stakeholder consultation - medical council of new zealand · stakeholder consultation ... namely...

Stakeholder consultation

April 2016

Consultation on proposed changes to registration policies

Summary

The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCAA) empowers the Medical Council of New Zealand (Council) to develop registration requirements / policy. Sections 11 and 12 of the HPCAA require Council to specify scopes of practice and to prescribe qualifications that doctors must hold in order to be eligible to apply for a scope of practice. Section 14 of the Act states that Council may, by notice in the New Zealand Gazette, amend, revoke or replace the existing requirements / policies. Council is required to ensure that appropriate consultation is undertaken prior to any changes or additions to the content of any proposed registration policies.

This consultation paper seeks feedback from stakeholders on two proposals:

The introduction of primary source verification of qualifications, and certificates of registration / licenses to practice.

The development of a new pathway to registration in a (provisional) general scope of practice.

Consultation process

Council is inviting general comments on the two proposals outlined in detail below. You are welcome to respond to some or all of the questions that have been posed.

Please provide written submissions by email to [email protected] by close of business on 20 May 2016. Submissions by post should be addressed to Sidonie, The Medical Council of New Zealand, PO Box 10509, Wellington 6143.

Once this consultation process has concluded, the feedback will be considered and Council will make a decision on how to proceed. Any decision made as a result of this consultation (whether that is to make changes, or not to make changes) will be shared with stakeholders, and particularly with anyone who has taken the time to respond to the consultation.

Publication of submissions

Council publishes submissions at its discretion. Published submissions will include the names of the individuals and/or the organisations that made the submission, unless confidentiality is requested.

Council generally publishes submissions on its website to encourage discussion and inform stakeholders. Please advise us if you do not want all or part of your submission published.

We will not place on our website, or make available to the public, submissions that contain offensive or defamatory comments or which are outside the scope of the subject of the consultation.

The views expressed in the submissions are those of the individuals or organisations who submit them and their publication does not imply any acceptance of, or agreement with these views by Council.

mailto:[email protected]

Consultation 1: Introduction of primary source verification

Background

Council is considering whether to impose a requirement that all applicants for registration be required to have their credentials primary-source verified through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates’ (ECFMG) Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC) service. Council does not at present undertake primary-source verification of credentials; instead it verifies by other means all the credentials that a doctor relies on when they apply for registration. In the context of a number of recent cases where doctors have provided inaccurate documents to support their applications, Council believes it may be appropriate now to consider primary-source verifying of qualifications, etc. EPIC is used by a number of international regulators for primary source verification, namely the Australian Medical Council, the Bahamas Medical Council, the Danish Patient Safety Authority and the Medical Council of Ireland.

What is ECFMG?

ECFMG is a private USA non-profit organisation tasked with:

providing information to and answering inquiries of IMGs planning to undertake graduate medical education in the USA; and

evaluating international medical graduates’ (IMGs’) credentials, knowledge of medicine, and command of English; and

certifying that IMGs have met certain medical education and examination requirements.

What is EPIC?

EPIC is an electronic credential verification service that offers primary-source verification of medical credentials to doctors and organisations worldwide. In verifying the authenticity of doctors’ credentials related to medical education, training, and registration/licensure, EPIC employs the same primary-source verification process used by ECFMG to verify credentials for other ECFMG services. EPIC’s services are delivered through a web-based platform that offers users security, convenience, and efficiency.

ECFMG’s experience in certifying IMGs has allowed it to develop programmes that share its expertise with others involved in the assessment of doctors. Through EPIC, ECFMG makes this expertise available to individual doctors and the entities that register/license, train, educate, and employ them.

Throughout its 60 years of experience in evaluating doctor credentials, ECFMG has established relationships with thousands of medical schools, postgraduate training programmes, and medical regulatory authorities worldwide. With 30 years of experience in primary-source verification of doctors’ credentials, ECFMG offers expertise in verifying the medical credentials issued to doctors around the world. ECFMG’s Medical Credentials Reference Library captures ECFMG’s interactions with more than 2,400 medical schools in more than 180 countries or territories, and contains samples of authentic verified credentials, such as medical diplomas, licenses, certificates of registration, and medical school transcripts, as well as official signatures and institutional seals. ECFMG employs a multi-step primary-source verification process for rigorous authentication of doctors’ credentials.

