Doctors' thread

[Kitty33]

Thanks again everyone and congratulations Emma!

 

I started the AMC application before I got the job offer through a recruitment company so think as we have 2 APHRA applications to post we may as well send them together! I saw on the nurses thread that APHRA Brisbane is one of the slowest but apparently we have to apply to them if we want to work in Queensland..... Another weekend of paperwork on the horizon but feeling spurred on by all your good news!

[Guest jaffas1]

Congratulations Emma!

 

Kitty, I also started the AMC process before getting a job via a recruitment agency. I sent through my AHPRA application whilst the RACGP were processing my fellowship application (which couldn't be completed until I had a job offer) and they both were approved within a few days of each other.

PM me if you need any tips or just want to catch up. Also AHPRA timescales are much shorter for doctors compared to nurses. It took only about 4 weeks for mine to come through.

I'm off to Melbourne in July, and am counting down the days!

Good luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kitty33]

Hi everyone!

 

Hope you're all enjoying the sunshine :wink:

 

Just a quick question.... NHS pension, had heard a rumour that you can transfer it to Aus but have to be quick, any opinions?

 

Looking into getting a financial advisor to discuss but wondered what you've all decided?

 

Thank you

[Guest jaffas1]

Hi Kitty, I'm in the process of getting a financial adviser/ pension transfer company, to generate a report as to if it is worth transferring my pension. PM me for more details.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[javi1979]

How easy/difficult is it for a uk trained specialist to gain employment in/around metropolitan areas? Will you gain fair consideration against local candidates? Or are you unlikely to get a look in? Any help much appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Kitty33]

Hi javi1979,

 

Generally speaking metropolitan areas are not classified as 'areas of need' or 'district of workforce shortage' but as a GP there are jobs about 30/40mins outside some CBDs. I guess it depends what speciality you are? You can e mail to find out if your speciality is a DWS in any given area if you go through the doctors connect website- have a look (they take about 2 weeks to answer) Hope that helps..

[Petals]

One of our friends is a consultant and he has told us that because of the global downturn,i e doctors super losing lots, a lot of older docs are staying on so that where positions were going to become available they will be later on.

 

Depends on specialty, gyno is one of shortage as most people do not like the high insurance premiums.

[drstu]

Hi All,

 

What a fantastic thread. I just stumbled across the website last night on my what seems like continuous research on Aus at the moment. Thanks to everyone that pointed me from the ACT thread to this one.

 

I am 40 and due to complete my GP training in the UK next August. I started my medical training in my 30's having had a varied career as a senior nurse/health manager prior to taking the plunge. My wife is a O&G SpR and we have 2 children, both under 2 at the mo. We are hoping to come over to Aus late next year. Our thought is to initially do a trial year on a temp work visa, then apply for permanent residency as the year progresses if things go well. A few questions for all you application experts!

 

- We were thinking that we could get the formalities done by Oct 2013, assuming that I complete training at the beginning of August. From reading some posts this seems a little optimistic?

- Is our plan i.e. temp work visa first the quickest way to get in? Did anyone then do the perm residency application in country?

- Would people suggest starting the hunt for a job before completing my training i.e. making me ready to go when the formalities are completed? Do Aus employers in your experience make offers and then are prepared to wait completion of formalities?

- I have obviously got a good year to make professional preparation to come. Are there any additional courses/extended skills you'd recommend as being valued in the Aus market e.g. minor surgery etc?

- We were thinking Canberra as it is classifield as a DWS. We thought being in a city and therefore close to a major hospital my wife Lizzie would be able to work also. If we stayed permanently she'd want to apply to complete her O&G training in Aus so need to settle in a place this would be possible. Anyone currently working in Canberra that could share experience?

- Just generally, how do those of you that have settled already find the quality of life, both professionally and personally?

- Is it easier/quicker in your experiences to go through an agency or do the job hunting/paperwork yourself?

 

Thank you to all for your advice. It is good to meet you!

 

Best wishes,

 

Stu.

[whoiam]

Hi Stu,

My Oh is a Gp and I'm a doc tho not working as one at the mo. We are moving to Sydney soon(as soon as PR comes thru). Since I am relatively free I had the time and patience to search out jobs and filter them--therefore we found a job that suited us finally and asked an agency to help with the prep( lodging applications etc).My OH also attended a few phone interviews thru other agencies but ultimately they didnt work out. You will find that searching for jobs thru agencies are much easier and better unless you have personal contacts who can point you in the right direction of vacancies.They will also help you out through all the applications and believe me it makes life so much easier as you would be busy as it is being a final year trainee. The greatest upside is that you wouldn't have to pay them as they are paid by your future employers.

