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Interviews

On occasion, an interview may be required as part of the assessment process with the MCNZ. Interviews are conducted by video conference and last for approximately 1 hour.

Two or three Fellows of the RACP will discuss your training, consultant experience and CME/CPD with you, asking questions based on your application documentation. Note, this is not an examination and there are no clinical test questions.

The purpose of the interview is to gather further information about how your training, experience and CME/CPD compares with the scope of practice of a physician or paediatrician in the same specialty in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Interviewers will ask questions based on your application and the following areas:

• basic training
• advanced training
• formative and summative assessments completed during training
• examinations
• consultant practice
• participation in CME/CPD
• quality assurance practices
• attainment of higher qualifications
• contributions to the field of medicine
• your readiness for specialist practice in Aotearoa New Zealand
• cultural competence and safety in Māori health and the Aotearoa New Zealand health system.

At the end of the interview, there will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about specialist practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

After the interview

Your interviewers will provide a report to the RACP Aotearoa New Zealand OTP Assessment Committee. The Committee will discuss all of your application documentation, including the interview report, and will provide a recommendation on your equivalency to the MCNZ.

The MCNZ will then:

• advise you of their decision on your equivalency
• list the requirements you must complete
• include a copy of the RACP recommendation

If the MCNZ determines that that the combination of your qualifications, training, experience and CME/CPD is 'neither equivalent to, nor as satisfactory as' that of an Australasian-trained specialist registered in the same vocational scope of practice, they will inform you of the reasons for this and will advise on next steps.

Requirements

Depending on your pathway, the MCNZ will set requirements that may include:

• between 6 and 24 months of supervised practice
• a period at a tertiary centre
• enrolment in the MyCPD program
• formative or summative assessments, for example:
• a vocational practice assessment (VPA)
• multi-source feedback
• case-based discussions
• mini-clinical evaluation exercises
• professional qualities reflections
• cultural safety training
• relevant courses

Fellowship of the RACP

After you successfully complete your requirements, the MCNZ will advise you to complete the COS5 application to change your scope from ‘provisional vocational’ to ‘vocational’. You will then be permitted to practise in Aotearoa New Zealand on full vocational (specialist) registration without supervision.

The MCNZ will notify us when you are granted vocational registration. We will then invite you to apply for Fellowship of the RACP by completing a Fellowship pre-application form and providing your MCNZ supervision reports to the RACP. You may also need to provide references or other documentation.

We will review your eligibility for Fellowship. If approved, our Member Support Centre will contact you to provide advice and answer any questions you have about the Fellowship application process in your specialty.

Benefits

Benefits of Fellowship include use of the RACP post-nominals, ongoing access to RACP Online Learning resources, access to the RACP CPD Home ‘MyCPD’, a professional network, membership benefits, involvement in Aotearoa New Zealand training and education as well as advocacy for your profession.

We look forward to welcoming you as a new Fellow.

Resources

For specialists seeking registration in Aotearoa New Zealand, these resources cover Medical Council pathways, RACP assessments, training expectations, CPD, and professional practice.

Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ)

The Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) is the regulatory authority responsible for medical registration in Aotearoa New Zealand. Its statutory role is to protect the health and safety of the public in Aotearoa New Zealand by ensuring that medical practitioners are competent and fit to practice medicine.

Registration self-assessment tool

To practise medicine in Aotearoa New Zealand, you must first gain registration from the Medical Council of New Zealand. This ensures that you are competent and fit to practise. Use the Medical Council of New Zealand’s registration self-assessment tool to determine which pathway to registration (as a medical practitioner in Aotearoa New Zealand) you might be eligible for.

VOC3 Provisional Vocational (specialist) registration

The RACP completes assessments for the VOC3 Provisional Vocational (specialist) registration pathway and provides advice to the Medical Council of New Zealand. The Medical Council of New Zealand makes the final decision on all applications.

RACP Basic Training Programs

In Aotearoa New Zealand, trainees must complete Basic Training in Adult Internal Medicine or Paediatrics and Child Health. This generally consists of three years of full-time equivalent (FTE) training. To successfully complete Basic Training and progress to Advanced Training, trainees must demonstrate satisfactory performance throughout the three years and pass both the Written and Clinical Examinations. Please compare your specialist training against the relevant RACP specialty standard for Basic Training.

RACP Advanced Training Programs

After Basic Training, trainees in Aotearoa New Zealand are generally required to complete 3 years of full-time equivalent (FTE) Advanced Training. Upon successful completion of the Advanced Training program, trainees are eligible for full specialist registration and Fellowship of the RACP. Compare your specialist training against the relevant RACP specialty standard for Advanced Training.

Professional Practice Framework

The Professional Practice Framework defines the 10 domains of professional practice for all physicians and forms the basis of the new RACP curriculum model.

Aotearoa New Zealand OTP guidelines for applicants

The Aotearoa New Zealand OTP guidelines (PDF) provide you with information about the different types of comparability assessments that the RACP conducts to provide advice to the Medical Council of New Zealand, as part of the process of application for provisional vocational registration.

Policy on assessment of OTPs

The RACP policy on assessment of Overseas Trained Physicians and Paediatricians (OTPs) (PDF) provides the purpose and scope of our specialist assessment, to determine your eligibility for medical registration and eligibility for Fellowship of the RACP.

The RACP CPD Home 'MyCPD'

We have a long history as an accredited provider of continuing professional development (CPD) for physicians and paediatricians in both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. We understand how to support you to meet your specialist regulatory requirements and we offer tailored guidance throughout the annual CPD cycle. You will need to enrol in MyCPD if you are approved for provisional vocational registration by the Medical Council of New Zealand.

Pomegranate Health podcast

Pomegranate Health is a podcast by the RACP about the culture of medicine. You'll hear insights from clinicians, researchers, and advocates as they tackle important questions — like how to make difficult clinical and ethical decisions without being influenced by bias, how to communicate better with patients and colleagues, and how to provide healthcare that’s both efficient and fair.