are an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident and went to Medical School in that State or Territory you are top of the list.
- If you are an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident and went to Medical School in another State or Territory or New Zealand you are probably second.
- If you are an International student who studied Medicine in Australia you are probably next.
Tip #6. Know the Key Dates, including Offer Dates.
As noted above it’s crucial that you know the key dates. If you miss your application submission date (and it does happen) there is no allowance for a last-minute submission. You also need to make sure you are available to accept your offer. Generally, the window for offer acceptances is quite narrow (often 48 hours).
For this year the day on which the first round of offers can be made nationally is 12th July and most offers will come out on that day. Thereafter there is a series of offer windows for 2nd and 3rd and 4th rounds etc… in between which there is a mandated pause, which allows the National Intern Audit process to run. This is a system that works to ensure that vacancies are being freed up as soon as possible by highlighting medical students who may have an offer in more than one jurisdiction and ensuring that they accept one offer and decline others.
Priorities Within Priorities.
Some States and Territories also have priority pathways to ensure that groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and doctors who wish to work rurally or regionally can obtain their preferred placement early.
So if you are an International student and like the idea of working rurally it’s probably a good idea to consider a rural pathway as it will likely boost your chances of gaining an Intern position earlier in the process.
More Information on Each Jurisdiction
HETI Medical Graduate Recruitment Page
HETI Prevocational Training Application Program Portal
PMCV Internship Information
PMCV Match Portal
2021 Queensland Intern Campaign Home Page
Application Guide
Application Portal.
Postgraduate Medical Council of Western Australia
SA MET Internship Guide
SA Health Careers Link
The Commonwealth – Junior Doctor Training Program Private Hospital Stream
Intern Positions TBD
The information below is for the previous year.
Annual Salary = will depend on which State or Territory you are employed in.
The Commonwealth provides an additional Internship program for international students who study at Australian medical schools.
*Any excess posts may be applied for by other IMGs in Australia
The main function for this program over the years has been to provide additional opportunities for international students studying Medicine in Australia a chance to complete their internship. This is done by tendering to various private hospitals for additional intern positions.
The program was retitled in 2020 to the Junior Doctor Training Program Private Hospital Stream when there were 115 positions on offer.
Normally there is not as much information about the program available until a mad flurry at the end of the year. And 2020 seems to be no different. They are still sorting out which hospitals will provide internships. After which there will probably be some information about how to apply.
For now we know that the eligibility requirements are that you must either be an international full fee-paying medical graduate from an onshore Australian medical school. This is Priority One. If not all positions are filled by priority one medical graduates then the private hospitals may then recruit other medical graduates who have provisional registration. This is the Priority Two category. I am not sure how this priority category two helps any IMG as they must already have provisional registration. I guess it might help some IMGs already employed and on the standard pathway jump into a better training program.
Eligibility Requirements for Intern (PGY 1) Junior Doctor Training Places under the Junior Doctor Training Program Private Hospital Stream
Under the PHS, participating private hospitals must prioritise international full fee-paying medical graduates from onshore Australian medical schools (Priority One). Should these places not be filled, private hospitals may then recruit other medical graduates eligible for provisional registration (Priority Two). This means that the Commonwealth Scheme provides one of the few opportunities for IMGs who are applying via the standard pathway process to gain an internship position in Australia.
To do so you will need to have met the Medical Board of Australia provisional registration requirements as a medical practitioner. And also have met the English language proficiency requirements for registration purposes. And commit to obtaining an appropriate visa to work in Australia during the internship year.
Private Hospitals funded to deliver the Private Hospital Stream from 2020-2022 are:
– Mater Health Services North Queensland (delivering PGY1 places)
– Mercy Health and Aged Care Central QLD – Friendly Society Hospital, Bundaberg; Mater Private Hospital, Bundaberg; Bundaberg Base Hospital, Bundaberg; – — — Mackay Base Hospital, Mackay; Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Mackay (delivering PGY1, PGY2 and PGY3 places)
– MQ Health (Macquarie University Hospital) (delivering PGY1 places)
– St John of God Ballarat Hospital – Grampians Intern Training Program (delivering PGY1 places)
– Mater Hospital Sydney (delivering PGY1 places)
– St Vincent’s Private Hospital Sydney (delivering PGY1 places)
– Ramsay Health Care WA (Joondalup) (delivering PGY1, PGY2 and PGY3 places)
– Greenslopes Private Hospital (delivering PGY1, PGY2 and PGY3 places)
– Calvary Health Care Riverina (delivering PGY2 places)
How To Decide?