With re. to DWS you can find(if u go to the doctor connect website) the map of DWS areas. You might be surprised to see that many areas quite close to the city are actually DWS or commutable from the city e.g several suburbs in sutherlandshire in Sydney are DWS as are some western suburbs. In NSW Newcastle is also DWS.

If your wife is keen on doing her Gynae training i would suggest that she looks out for a job in some of these areas and once she has secured one it would be much easier for you to get a job close by.

dont let your aspirations be limited by DWS--make a list of things that are important to you because at this stage in life you may be looking to settle down so try and see if there is some place that fits all that. I've done a lot of research with regard to sydney, newcastle and wollongong and Central coast so if these are areas you want to consider I could offer help.

 

With re. to Aus employers they are generally willing to wait for about 6 months. But from the job climate right now there getting a job is not too difficult in any of the places I mentioned. There is a private company called IPn that runs a chain of GP centers--they would even offer you a hefty relocation fee but this would be at the detriment of the % pay.

Pls pm me if you need any more details. I've started an FB group where there are a few in your position and could invite you to it if you Pm me your Fb id.

Cheers and all the best.

[Dorset]

In case anyone is interested in a timeline, this is what has happened to us. My wife is a GP with UK MRCGP who is about to start work in a District of Workforce Shortage.

 

She applied to the Australian Medical Council on the specialist pathway program on the 15th February. It took a week for the application to be received. All copied documents had to be notarised, basically a special stamp from a recognised solicitor. Cost £70 for 10 documents. From the posts on other threads, these prices vary, so it is worth shopping around. We got an email saying the documents were received on 29th February. If you haven't already got a job, this is a good time to start looking! We went through the NSW rural Doctors agency, and found an excellent match very fast. Alternative is to go through a recruitment agency, but they charge the surgery a fortune - we weren't happy to do that! Costs nothing to look on rural doctors agency website to get an idea though.

 

29th Feb got a message from the AMC to say they had received the paperwork. Worth asking the GMC to send a certificate of good standing to the AMC around this time as well. It is free, but takes about a fortnight.

 

7th March got an email saying that the application was incomplete. They wanted a statutary declaration (they already had the marriage certificate) that Jane P Doe is the same as Jane Paulina Doe, is the same as Jane P Maiden is the same as Jane Pauline Maiden. Yep, back to the notary for another £70. The also didn't accept my wife's CV. Although the AMC says it accepts personal CVs, and my wife's contained everything that was on their template I would recommend you use theirs. You can also use it later on when applying to the AHPRA. They also wanted proof of secondary education in the UK to show ability to speak English . We sent copies my wife's GCSE certificates (notarised of course). And the incomplete application fee of $110.

 

19th March, AMC sent an email saying they had received the extra bits they had asked for. As part of the process the AMC contact EICS to confirm that medical certificates are genuine. EICS (based in the US) contact a specific person at the university or Royal College issuing a medical certificate to confirm they are genuine. Several advise that the applicant contact their university or Royal College to warn them that a request is about to come from EICS. If the request is not received by the University or Royal College, or their reply goes astray, then it will put back the application process by some time.

 

20th April, AMC emailed to say my wife had passed their assessment, and her application was being forwarded to the RACGP, and that we would hear from them shortly We didn't, I think the email from the RACGP went astray somehow in our mail system.

 

1st May, emailed the RACGP to ask if there was anything we needed to do, RACGP resent their email on 7th May.

 

13th May, 457 Visa nomination (put in by my wife's prospective employers) approved by the DIAC.

 

5th June, Fellowship of the RACGP granted.

 

6th June, Australian Health Professional Registration Agency (AHPRA) email to say they had received my wife's application. We were a little naughty - as AHPRA say one shouldn't apply until approved by the appropriate Australian college. However, applications to AHPRA have to be by post, and post to Australia takes about a week to arrive, so we guessed when the FRACGP was likely to come through and applied in advance to save time. Worth getting the GMC to send a certificates of good standing in advance as well, the AHPRA will put these on file until you apply. It sort of paid off, but the progress of my wife's application through the AHPRA was not smooth. I won't go through the details, but would advise that if you suspect something isn't right, phone (I wouldn't adviseusing the contact form on their site ...), and be persistent.