For organisations responsible for evaluating doctors’ qualifications, EPIC provides the opportunity to incorporate primary-source verification into the evaluation of doctors’ credentials.

How EPIC works

The doctor establishes an EPIC account, and uploads his/her credential(s). ECFMG primary source verifies their credential(s), and the doctor then uses EPIC to request a verification credential report for

http://www.ecfmgepic.org/

an organisation (such as a regulator considering an application for registration). Lastly the organisation accesses these reports through EPIC’s secure report portal website (ie, the report is not received directly from the doctor). EPIC offers a way to build a digital career portfolio of the credentials related to doctors’ medical education, training, and registration/licensure—a portfolio that can grow with their careers. Doctors can upload credentials to their portfolio, have those credentials primary-source verified by ECFMG, and request reports verifying the authenticity of those credentials for organisations worldwide.

EPIC reports include: the name, date of birth, and gender in the doctor’s EPIC record the doctor’s EPIC ID the doctor’s name as it appears on the credential a photo of the doctor the date the report was issued the name, city, and country of the entity for which the report was generated (eg, the Medical

Council of New Zealand) the type of credential verified (ie, final medical diploma/degree, alternate graduation documents,

postgraduate medical education credentials, medical registration certificates and licenses to practise medicine)

the name and location of the institution that issued the credential. EPIC reports are accompanied by: a copy of the credential an English translation of the credential provided by the doctor (if the credential is not in English) a copy of the credential as verified by the institution, with official seal and/or signatures of the

verifying institution. a copy of the verification form completed by the verifying institution.

Fees

Doctors initiate EPIC transactions and pay for those transactions as they make them. Council would be the recipient of the credentials and verification reports that doctors have requested. There is a cost of US$75 for a doctor to establish their EPIC account, and then they pay US$75 for every document they submit for credentialing. Documents to be credentialed are limited to: Final medical diploma/degree Alternate graduation document Postgraduate medical education credential Certificate of medical registration License to practise medicine.

The doctor will also pay US$15 per credential for every credential they request that EPIC report on to Council. This fee includes electronic transmission of the EPIC verification report, credential, English translation, verification form from issuing institution; and secure, web-based access for the recipient to retrieve these documents.

When a doctor adds a credential to his/her EPIC Portfolio, ECFMG will request verification of its authenticity directly from the institution that issued it. Some institutions charge a fee to verify credentials. The doctor is responsible for these fees. If an institution charges such a fee, ECFMG will notify the doctor to contact the institution directly regarding the fee and the method of payment.

Attachments

Appendix 1 – ECFMG EPIC information sheet for organisations

Proposed changes to current policy

If this proposal was to be implemented, doctors applying for registration would need to have had their credentials verified through the EPIC service prior to submitting their application for registration to Council. EPIC report(s) will need to be included with the application, and an application will not be considered complete unless the EPIC reports are included. An application is only processed once it is complete. The practical implication of this for applicant doctors, is that they need to allow time in their planning to ensure that the EPIC verification processes is completed in advance of submitting their application for registration.

Please provide any general feedback you might have, but also consider the following questions in preparing your response:

1. From your perspective, should primary-source verification of this nature be implemented for applicants for registration?

2. If yes, should it be made to apply to international medical graduates (IMGs) only, or should New Zealand graduates (primary and postgraduate) also be included?

3. If it is to apply to IMGs only, should this include Australian graduates (Australian medical schools and Australia-only colleges/postgraduate training institutions)?

4. If it is to apply to IMGs only, should this include graduates of competent authorities (UK and Ireland)?

5. Should it apply to first-time applicants only, or should it include those who already hold another form of registration, especially where a different qualification is being relied upon that hadn’t previously been assessed?

6. Should it apply to applications for permanent registration only (ie, provisional general/general and provisional vocational/vocational), or should special purpose applications also be included?

7. Do you have any thoughts on the impact of this change in terms of the timeframes for submitting applications, and the cost of undergoing EPIC verification?

8. If EPIC verification is required, what validity period should a verification have? Ie, at what point does the verification expire, and have to be repeated – at 3 months from date of verification, or 6 months, etc?

