Area of Need Program
Area of Need Program
The objective of the Area of Need program (the Program) is to assist in the provision of general practice and specialist medical services to locations in NSW that have limited access to such services.
The Program assists employers in NSW who are experiencing difficulty recruiting medical practitioners with specialist registration, to recruit suitably qualified international medical graduates (IMGs) to vacant positions that have been approved by the NSW Ministry of Health as an Area of Need.
If a position is declared an Area of Need, the Medical Board of Australia can register a suitable IMG into that position under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (NSW) following assessment of the IMG by the relevant Specialty College as suitable for the position and provided they meet all other registration requirements required by the Medical Board of Australia.
The Program is a strategy to provide temporary assistance to locations and services experiencing medical workforce shortages. The priority remains on continued efforts to attract and recruit medical practitioners who have specialist registration to vacancies.
Applicants should also be familiar with the registration requirements for medical officers in Area of Need positions which can be found by visiting the Medical Board of Australia.
Click here to see Application Procedures.
Click here to see Area of Need Program Vacancies.