 

28th June, guessing that the certificate of eligability from AHPRA would be coming soon, applied for the 457 visa. Very impressed with DIAC. All done electronically without a hitch. Documents need to be certified (basically can be done by people like other doctors, so not involving the cost of a notary), see the DIAC advice to see who can certify. With the application, medicals were automatically advised and booked, within a couple of days we had a case officer. Wife booked a medical, (none of the rest of the family needed one), but it was expensive.

 

25th July, In principle letter from AHPRA received. AHPRA guidelines are that applications are dealt with within 6 weeks ... Visa Case Officer had been waiting for the AHPRA in principle, and approved the visa within 2 hours of the email from AHPRA.

 

26th August, fingers crossed we will be flying to Australia. My wife will need to go in person to an AHPRA office to be registered, and can then apply for a Medicare provider number.

[Kitty33]

Good luck Dorset and family!

 

Thank you for the post, I started this whole process around the same time as your wife and had virtually identical dates up until the AHPRA part- only just sent mine. It's good to see it can all happen within 6 months if you're organised.

 

Hope it all goes well, let us know how you get on once you're there,

 

Kitty

[yasir457]

Hi guys

 

I'm a GP planning to move to Perth by end of January to start work there from February. Waiting on AHPRA registration now. Just wanted to know if most doctors are going on 457 visa or anyone going on PR esp after the changes to immigration rules (skills select, Expression of Interest). I was under the impression that PR process can take about a year. Is that still the case after new immigration changes?

I have been told that going over with a PR is a better option, however I can't wait a year or more for this to happen. Is there any quicker way/ process for getting PR? Shall appreciate any help with queries.....

[Geraldine]

Hi Yasir457, my husband is a GP and we will be going on a 457. The recruitment agency recommended doing this and applying for PR once we are there. She said this way would be quicker. Good luck with it all

[Guest okha]

Dear yasir,

 

i am gp as well and moving to QLD in jan , we have been advised same that apply 457 and than can be changed to PR once in australia as its much quicker

 

I just want to clerify on thing as when we get FRACGP they say we need to send them proof in 6 months of that grant that we have started job in Australa . as we all know this process can take time ie AHPRA, VISA and than applying for providder number and making move .

so if we cant start job in 6 months than whats the process do we neeed to inforam RACGP about circumstances

 

thanks

[Dorset]

In case anyone is interested in a timeline, this is what has happened to us. My wife is a GP with UK MRCGP who is about to start work in a District of Workforce Shortage.

 

She applied to the Australian Medical Council on the specialist pathway program on the 15th February. It took a week for the application to be received. All copied documents had to be notarised, basically a special stamp from a recognised solicitor. Cost £70 for 10 documents. From the posts on other threads, these prices vary, so it is worth shopping around. We got an email saying the documents were received on 29th February. If you haven't already got a job, this is a good time to start looking! We went through the NSW rural Doctors agency, and found an excellent match very fast. Alternative is to go through a recruitment agency, but they charge the surgery a fortune - we weren't happy to do that! Costs nothing to look on rural doctors agency website to get an idea though.

 

29th Feb got a message from the AMC to say they had received the paperwork. Worth asking the GMC to send a certificate of good standing to the AMC around this time as well. It is free, but takes about a fortnight.

 

7th March got an email saying that the application was incomplete. They wanted a statutary declaration (they already had the marriage certificate) that Jane P Doe is the same as Jane Paulina Doe, is the same as Jane P Maiden is the same as Jane Pauline Maiden. Yep, back to the notary for another £70. The also didn't accept my wife's CV. Although the AMC says it accepts personal CVs, and my wife's contained everything that was on their template I would recommend you use theirs. You can also use it later on when applying to the AHPRA. They also wanted proof of secondary education in the UK to show ability to speak English . We sent copies my wife's GCSE certificates (notarised of course). And the incomplete application fee of $110.

 

19th March, AMC sent an email saying they had received the extra bits they had asked for. As part of the process the AMC contact EICS to confirm that medical certificates are genuine. EICS (based in the US) contact a specific person at the university or Royal College issuing a medical certificate to confirm they are genuine. Several advise that the applicant contact their university or Royal College to warn them that a request is about to come from EICS. If the request is not received by the University or Royal College, or their reply goes astray, then it will put back the application process by some time.

 

20th April, AMC emailed to say my wife had passed their assessment, and her application was being forwarded to the RACGP, and that we would hear from them shortly We didn't, I think the email from the RACGP went astray somehow in our mail system.