9. Do you have any other comments on the proposal?

Consultation 2: Creation of a new pathway to (provisional) general registration

Background

Council is considering whether to recognise international medical graduate (IMG) general registration in Australia on the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) Standard pathway as a prescribed qualification for the purposes of registration in New Zealand. Specifically, Council is considering whether holding general registration in Australia that was achieved by way of:

an Australian Medical Council (AMC) examination pass; or

completion of a successful MBA-approved workplace-based assessment should form the basis of a prescribed qualification for registration in a provisional general scope of practice in New Zealand.

Background: Australian registration pathways

IMGs who gained their primary medical degree from a medical school outside of Australia or New Zealand are able to apply for registration in Australia by way of one of the following assessment pathways:

Specialist pathway, or

Competent Authority pathway, or

Standard pathway. Standard pathway

This pathway is the focus of this proposal, and is the pathway for IMGs seeking general registration with the MBA. This pathway applies to IMGs who are not eligible for the Competent Authority pathway or the Specialist pathway.

There are two main options for gaining general registration on the Standard pathway in Australia:

Option 1

IMGs must pass the AMC MCQ (multiple choice questionnaire) examination (ie, the written knowledge examination) as well as the AMC Clinical examination (ie, the practical examination), and once they have secured an appropriate employment offer, they can apply to the MBA for provisional* registration. The next step is to complete 12 months satisfactory supervised practice and they may then apply for general registration.

Option 2

IMGs must pass the AMC MCQ examination and then secure a suitable employment offer. They may then apply to the MBA for limited* registration to allow them to complete the requirements for general registration, whilst practising under supervision. This is achieved by way of either

satisfactorily completing 12 months of supervised practice and passing the AMC Clinical examination during their period of supervision; or

satisfactorily completing 12 months of supervised practice during which time they also successfully complete a formal, structured workplace-based assessment (WBA).

* A doctor who has passed the AMC MCQ and AMC Clinical examination prior to applying for full

registration in Australia, is eligible to apply for provisional registration. A doctor who has passed only the AMC MCQ and then applies for registration in order to complete the examination or a WBA while under supervision, is only eligible to apply for limited registration in Australia.

Detail of proposed change to the current policy on registration in a general scope of practice

Council is considering accepting general registration in Australia (on the MBA Standard pathway to registration) as a prescribed qualification for provisional general registration in New Zealand. A new tailored provisional general pathway to registration would need to be defined for this purpose. Two proposals are being considered and Council could decide to implement either, both or neither.

Proposal 1 – AMC MCQ examination, AMC Clinical examination, period of supervised practice and AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency)/MBA general registration

Council is considering whether it would be appropriate to grant eligibility for registration in a provisional general scope of practice to candidates who have

completed the AMC MCQ examination, and

completed the AMC Clinical examination, and

completed a successful period of supervised practice in Australia (while on provisional registration), and

subsequently been granted general registration in Australia (on the MBA Standard pathway).

Proposal 2 – AMC MCQ examination, WBA, period of supervised practice and AHPRA/MBA general

registration

Council is considering whether it would be appropriate to grant eligibility for registration in a provisional general scope of practice to candidates who have

completed the AMC MCQ examination, and

completed a period of supervised practice in Australia (while on limited registration), and

subsequently achieved full general registration, either by passing the AMC Clinical examination, or by successfully completing a WBA in Australia (on the MBA Standard pathway).

The AMC workplace-based assessment (WBA) tests a doctor's performance in everyday clinical practice. The Standard pathway (workplace-based assessment) allows a doctor to complete the clinical component of their assessment in a workplace setting rather than through the AMC Clinical examination. If the doctor has passed the AMC MCQ examination (onshore or offshore) and they are employed in a clinical position at an AMC-accredited WBA authority, the doctor is eligible to apply for a WBA. The content and the assessment standard of accredited WBA programmes are approved by the AMC and overseen by members of the AMC Board of Examiners, who ensure that the format and content of the assessments are consistent with the required standard. The assessment methods for WBA programmes are rigorous and structured.

In the case of the AMC, WBA is used to:

monitor an IMG’s progress through the required supervised pathway and confirm satisfactory completion of the programme;

provide guidance for specific learning needs of the IMG; and

determine whether and when IMGs are ready to proceed to independent (or more independent) practice in Australia.

The AMC’s WBA assessments include:

Mini-clinical evaluation exercise (min-CEX)

Direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS)

Case-based orals (CBOs)

In-training assessment (ITA) / Structured supervision reports

Multi-source feedback.