There are lots of considerations when it comes to putting in your Intern application. Everyone is a bit different. Some graduates feel like they would like to be close to home and family whilst going through their transition to Intern. Others see it as a chance to get away and explore a new place and location. And then others focus on the long-term career prospects of certain locations.
I think this last consideration is a little overrated for most. You can generally experience a wide range of medicine in your first couple of years of medicine after graduation and there is scant evidence that this affects your prospects of applying for specialty training posts.
That being said if you have an interest in anything other than Medicine, Surgery or Emergency Medicine as a future career you should probably investigate whether this particular specialty is offered at the hospitals or networks to which you apply.
Unfortunately, the internship model in Australia is quite antiquated and we have continued to use the experience as a proxy for competency when a large portion of the medical education world has moved on. The result has been the mandating of the 3 core terms for internship of Medicine, Surgery, and Emergency Medicine. There is really no solid educational basis for this approach and one of the unfortunate outcomes is that all the other specialties get squeezed out and few interns get to experience psychiatry, general practice, obstetrics, paediatrics, pathology etc… which ultimately does have an effect on recruitment to these specialties.
So the basic message is this. If you are really dead set keen on doing radiology as a career you should try to track down the very few locations that might offer this rotation to either interns or residents.
Each year the Australian Medical Students’ Association produces a very useful Intern Guide with lots of information about the composition of intern training networks across the country. The 2020 version did not appear to eventuate. So I can only assume they are no longer compiling this. But here’s a link to the 2019 version.
Related Questions
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What If I Have Special Circumstances Which Make It Hard For Me To Work In Certain Places?
All States and Territories Have processes for considering special circumstances. Some of the types of circumstances that are generally approved are: where you may have certain health conditions that mean you need to be close to certain hospitals or specialists; where you have dependents, such as young children, and are unable to relocate due to care arrangements; and where you and your partner want to work as doctors in the same location. Generally, requests to stay in certain locations, for reasons such as work commitments of partners or needs of school-aged children are not granted.
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I Have Received My Intern Offer. But I Would Like to Defer It. Is This Possible?
This will partly depend on how long you wish to defer for. If you just wish to defer for a a few months. Once you have your offer and are in discussions with your new employer make enquiries. It may be possible to negotiate a later start with your employer. Most employers will generally prefer that you start on time, so that you are not out of sync with your colleagues. But there might be some advantage for the employer in you attending orientation but then starting a bit later as it will probably help them to fill out roster gaps. On the other hand. If you wish to defer for a complete year. Then you will need to check the policy of the State or Territory that has provided you an Intern offer. In some cases (for example Victoria) you will be permitted to defer and your place will be held for you the following year. In most other cases you will need to reapply the following year and check whether your priority status has altered. In most cases you have the same priority status. Also bear in mind that it is unclear how long you can defer commencing your internship. However, the eMedical Board of Australia expects that once you have commenced your internship you will have completed this process within 3 years.
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I Am a Doctor With a Medical Degree From Outside Of Australia. Can I Apply For Internship?
