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Getting your overseas qualification recognised

To work as a health professional in Victoria, you must be registered with or assessed by the relevant Australian National Board.

Victorian health services recruit local and international professionals for public health and mental health jobs across Victoria. Candidates must meet the minimum criteria for registration and to apply for jobs.

Requirements of the Victorian health system

To work as a health professional in Victoria, you must apply for and be registered with the relevant Australian National Board. For most healthcare workers, the process is managed by Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (Ahpra)External Link .

Ahpra provides information on Australian registration requirements for these professions:

For professions regulated by Ahpra and the Australian National Board, refer to:

Internationally qualified professionals must meet the registration standards of their health profession.

International healthcare professionals may need to apply for a qualifications assessment for a skilled migration visa issued by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. This assessment process is separate and may be different from professional registration. Success in one does not guarantee success in the other.

Testimonial: Siomha, Medical Officer

    • Transcript

      Siomha, Medical Officer

      I'm Siomha, and I'm from Ireland, and I work as a doctor.

      I actually knew very little about Victoria in general. I suppose when you're from so far away, when you think of Australia, you think of Sydney.

      But the more I read up about Melbourne, it really seemed like it was going to suit me as a city. I really am interested in the arts, and theatre and films. So, there’s so much of that here. And then there's so much on your doorstep. It's a really great base to have, so even if you just have a long weekend off work, you can go and do something completely different, get out of the city and try something new.

      Working as a doctor in Victoria has been very beneficial from a learning point of view. Because there's more staff on the ground, there's just more time to for our seniors to explain things, to allow me to try an intervention first, with their supervision. Even though it will take a little bit longer, there's time to allow for that. I've been lucky to find some really nice mentors within the area that I want to specialise in. And they've helped guide me into a Basics Physicians training program, which I've started just a few weeks ago.

      The community in Regional Victoria has been really supportive of us, and have made a big effort to get us involved in local events, and particularly the pub quiz every Thursday, which is really fun. You can have hobbies and interests, and just have a little more control of your life than I felt like I did when I was at home.

      So, I definitely recommend the move to anyone who's considering it.

    Reviewed 11 July 2023

    Jobs in health

    Workforce Strategy & Wellbeing Branch Department of Health

    InternationalRecruitmentProgram@health.vic.gov.au
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