If either or both of these additional options for registration were to be considered by Council for implementation, then Council would need to define a pathway to registration on a provisional general scope of practice, and define the prescribed qualifications for eligibility as per the two options outlined above.

At the point of application in New Zealand, the doctors applying for registration down this new pathway, will have completed an international primary medical degree, passed the AMC MCQ examination, either passed the AMC Clinical examination or successfully undertaken an AMC WBA, and been granted general registration in Australia (following 12 months of satisfactory practice under supervision).

If Council implements these options, the doctor would gain provisional general registration in New Zealand. Consequently, Council will need to determine the requirements that a provisionally registered doctor (on the new pathway) would need to fulfil in order to progress from provisional general to general registration. In order to determine whether a doctor has met the required standard for registration, Council needs to set the standard against which these applicants will be assessed (ie, Council needs to specify the requirements the doctors will need to fulfill to be eligible for a change of scope from provisional general to full general registration).

Proposed change of scope requirements - Option one

Council could view these applicants as being on par with a registrant who has passed the New Zealand registration examination (NZREX Clinical), or a graduate of a New Zealand / Australian medical school. These registrants are expected to complete the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum Framework for Prevocational Medical Training (ie, complete a PGY1 intern year under provisional general registration and then complete a PGY2 intern year on a general scope with endorsements).

The current prescribed qualifications for New Zealand / Australian / NZREX Clinical graduates to gain provisional general registration, require that the doctor must have:

satisfactorily completed four accredited clinical attachments; and

substantively attained the learning outcomes outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum Framework for Prevocational Medical Training; and

completed a minimum of 10 weeks’ full-time equivalent in each clinical attachment. Full-time is equivalent to a minimum of 40 hours per week; and

hold advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification at the standard of New Zealand Resuscitation Council CORE level 7 less than 12 months old; and

been recommended for registration in a general scope of practice by a Council-approved advisory panel.

Proposed change of scope requirements - Option two

Council could take into account that these applicants have already met the standard for full general registration in Australia, and could then conclude that these applicants should be considered to be at the level of a PGY2 intern. They would therefore need to meet the same requirements of a NZ / Australian / NZREX Clinical graduate completing PGY2, but they would do so while under Council approved supervision while on a provisional general scope of practice.

The requirements for a change of scope may then include:

satisfactorily complete four Council-accredited clinical attachments while under Council-approved supervision. All accredited clinical attachments are for 13-weeks

develop and work towards achieving the goals in their professional development plan (PDP) for PGY2.

Attachments

Appendix 2 – Overview of pathways to registration for IMGs wishing to practise medicine in Australia (Standard pathway)

Appendix 3 – AMC MCQ examination information sheet Appendix 4 – AMC Clinical examination information sheet Appendix 5 – AMC Workplace-based assessment information sheet

Proposed changes to current policy

The implication of the introduction of this new pathway to general scope registration, would mean that IMGs who are currently able to apply for registration by passing the NZREX Clinical, would also be able to apply for registration on the basis of having achieved general registration in Australia. Once these doctors gain provisional general registration they would need to work under supervision in New Zealand either at the level of a PGY1 or a PGY2 (depending on the outcome of the consultation) before being eligible for a general scope of practice.

The current registration policy for registration in a general scope of practice is published on Council‘s website, accessible from https://www.mcnz.org.nz/get-registered/scopes-of-practice/general-scope/.

Please provide any general feedback you might have, but also consider the following questions in preparing your response:

10. Is this a sensible proposal for Council to be considering, or are the current pathways to registration adequate?

11. If you agree that it is sensible to proceed with developing this pathway, are there any elements of the proposal that need to be changed?

12. If you agree that this pathway should be developed, do you believe that these candidates should be considered to be at the level of a PGY1 or a PGY2 when they first gain registration in New Zealand?

13. Do you have any other comments?

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to consider these proposals. The deadline for feedback on this consultation is 20 May 2016. Please ensure that we receive your feedback by this date.

https://www.mcnz.org.nz/get-registered/scopes-of-practice/general-scope/

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) is excited to bring you the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPICSM), a powerful tool for verifying the authenticity of physician credentials. Whether you’re part of a medical regulatory authority (MRA), hospital, medical education or training program, or academic institution, you know that verifying the authenticity of documents related to medical education, training, and registration/licensure is a key component of evaluating your physician applicants.With EPIC, your organization, regardless of its size and resources, can incorporate the highest standard of credentials verification—primary-source verification—into its evaluation process.

ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO OF INTERNATIONAL CREDENTIALS

A Powerful and Innovative Tool for Those Who Register/License, Train, Educate, and Employ Physicians

Make Primary-source Verification Part of Your Evaluation ProcessAs an organization that registers/licenses, trains, educates, or employs physicians, you must decide whether your applicants are qualified to provide safe and effective patient care. The stakes are high—protecting the public is a top priority. The credentials related to a physician’s medical education, training, and registration/licensure are critical to each application that you evaluate, and evaluating the authenticity of those credentials can be both costly and time-consuming. EPIC can help. Require your physician applicants to use EPIC to verify their medical education, training, and registration/licensure credentials. Then use EPIC to access reports requested by your physicians to review and evaluate those verified credentials. EPIC provides you with:• Primary-sourceVerification. ECFMG confirms a credential’s authenticity directly with the institution that issued

it, providing assurance that the credential is authentic. Primary-source verification is a best practice and is the best protection against fraudulent credentials.

• Value. EPIC is free to those who receive verification reports. Through EPIC, you receive the assurance that a physician’s credentials have been held to the highest standard of verification, at no cost to your organization.

• Convenience,Efficiency,Security,andFlexibility. EPIC’s innovative, web-based process gives you access to the credentials of your physician applicants and verifications of those credentials through EPIC’s secure Report Portal, providing assurance that you are receiving credentials and verifications directly from ECFMG. You can go paperless, print documents, or store electronic copies. And there are two options for receiving reports, so you can choose the reporting method that works best for you.

• Time-savingElectronicCredentialsVerification. In 2012, ECFMG launched a process that allows us to primary-source verify medical credentials electronically, drastically cutting the time it takes for ECFMG to receive verifications from participating medical schools. As medical schools and other entities continue to join ECFMG’s electronic Credentials Verification, EPIC users will benefit from the associated savings in time.

Credentials Verification from a World LeaderThrough six decades of evaluating physician credentials and 30 years of primary-source verification, ECFMG has developed unmatched expertise, as well as long-standing relationships with medical schools, MRAs, and other entities worldwide. ECFMG has invested in primary-source verification so you don’t have to. And ECFMG shares your vision to promote quality medical education and health care. To learn more about ECFMG, visit www.ecfmg.org.

Copyright ©2013-2015 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved. June 26, 2015

A service of

For more information on EPIC, visit www.ecfmgepic.org.

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Pass the AMC Clinical exam and receive AMC certificate

Secure an employment offer

Secure an employment offer

During the period of supervised practice:

• pass the AMC clinical exam and receive AMC Certificate

OR

• complete workplace based assessment and receive AMC Certificate

Apply to the MBA for provisional registration

Apply to the MBA for limited registration

Complete 12 months supervised practice

Complete 12 months supervised practice

Standard pathway

Apply to the MBA for general registration

Overview of pathways to registration for IMGs wishing to practise medicine in AustraliaKeyStep relates to IMG interaction with:Australian Medical Council (AMC)

Specialist Medical College

Medical Board of Australia (MBA)

Apply to the AMC for Standard pathway and primary source verification

Pass the AMC Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) exam

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Home (/) Apply online (https://portal.amc.org.au/) Online store (https://store.amc.org.au/) Trial MCQ (/assessment/mcq-exam/mcq-trial) MCQ results (/assessment/mcq-exam/mcq-results) Clinical results (/assessment/clinic

(/)

The AMC’s purpose is to ensure that standards of education, training and assessment of the medical profession promote and protect the health of the Australian community.

MCQ examination

(/assessment/mcq-exam)

Process summary

(/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-process)

How to apply

(/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-apply)

Access to AMC MCQ

examinations

(/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-access)

Preparation

(/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-preparation)

MCQ trial examination

(/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-trial)

Procedures

(/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-procedures)

Events and dates

(/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-dates)

Venues (/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-venues)

Results (/assessment/mcq-

exam/mcq-results)

Assessment pathways ∠

Forms (/assessment/forms)

English language proficiency

(/assessment/elp)

Document requirements ∠

Primary Source Verification

(EICS/EPIC) (/assessment/psv)

MCQ examination ∠

Clinical examination ∠

Fees and charges

(/assessment/fees)

Frequently asked questions ∠

AMC MCQ Examination

The AMC Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) MCQ Examination is a

computer-administered fully integrated multi-choice question

examination delivered in one 3.5 hour session in examination centres

worldwide.

