GP Jobs in Australia

Australia to be short of 2,500 doctors and 110,000 nurses by 2025

paul — Sat, 12 May 2012 11:01:25 +0000

Despite strenuous efforts to both train doctors within Australia and recruit doctors from overseas, Australia is expected to be short of 2,700 doctors and 110,000 nurses by 2025

The numbers sound huge but it is not all that surprising. Australia’s population is growing quite quickly as immigrants arrive to help with the growth in Australian industry. Add to this the traditionally low number of doctors trained in Australia and an increasing healthcare requirement and you have picture of a significant shortfall. So, good long term prospects for GPs wanting jobs in Australia. The report was prepared by HealthWorkforce Australia and there’s a summary of it here

DWS Restrictions to Change?

paul — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:21:49 +0000

A Federal Government Committee has recently requested the Australian Medical Association (AMA) to review the requirements of overseas doctors working in Australia. Currently, overseas doctors are required to work for ten years in DWS areas before they are allowed to move to the cities. GP Brian Connor, who wasn’t trained or born in Australia, told ABC Online that he opposes the idea as he thinks that without this regulation citizens in the rural areas of Australia will be deprived of healthcare. However, the AMA argues that in actual fact this system is placing overseas doctors in challenging situations without the support they need, driving them away as a result. As soon as we hear more, we”ll let you know

GPs Go Viral as Patients Log In To ‘Virtual GP Practices’ Using Cloud Computing

paul — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:51:24 +0000

A GP practice in Western Victoria has begun to use cloud based computing as a way to treat patients. Patients can log in to a virtual GP office and be diagnosed online without the need to travel to the practice. Although some healthcare providers are cautious about incorporating cloud based health care due to insufficient evidence as to whether it is cost effective, it certainly is making healthcare more accessible for those who may be unable to reach their practice safely. More information here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/patients-get-access-to-better-care-with-cloud-computing/story-e6frgakx-1226310600005 (registration may be required)

A Taste for Something New

paul — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:49:09 +0000

The recent invitation to Doctor Apama Nedunuri to become an Australian citizen after emigrating from India with her husband and two children two years ago has gotten the locals of Ballan, Moorabool thinking. Mrs Nedunuri has said that “she’d like to see more multiculturalism” because she thinks that more diverse shopping and cuisine options will open Ballan up to become a truly welcoming place for migrant workers. In a recent article for Melton Weekly she said “I love the locals’ friendliness… when we first moved in our neighbours brought us muffins.” Mrs Nedunuri and her family think that Australia has so much to offer migrant workers and that, with more and more migrating to Australia, the migrant workers have so much to offer Australia; already there are different ethnic cuisines popping up and the locals find the variety in choice a blessing. More information here in the local paper: http://www.meltonweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/super-welcome-for-superclinic-family/2502092.aspx

How’s the jobs market in Australia?

paul — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:35:38 +0000

As I write on 13th April 2012, there are still quite a few jobs around for GPs in Australia. But, the number is reducing – and there are fewer in the best locations.

The last few weeks has seen quite a shift in the jobs market for GPs in Australia. There are very few jobs in Sydney or Brisbane. Even Perth, which until recently was a bright spot with lots of vacancies, has begun to fill up. Two main reasons:

a) There are many more GPs looking to move to Australia – particularly from Scotland and Ireland.

b) Some of the start up practices that were looking for GPs have decided there won’t be enough patients for them to make it worthwhile and so have put their plans on hold. This is particularly noticeable in areas such as Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, where we’ve had clients postpone indefinitely the opening of three clinics in as many weeks.

The corollary of this is that the lump sum / income percentages on offer have stabilised as practice owners find they’ve got several candidates to choose from and so don’t need to go out on a limb in terms of the percentage they offer or the relocation support they give. 60% or 65% commission is the norm and it is a rare practice that can offer more than this.

