Area of Need Program

The Area of Need Program assists employers in NSW who have had difficulty recruiting medical practitioners with specialist registration. The program assists employers to recruit suitably qualified international medical graduates to vacant positions that have been approved by the NSW Ministry of Health as an Area of Need.

 

The role of the NSW Ministry of Health is to assess applications for Area of Need status for medical positions against the Area of Need Program Policy Directive and assessment criteria and other policy requirements. Employers must address all criteria priot to submitting an application.

 

If a position is declared an Area of Need, the Medical Board of Australia can register a suitable International Medical Graduate into that position under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (NSW) following assessment of the International Medical Graduate 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.