Expedited pathway open to eligible obstetricians and gynaecologists

The Expedited Specialist pathway – a fast track to specialist medical registration in Australia – opened to eligible internationally qualified obstetricians and gynaecologists on 5 March 2025.

Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) with the following qualifications in obstetrics and gynaecology can now apply for registration directly to AHPRA and the Medical Board of Australia:

Ireland

• Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MRCPI) and a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (CSCST).
• MRCPI awarded under any curriculum of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland from July 2010 to date, following satisfactory completion of a Specialist Obstetrics and Gynaecology Training Programme (SAT) in Ireland. This will include evidence of completion of examinations leading to Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (presently Part 1, 2 and 3, or by pre-2015, Part 1 and 2)

United Kingdom

• Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG), together with a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).
• Pre 2010 CCT awarded by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board.
• Post 2010 CCT awarded by the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom.
• MRCOG awarded under any RCOG curriculum from August 2007 to date, following satisfactory completion of a General Medical Council or Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board approved specialist training program in the United Kingdom and award of the CCT.

Applicants who have not completed training in colposcopy may be required to bridge this gap before performing this procedure in Australia. 

The gateway to the Expedited Specialist pathway is a list of pre-approved qualifications (the Expedited Specialist Pathway: accepted qualifications list). The qualifications on the list have been proposed by the specialist medical colleges, assessed by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and approved by the Medical Board of Australia for the accepted qualifications list.

Accepted qualifications in general practice, anaesthetics and psychiatry were added to the list in 2024.

General medicine, general paediatrics and diagnostic radiology are the next priorities for the Expedited specialist pathway and will be added to the list later in 2025, after a robust qualifications assessment process.

Originally published  by AHPRA

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