 

1st May, emailed the RACGP to ask if there was anything we needed to do, RACGP resent their email on 7th May.

 

13th May, 457 Visa nomination (put in by my wife's prospective employers) approved by the DIAC.

 

5th June, Fellowship of the RACGP granted.

 

6th June, Australian Health Professional Registration Agency (AHPRA) email to say they had received my wife's application. We were a little naughty - as AHPRA say one shouldn't apply until approved by the appropriate Australian college. However, applications to AHPRA have to be by post, and post to Australia takes about a week to arrive, so we guessed when the FRACGP was likely to come through and applied in advance to save time. Worth getting the GMC to send a certificates of good standing in advance as well, the AHPRA will put these on file until you apply. It sort of paid off, but the progress of my wife's application through the AHPRA was not smooth. I won't go through the details, but would advise that if you suspect something isn't right, phone (I wouldn't adviseusing the contact form on their site ...), and be persistent.

 

28th June, guessing that the certificate of eligability from AHPRA would be coming soon, applied for the 457 visa. Very impressed with DIAC. All done electronically without a hitch. Documents need to be certified (basically can be done by people like other doctors, so not involving the cost of a notary), see the DIAC advice to see who can certify. With the application, medicals were automatically advised and booked, within a couple of days we had a case officer. Wife booked a medical, (none of the rest of the family needed one), but it was expensive.

 

25th July, In principle letter from AHPRA received. AHPRA guidelines are that applications are dealt with within 6 weeks ... Visa Case Officer had been waiting for the AHPRA in principle, and approved the visa within 2 hours of the email from AHPRA.

 

26th August, fingers crossed we will be flying to Australia. My wife will need to go in person to an AHPRA office to be registered, and can then apply for a Medicare provider number.

 

Update .... We arrived in Sydney on 28th August. My wife had to go to the AHPRA office in Sydney "level 51". Not the most applicant-friendly place, I would suggest you take a book to read and have any potential paperwork with you, just in case. To register you will need either proof of Australian address, or original offer of employment or letter from employer verifying your identity. Might be worth getting your employer to discuss this directly with AHPRA, that was simplest for my wife.

 

About 28th August applied for provider number. Took about two weeks to come through, but can take up to a month. Worth applying at this point for a tax file number and if you are eligable (UK citizen) signing on with medicare so you can get reduced price healthcare yourself! After the provider number arrived, my wife had to apply for a prescriber number (took about a week). As she will be doing visits to the local hospital she had to also apply for a seperate provider number for there. As she will be a self employed contractor working for the GP surgery she had to also apply for an Australian Business Number (took about a week), and a tax file number (took about a fortnight). With all of these, would suggest you get the contact number and regularly phone for updates on progress once the first week has passed.

 

Okha, yep we came on a 457, and have started the process of applying for a 186. Would suggest you start the application process for the 186 as soon as possible, you can apply for that whilst your 457 is being processed. I was told the other day that they have just started processing the employer nomination visas for April in NSW.

 

In NSW if you are on a 457 visa you may have to pay about $4500 per child for education in state schools, whilst on a permanent visa it is free. It has been cheaper for us to send our children to a private school. There are other advantages to being on the permanent visa including making house buying easier.

 

Other things we have found .... getting a phone and internet with any sort of reasonable download limit was very difficult. Telstra wouldn't consider us because we didn't have an Australian credit history. They wouldn't consider finding out about our UK credit history, or even having us pay the 2 year contract up front! In the end all Telstra would do was to give us our phone and internet in as a subaccount in someone else's name as a sort of guarantor. Not ideal at all!

 

Anyhow, we have made it and are getting settled. Enjoying Australia so far! A final warning, Australian salaries will seem high when converted to pounds due to the present exchange rate, but be ready for most things in Australia to seem very expensive for the same reason when converted to pounds.

[yasir457]

Dear yasir,

 

i am GP as well and moving to QLD in jan , we have been advised same that apply 457 and than can be changed to PR once in Australia as its much quicker

 

I just want to clarify on thing as when we get FRACGP they say we need to send them proof in 6 months of that grant that we have started job in Australa . as we all know this process can take time ie AHPRA, VISA and than applying for provider number and making move .

so if we cant start job in 6 months than whats the process do we need to inform RACGP about circumstances

 

thanks

 

I'm not sure but I would imagine there would be some levy from RACGP if not started job in 6 months. It can't be implemented strictly as six months rule doesn't make sense esp when there is no fault of ours. One may have to show evidence why it took more than 6 months to get started (visa letters or AHPRA letters etc).

