Vocational registration

If you hold an overseas postgraduate medical qualification, you may be eligible to practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) is the regulatory authority responsible for granting medical registration. It protects the health and safety of the public by ensuring practitioners are competent and fit to practice.

Eligibility
Apply
Interviews
Requirements

Eligibility

Use MCNZ's Registration self assessment tool to determine which pathway to registration you're eligible for.

Check your training, qualifications, assessments and experience meet the eligibility requirements. If you have:

limited experience at the level of a consultant physician or paediatrician, you must have a minimum of 4 years accredited overseas specialist training ^*

less than 4 years of accredited overseas specialist training, you must have a minimum of 3 years consultant experience at the level of an Australasian trained physician or paediatrician in your specialty

If you cannot meet these requirements, contact us before applying.

^* Training must be formally recognised in your country of training.

RACP’s role

During the application process, we work with the MCNZ as a Vocational Education Advisory Body (VEAB) to:

assess the equivalency of your qualifications, training and experience compared to an Australasian-trained physician or paediatrician
provide a recommendation to the MCNZ

See our Policy on the assessment of OTPs (PDF).

The MCNZ make the final decision on whether you're granted registration. Direct all enquiries regarding your application to MCNZ.

Apply

Before applying

Before you apply, familiarise yourself with the following to help demonstrate how you compare to an Australasian-trained physician or paediatrician:

Submit your application

See MCNZ's Rēhitatanga/Registration for instructions on how to apply. You'll also find forms, a fee schedule and a list of additional documents you must include in your application.

After applying

After you apply, the MCNZ assesses and determines what type of registration you’re eligible for.

Interviews

An interview will be required during your application process.

It’s an opportunity for 2 RACP Fellows to find out more about your qualifications, training, assessments, experience and continuing professional development (CPD). You’re not assessed or examined during the interview. Instead, we gather information and clarify gaps in your training or experience.

Interviewers prepare questions based on your application. Questions may cover these areas:

basic or core training
advanced or specialist training
formative and summative assessments completed during and after training
specialist practice
participation in CPD
quality assurance practices
attainment of higher qualifications
contributions to the field of medicine
your readiness for specialist practice in Aotearoa NZ
cultural competence in Māori health and the Aotearoa NZ health system
any questions you may have about specialist practice in Aotearoa NZ

Interviews are usually conducted via Zoom and are subject to interviewer availability. They take approximately 1 hour.

After the interview

Interviewers make a recommendation on your equivalency to the Aotearoa NZ OTP Assessment Committee. Based on the recommendation, the Committee determines your equivalency and provides it to the MCNZ.

The MCNZ then:

advises you of their final equivalency decision
lists the requirements you must complete
includes a copy of the RACP recommendation

If MCNZ determine you’re not equivalent, they decline your application and advise you of other options for gaining registration.

Requirements

Depending on your pathway, your requirements may include:

between 6 and 18 months of employment and supervision
enrolment in the MyCPD program
assessments, which may include:

vocational practice assessment (VPA)
period at a tertiary centre
logbook to be reviewed by the College at the end of the assessment period
other forms of assessment, with evidence showing relevance to qualifications, training and experience

Fellowship of the RACP

After you complete your requirements, the MCNZ advise you to complete the COS5 application to change your scope from ‘provisional vocational’ to ‘vocational’. You’re now permitted to practice in Aotearoa NZ without supervision.

MCNZ notify us of your vocational registration and we invite you to apply for Fellowship of the RACP. We request references from 3 Fellows. When all references have been received, the Aotearoa NZ OTP Assessment Committee determines your eligibility for Fellowship. After College approval, you receive a confirmation letter from the President via email confirming Fellowship and welcoming you as a new Fellow.

Definitions

CPD Continuing professional development

MCNZ Medical Council of New Zealand

MyCPD The RACP’s continuing professional development program

OTP Overseas trained physician or paediatrician

RACP Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Also referred to as ‘the College’.

VPA A vocational practice assessment (VPA) is a 1 day workplace assessment. You're visited by 2 assessors (specialists in the same area of medicine), who interview you and your colleagues, review your records and observe your practice. MCNZ will advise if you have to undergo a VPA.