Don’t neglect the basics, says veteran IMG supervisor Dr Ian Kamerman.
International medical graduates have been treated as a temporary solution to the GP workforce shortage for too long, says RACGP Fellowship Support Program supervisor liaison officer Dr Ian Kamerman.
“[Overseas trained doctors] are our main solution for medical workforce in rural areas now and well into the future,” the Tamworth-based GP told delegates at the college’s Practice Owners Conference in Melbourne on Saturday.
Dr Kamerman, a self-described medical politics junkie, said the days of assuming that internationally trained doctors will opt for the city once they complete their rural moratorium are over.
“If you make the position attractive enough and the support you provide attractive enough, a lot of them will actually stay [rural],” he said.
With that in mind, he said, securing the basics – space for a new doctor to practice in, patients for that doctor to see and the capability to deliver supervision that meets Medical Board requirements – is a must. Preferably before recruitment even begins.
“There are practices that will recruit without actually having supervision in place,” Dr Kamerman said.
“The trouble is that leaves a really bad taste in the [internationally trained doctor’s] mouth as to what’s happening.
“And believe me, one thing you need to be absolutely sure of is that IMGs do talk [to each other].”
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When it came to the actual recruitment stage, Dr Kamerman recommended looking to the United Arab Emirates – but not necessarily for Emirati-trained doctors.
“There is a huge population of South Asian doctors in the UAE … [which] has a reasonably similar medical system to us … as far as general practice knowledge requirements and the ability to manage consultations,” he said.
These doctors are generally part of the UAE golden visa program, a long-term residency initiative that allows certain foreigners and their dependents to live in the country under favourable tax conditions.
“The golden visa … provides for their children’s education until they hit university,” Dr Kamerman said.
“There is a population of South Asian doctors living in the UAE with specialist qualifications recognised in that country who don’t want to be apart from their kids as they hit tertiary education, and Australia is very attractive to them.”
The clinicians from this cohort that Dr Kamerman has brought over so far have been granted level three supervision, meaning they can take primary responsibility for their patients and are permitted to work independently.
Other tips from the veteran GP supervisor were not to try and solve every applicant’s problem, get active in international medical graduate social media groups and check in with new doctors frequently.
The 2025 RACGP Practice Owners Conference was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 24 and 25 May.