 

Yasir

[yasir457]

Update .... We arrived in Sydney on 28th August. My wife had to go to the AHPRA office in Sydney "level 51". Not the most applicant-friendly place, I would suggest you take a book to read and have any potential paperwork with you, just in case. To register you will need either proof of Australian address, or original offer of employment or letter from employer verifying your identity. Might be worth getting your employer to discuss this directly with AHPRA, that was simplest for my wife.

 

About 28th August applied for provider number. Took about two weeks to come through, but can take up to a month. Worth applying at this point for a tax file number and if you are eligible (UK citizen) signing on with medicare so you can get reduced price healthcare yourself! After the provider number arrived, my wife had to apply for a prescriber number (took about a week). As she will be doing visits to the local hospital she had to also apply for a separate provider number for there. As she will be a self employed contractor working for the GP surgery she had to also apply for an Australian Business Number (took about a week), and a tax file number (took about a fortnight). With all of these, would suggest you get the contact number and regularly phone for updates on progress once the first week has passed.

 

Okha, yep we came on a 457, and have started the process of applying for a 186. Would suggest you start the application process for the 186 as soon as possible, you can apply for that whilst your 457 is being processed. I was told the other day that they have just started processing the employer nomination visas for April in NSW.

 

In NSW if you are on a 457 visa you may have to pay about $4500 per child for education in state schools, whilst on a permanent visa it is free. It has been cheaper for us to send our children to a private school. There are other advantages to being on the permanent visa including making house buying easier.

 

Other things we have found .... getting a phone and internet with any sort of reasonable download limit was very difficult. Telstra wouldn't consider us because we didn't have an Australian credit history. They wouldn't consider finding out about our UK credit history, or even having us pay the 2 year contract up front! In the end all Telstra would do was to give us our phone and internet in as a subaccount in someone else's name as a sort of guarantor. Not ideal at all!

 

Anyhow, we have made it and are getting settled. Enjoying Australia so far! A final warning, Australian salaries will seem high when converted to pounds due to the present exchange rate, but be ready for most things in Australia to seem very expensive for the same reason when converted to pounds.

 

 

Many Thanks Dorset for sharing your and your OH experiences- very helpful. All the best now.

 

Can I ask when you say you have started process for 186 (PR), was your wife's employer readily agreeable to sponsor you guys for PR? IS there any mandatory wait time before you can apply for PR if on 457? What do they say how long it can take (you mentioned April applications being done now- shall we say 6-8 months?? If yes that has come down from previous times of over a year, isn't it?). Have you explored independent PR route? I'm actually all confused since all the immigration system got changed in July.......

 

It would be helpful to many, like me, if you also shared your experience regarding arranging a property/house, school (not the fees only but how you found which school best for kids), transport/ cars etc.

[Dorset]

Sorry it has been a while to reply ... Yes wife's employer was happy to sponsor for PR, as ideally I think they would like someone for the long term. As far as I know you can apply for the 186 and 457 at the same time, certainly no problem applying for the 186 now we are here. The only caution I have heard has been that the last visa granted cancels the earlier visa, so should your 186 be granted before the 457, then your permanent visa would be cancelled to be replaced with a temporary. Sounds a bit barmy, so may not be true. Heard yesterday that they are presently processing May ENS applications at the Paramatta processing office, but that there were a huge number of applications in June before the process changed, so I don't know what will happen when they hit that bulge. The independent route takes much longer. Would suggest you go 457 followed by 186 if you are a doctor. If you are looking for a job, let me know and I will pass on the details of my wife's employer, they are still looking for more doctors, and it is a lovely place to live and work.

 

Getting a house was difficult. To buy on a temporary visa I think you need special permission. This isn't a problem to get, but adds to the time involved. Renting - most agents want a rental history in Australia - bit tricky when you are emigrating. Difficult too to have a look at the property first. Again in all this we were well looked after by my wife's employer who pointed out to the estate agent that doctors should be a good rental risk. We were prepared to offer the entire rental up front if necessary, but didn't even need to offer this. I have heard of some who have rented short term apartments for a while, or bought a campervan to use whilst they got themselves set up.