Despite this, there are still opportunities available. Just they’re likely to be that bit further out from the main cities or they’re going to be in a big, but rural town. Areas that stand out to us are:

Adelaide: A couple of vacancies in / near this city of 1.2 million – the fifth largest in Australia. While it’s not an easy drive to Melbourne (although it looks very close, it’s an 8 hour drive), there are cheap, regular flights to there and Sydney

Lakes Entrance: 3.5 hours east of Melbourne on the coast. A holiday resort area with a laid back atmosphere

Rockingham: an hour south of Perth. The area around is a mixed bag – some nice, old, large houses ripe for restoration but also some not so good areas. The ocean is always nearby and it’s easy to get in and out of Perth for an evening or the weekend.

Plus, there are some vacancies in Newcastle, 2hrs north of Sydney. It was a down at heel industrial port but it’s much refurbished and a decent sized city of 300,000 with great beaches and good countryside inland.

New Zealand

paul — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 09:01:40 +0000

Off to see our new client in New Zealand today at the Working in Expo in London. Hope to find out more about the GP jobs in New Zealand. Next door to this expo is the Working in Canada hall, so I’m sure we’ll also get some more information about working there as well

New GP Jobs in the Newcastle area

paul — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:05:18 +0000

Newcastle, 2hrs north of Sydney, is a great city. So good in fact that Lonely Planet rate it as the 9th best city in the world

Newcastle waterfront

We’ve now got 3 new GP jobs in Australia – around the north and west of Newcastle, New South Wales. These are with a small corporate practice and they offer an ideal way to get set up near to one of the main cities in Australia. Newcastle has great beaches and countryside nearby and Sydney is an easy ride away for a day out. The same client has also got 3 more vacancies further inland / away from Newcastle. Contact us for more information: paul@euhealthstaff.eu

GP Jobs in New Zealand

paul — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:35:35 +0000

We now have some GP jobs available in New Zealand.

Milford Sound, New Zealand

It’s a quieter lifestyle than Australia and a great place for the outdoors – sailing, walking, skiing.

The registration requirements are easier than for Australia. Not only are the requirements for MRCGP etc less stringent for UK & Irish doctors, they will eagerly accept doctors who trained in France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Finland. More info here: http://www.gpjobsinaustralia.co.uk/vacancies/gp-jobs-in-new-zealand/

New iPhone app and website to help Australians get help for skin cancer

paul — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:01:02 +0000

2 out of 3 Australians are expected to get skin cancer by the time they are 70, according to Cancer Council ACT – mainly due to the high levels of UV radiation throughout the year and having fair skin (http://www.actcancer.org/sun-smart/skin-cancer.aspx).

Melanoma

To help counteract this, LEO Pharma A/S has developed both an iPhone App and a new website to help worried patients. The app allows patients to track and compare any skin damage, with a photo bank and reminder service. Then, if a patient is worried, it’s easy to arrange for a check up (usually via their GP), taking the pictures and timeline with them

Most GP practices in Australia offer a special skin cancer service. The vast majority of skin cancers are diagnosed and managed by GPs in Australia

The Know Your Own Skin website is at http://www.knowyourownskin.com.au/

And here’s the link to the iPhone App: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/know-your-own-skin/id498381952?mt=8

Note: This is a commercial product. Both the App and the website have been developed / sponsored by LEO Pharma A/S. EU Health Staff is not endorsing the product – just passing on information that might be of interest

More GPs being trained in Australia

paul — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:46:34 +0000

The Australian Medical Association announced last week that they had a record number of placements set up GP training1,000 training places have been set up for 2012 Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program.

These are set up by state as follows:

NSW – 335
Vic – 225
Qld – 204
WA – 89
SA – 76
Tas – 28
NT – 26
ACT – 17

The president of the AMA, Dr Steve Hambleton, said that by 2014, there will be more than 3,700 students graduating from medical schools across the country. He was happy with the increasing number of GP training places but he felt that a national approach was needed to support the progress of graduates through all the prevocational and specialist training needed.