The examination consists of 150 A-type MCQs (one correct response

from five options)—120 scored items and 30 (non-scored) pilot items.

You are expected to complete all 150 items and must complete the 120

scored items. Failure to complete all 120 scored items in the

examination may lead to insufficient information for a reliable

determination of your ability and therefore a result on the AMC

adaptive scale. The examination result is recorded as ‘Fail—Insufficient

data to obtain result’.

The content blueprint (the number of questions on each patient group)

for the examination follows.

PATIENT GROUPS

Adult

Health

(Medicine)

Adult

Health

(Surgery)

Women's

Health

(Obs)

(Gyn)

Child

Health

Mental

Health

Population

Health

TOTAL

35 25 15 15 15 15 120

The MCQ Examination Specifications (/publications/downloads)

booklet gives more information on the computer adaptive testing (CAT)

blueprint and format.

Page 1 of 2Australian Medical Council » AMC MCQ Examinations

08/01/2016http://www.amc.org.au/assessment/mcq-exam

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Clinical examination

(/assessment/clinical-

exam)

Process summary


exam/clinical-process)

How to apply


exam/clinical-apply)

Fees (/assessment/clinical-

exam/clinical-fees)

Events and dates


exam/clinical-events)

Resources


exam/clinical-resources)

Format


exam/clinical-format)

Performance


exam/clinical-

performance)

Results


exam/clinical-results)




(/assessment/elp)




MCQ examination ∠


Fees and charges

(/assessment/fees)


AMC Clinical Examination

The telephone contact hours for enquiries related to assessments

are open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. Alternatively, you

can direct your email enquiries to [email protected]

(mailto:[email protected])

The AMC Clinical Examination is an integrated multidisciplinary

structured clinical assessment consisting of a 16-component

multistation assessment. It assesses clinical skills in medicine, surgery,

obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics and psychiatry. It also assesses

ability to communicate with patients, their families and other health

workers.

If you have passed the AMC MCQ Examination, you are eligible to

apply for the AMC Clinical Examination provided that your eligibility

status is not conditional (/assessment/terminology#conditional).

The dates for the Clinical examinations are found on this website,

please click here (/assessment/clinical-exam/clinical-events). There are

specified examination dates and defined closing dates. All final dates

are subject to change. In the case of any changes to examination dates,

the AMC will notify candidates well in advance in order for candidates

to be able to apply for alternative dates.

Clinical examinations are now held at the Australian Medical Council’s

Vernon C Marshall National Test Centre (NTC) in Melbourne. Outside

of the NTC, the AMC will continue to hold Clinical examinations in the

Perth and Townsville hospital venues.

Clinical examinations are held on both weekdays and Saturdays

throughout the year. This allows candidates with religious convictions

to schedule in either a weekday or weekend examination.

You may only apply for one Clinical examination at a time. If you have

been scheduled for a Clinical examination, you may not re-apply for

another Clinical examination until you have received your results from

the scheduled examination.

Page 1 of 2Australian Medical Council » AMC Clinical Examination

08/01/2016http://www.amc.org.au/assessment/clinical-exam

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Assessment pathways

(/assessment/pathways)

Self-check to determine

pathway

(/assessment/pathways/self-

check)

Standard pathway

(/assessment/pathways/standard)

AMC examinations

(/assessment/pathways/standard/exams)

Workplace-based

assessment

(/assessment/pathways/standard/wba)

Specialist pathway

(/assessment/pathways/specialist)


∠

∠



(/assessment/elp)




MCQ examination ∠


Fees and charges

(/assessment/fees)


Terminology

(/assessment/terminology)

Workplace-based assessment (Standard Pathway)

Some IMGs in the Standard Pathway can have their clinical skills and

knowledge assessed in the workplace by AMC-accredited providers as

an alternative to the AMC Clinical Examination. However, the program

currently has limited availability, with a range of assessment programs

available. The AMC is not responsible for securing employment for

workplace-based assessment.