Unless you obtained your medical degree from a New Zealand Medical School. Then the brief answer to this question is no. I would love to stop there. And I really think you should as well. But there are rare circumstances where you may be able to obtain an internship with a medical degree from outside of Australia. But the Medical Board of Australia strongly advises against this option and so do I. For good reasons. Firstly the whole Australian medical internship system is designed to ensure that Australian medical graduates are able to undertake an internship. Not for overseas graduates. Secondly (and as a result of the first point) it is very rare to be offered the chance. Some States and Territories will not even consider an application from an IMG for internship. Others will only do so in limited circumstances, for example, the Northern Territory will accept applications from IMGs who may have done a medical student elective or clinical observership in the Northern Territory and who have experience in rural, remote and indigenous health locations. But even then these applicants are at the bottom of the priority list for obtaining an internship. South Australia will accept applications. But again you are bottom of the list. Queensland will also accept applicants, but only if you have never worked as a doctor. And again you are bottom of the list. A final note on this question is that the majority of IMGs who do obtain a medical internship position each year in Australia generally have Australian citizenship or permanent residency.
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I Have Heard That Some Graduates Miss Out On Internship. Is This True?
Whilst it is theoretically a possibility that some medical graduates miss out on Internship according to information provided by HETI for the most recent year of intern applications no-one was actually left at the end of the process without an offer. Only Australian citizens and permanent residents are guaranteed an intern position under the COAG agreement. However, there are generally enough intern positions available for those students who have come to Australia to study medicine and the Commonwealth Private Hospital program offers additional spaces for those that may miss out. That being said. It is also clear that many graduates choose to drop out of the application process themselves. So not everyone who applies gets an offer. The assumption is that some graduates take up similar intern opportunities in other countries upon graduation.
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I Am Not an Australian Medical Student. How Do I Obtain an Intern Placement Number?
In this situation you do not require an IPN and will not be issued with one. You can still apply for internships. But unless you are a New Zealand medical student your chances of gaining a place are very very limited.
(Disclaimer: all information here has been sourced in good faith but things do change so you should always do your own due diligence in such matters, we are providing this information to aid you in your application but take no responsibility for any outcomes)We’d welcome feedback from any Intern programs in relation to the accuracy of the above information.
Hi
Im Russian passed out and finished my amc mcq. And I haven’t done my internship. Is it possible to get here. Or if I go back to Russia and do it.it will be accepted by APHRA?
Hi Shamila
I recommend taking my Becoming a Doctor in Australia free course.
hi !! i have done MBBS from Kazakhstan without internship , is i am eligible to apply for 1 year internship in Australia ?
In short. No. Refer to this post.
Hello, I am a final year medical student (MD candidate) and I will graduate and qualify as a doctor in May 2023. As a final year medical student, I am the acting intern on the floor. I oversee patients in the hospital, pre-round daily on them, write progress and H&P notes, and prepare their discharge papers.
Do I need to prove internship to the medical board in Australia? Could I just complete my AMC part 1 and apply for a 12 months supervised post?
The requirement to prove an internship with the Medical Board of Australia comes down to whether you need to complete an internship in the country you graduate in. You haven’t indicated that this is the case.
Hi Anthony,
My daughter will graduate MBBCH in December 2022 from University of Witwatersrand ,Johannesburg, South Africa.
She wants to do her intership in Australia in 2023. She is a Mauritian national. Please advise the way forward.
Hi
As noted on this post obtaining an internship in Australia is essentially impossible for IMG doctors. YOur daughter should complete her internship in South Africa and could be attempting the AMC examinations at this point.
Hi Anthony,
If I have completed my internship (3 months) in Italy and obtained full registration with the Italian Medical Board, am I still required to do an Internship / 12-months supervised practice after passing my AMC MCQ?
Thank you,
M
Hi, these are 2 separate questions.
If the system in Italy is as described you will not need to prove internship to the Medical Board in Australia.
After completing your AMC Part 1 you will have to find and undertake a 12 month supervised post.
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for this helpful post! I am in IMG married to an Australian citizen, currently on the pathway towards receiving my permanent residency in Australia. I applied to South Australia’s Rural Internship program and have just been informed that I was granted an interview. Is there any information as to how many people apply, receive interviews, and then receive offers to this program? Additionally, do you have any tips on how to prepare for the interview?
Thanks again,
Dvora
I don’t have any statistics for you. But you have done well to get to this stage. You will find plenty of tips about interviews on the blog and youtube channel. I would recommend taking the interview skills course which you can do online at your own pace.
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