 

Really would suggest you set up a bank account before you come - it will make life much easier when you get here. We sorted ours out with Commonwealth Bank. They make it relatively easy to transfer money over, and you can set up electronic banking whilst still in the UK. They won't give you any sort of card though until you arrive. Also gives you an official letter with an address attached, very useful!

 

Schools were very straightforward for us, all the local schools would have taken our kids as they had spaces. I can't say enough (I am a teacher) that it is best to look around a school and go on gut instinct. Most schools also put out regular newsletters on the net, and looking back over their archives can give an excellent flavour of what the school thinks important, and the activities they do. Wikipedia often lists schools in an area, also possibly look at the local paper's website and do a search for "schools" or the name of a school you are interested in to see how the school is reported in the press. Wait outside the school in the morning or afternoon to see how the students leave and arrive. Schools will probably want to interview you and your children. Be ready with copies of their recent reports, and perhaps brief them to be ready to answer questions on what they have done in school, and the books they read.

 

We started by renting a car for a week. This was very easy, although quite expensive. If you are from the UK your licence will often be swapped for an Australian one after a period of time. Get an Australian licence as soon as you can, as it is one of the most valued methods of id. Make sure you take your paper counterpart to your photo licence as well as your photo licence (if from the UK), we didn't - it was part of what we sent by sea - but we got away with this. Buying a car was very easy, but I would suggest you go to a dealer as then you know where you are and they will guide you through the process which is different in each state.

[drstu]

Hi All,

 

For those GPs working in Australia at the moment .... are there any essential skills to get before heading out that aren't routinely essential in the UK e.g. minor surgery etc, or things you'd wished you'd done before you left? I am heading out with the family next year to work in a city practice.

 

With thanks and best wishes,

 

Stu.

[Littlesar70]

Thanks Dorset, that has been one of the most useful posts I have read!

 

I'm new to the site, my husband is a GP and has a job offer in Adelaide. His application is with APHRA at the moment - submitted to AMC in November, his agency Wavelength have been great -and we're hoping for the 457 to come through in March. I'm giving up my career (temporarily I hope!) to get the kids settled and hopefully into nursery (or whatever the pre-school equivalent is for under 4's), and we;re hoping to come over mid April, though this all depends on APHRA processing time......

 

I'm the logisitcs person and it's driving me mad not being able to book flights, short term rental, car hire plus I'm already worrying about how to get a long term rental and broadband with no credit history!

 

Ho hum, it'll be worth it!

[Dorset]

Thanks Littlesar70. I think the secret with rentals is to get your practice to "put in a word". All the best with your move, and you are welcome to message me if there is anything we can help with. Be aware that food and living costs will seem massive when you are converting from UK pounds at 1.5 dollars to the pound - but when you start earning in dollars it will seem better!

[Dorset]

Hi All,

 

For those GPs working in Australia at the moment .... are there any essential skills to get before heading out that aren't routinely essential in the UK e.g. minor surgery etc, or things you'd wished you'd done before you left? I am heading out with the family next year to work in a city practice.

 

With thanks and best wishes,

 

Stu.

 

I'll get my OH (the doctor) to answer more fully when she has a moment. I think something she is having to do quite a bit is dermatology, many things that she would have referred to the hospital in the UK are expected to be done by the GP in Australia, and skin cancer is a biggie out here. You will also be expected to cut out most of those that are found - and of course stitch the patient up again!

 

Other than that it is learning the Australian system, in particular charging patients for consultations, the prescribing rules, and the brand names for drugs (the Australian system doesn't seem to use generics as much as the UK).

[lucyk79]

Hi - I am a GP from the UK who has just arrived in Cairns - I am in the process of waiting for a medicare number, finding an apartment and getting a car ... all a bit daunting at the minute with not having a credit history etc. All my AMC/RACGP stuff went through really quickly - from accepting a job to arriving here has been 6 months.

 

Any tips on documents needed for rentals etc would be really appreciated.

 

Thanks Lucy

[Petals]

My GP removes lumps and bumps and gets them off to pathology, gives me my flu shot, freezes other lumps and bumps for me. Removes stitches, if I need an injection she will give it to me. Practice nurses do some things but depends on the doc a lot of docs like to do their own. If the practice nurse is to give me a flu shot doc has to check it first. If the practice nurse is to remove stitches they have to be checked by doc first. Because we have choice of doctor in Aus, we can just change at the drop of a hat if they don't suit, they probably do more on hands stuff as can charge more if doc does it.

[Petals]

Bumping the thread