Workplace-based assessment of your performance in everyday clinical

practice in the Australian healthcare setting tracks your progress in

integrating clinical knowledge and skills as a basis for safe and effective

clinical judgments and decision making. It also assesses how well you

deal with patients and whether you work productively in a team of

healthcare professionals.

The content and the assessment standard of accredited workplace-

based assessment programs are approved by the AMC and overseen by

members of the AMC Board of Examiners, who ensure that the format

and content of the assessments are consistent with the required

standard.

The assessment methods for workplace-based assessment programs

are rigorous and structured. Disciplines covered include medicine and

surgery; obstetrics and gynaecology; paediatrics; and psychiatry.

EligibilityBefore you can take part in a workplace-based performance

assessment, you must have passed the AMC CAT MCQ Examination

and been granted limited registration by the Medical Board of

Australia. You need limited registration to be employed in an approved

clinical position for workplace-based assessment.

Page 1 of 4Australian Medical Council » Workplace-based assessment (Standard Pathway)

08/01/2016http://www.amc.org.au/assessment/pathways/standard/wba

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Process summary

Accredited assessment programsWorkplace-based assessment programs must be accredited by the

AMC. To date, accredited workplace-based assessment programs are

available at the sites shown in Table 2.

Table 2 : AMC-accredited workplace based assessment program

providers

Program

provider

Location Contact

Central

Coast Local

Health

District

Gosford and

Wyong, New

South Wales

Ms Stacey Poole – Team Leader - Medical Educat

P: (02) 4320 3793

E:[email protected]


Rural and

Outer

Metropolitan

United

Alliance

(ROMUA)

Goulburn

Valley

Health,

Shepparton,

Victoria

E: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]

W: www.gvhealth.org.au (mailto:www.gvhealth.o

Monash

Health

(formerly

Southern

Health)

Victoria Ms Carol Low

Program Manager, WBA Program

Monash Doctors Education

P: 03 9594 3745

E: [email protected] (mailto:wba@mon



Hunter New

England

Local Health

District

Newcastle,

Armidale and

Tamworth,

New South

Wales

Ms Lynette Gunning

WBA Program Coordinator

Ph: 02 4985 3313

E: [email protected] (mailto

[email protected])

Launceston

General

Hospital

Launceston

General

Hospital;

North West

Regional

Hospital,

Burnie; and

Royal Hobart

Hospital,

Tasmania

Ms Debbie West

Project Manager, WBA

P: 03 6348 7008

E: [email protected]


Western

Australia

Health

Bunbury,

Geraldton

and

Kalgoorlie,

Western

Australia

E: [email protected] (mailto:wbawa@hea

W: Overseas doctors WA

(http://www.overseasdoctors.health.wa.gov.au/d

Wide Bay

Hospital and

Health

Service

Hervey Bay

and

Maryborough

Hospitals,

Queensland

Mr Bob Clarke

WBA Program Manager

P: 07 4325 6946

E: [email protected] (mailto:WB

[email protected])

To find out more about how your employer (hospital) can become a

provider of an accredited program, email us at

[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

Applying for a placeTo apply for a workplace-based assessment program, you first need to

contact the relevant workplace-based assessment manager at the site

where you intend to work or are already working. The provider will

explain the selection and application process and any additional

requirements before offering you a place in the assessment program.

Some providers require you to undertake a pre–workplace-based

assessment program in addition to meeting the AMC's eligibility

requirements.

The accredited provider has the final responsibility for offering places

in its workplace-based assessment program. The AMC has no role in

securing employment for workplace-based assessment.

Learn more about the assessment tools used in workplace-based assessmentThe WBAonline website is designed to help AMC-accredited providers

of WBA programs to continue to improve and standardise their training

programs and provide AMC candidates on the Standard Pathway

(WBA) a clear picture of what to expect when undertaking certain kinds

of WBA.



The website features interactive learning modules on two popular

WBA assessment tools (case based discussion and multisource

feedback). Website users can also watch videos of effective feedback

sessions. The modular format enables users to customise their time to

the most effective areas for learning.

See the website at http://wbaonline.amc.org.au/

(http://wbaonline.amc.org.au/).

© Australian Medical Council 2016

