The decision to move to Australia and work in the medical field may have been an easy one, however there are factors surrounding the “work” part of the equation that might be just as foreign and difficult to grasp as your new country such as a district of workforce shortage.
With terms, acronyms, processes… It’s almost a new language, and then there’s the actual ‘getting a job’ part. Overriding all that, however, is one large decision that needs to be made: where will I live and work? Unfortunately, (or perhaps, fortunately) the decision might be taken right out of your hands.
A district of workforce shortage (or DWS), from the Department of Health website, is a “geographical area of Australia in which the population’s need for healthcare has not been met”. That is, a place where they need more doctors who bulk bill. It is a location where they have “less access to medical services than the national average”. What does this mean for you, as a GP planning to move to and work in Australia?
If you’re an overseas trained doctor (OTD), or a foreign graduate of accredited medical schools (FGAMS), then you cannot access Medicare benefits arrangements unless you’ve elected to work in a DWS (this applies to all new doctors from 1996).
Once you’ve begun working in the DWS you can apply for Medicare benefits, so you can bulk bill patients and not rely solely on private patients that pay full fees. This guarantees bulk-billed health care services to the population living in these areas, as doctors can bulk bill through Medicare, increasing their patient load, while working there.
GPs gain valuable experience in not only a range of conditions and illnesses, but into how the Australian healthcare system works, and it enables them to work and earn a living while settling into a new country. The aim of the DWS system is to get doctors into areas that need them.
A DWS is identified by taking into account Medicare statistics, and a map is produced (it’s accessible online) so you can visualise where the areas are. There’s one other term you might need to become familiar with: an Area of Need. This is a place where, after recruitment, positions for a doctor remain vacant.
If you’re a doctor planning to move to Australia, then you may need to take into account your requirements should you want to apply for Medicare benefits. A business that deals with this kind of thing might be your ticket to a smooth transition – contact us today for assistance and advice with working in a DWS. In the meantime, browse our selection of doctor jobs in Australia for your next career opportunity.