Standard Pathway for Doctors to Australia.

This pathway is generally for Non-specialist International Medical Graduates  (IMGs) seeking general registration with the Medical Board of Australia and who do not qualify for the Competent Authority Pathway. IMGs who have a primary qualification in Medicine and Surgery awarded by a training institution listed in the current International Medical Education Directory (IMED) of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) can apply for assessment under this pathway.

There are two alternative processes under this pathway, both leading to the Australian Medical Council (AMC) Certificate (a requirement for general registration)
I would list the process step-by-step :
OPTION A
1. Register on the AMC website, you would be given an AMC candidate number
Standard Pathway application (to determine eligibility to proceed with AMC examination process, including EICS verification of primary qualification) this costs 500 AUD
2. Verify all your documents at notary public or Australian high commission. 
3. Send your documents by mail to the AMC for Educational Commission For Foreign Medical Graduate (EICS) verification here
4. Wait for response of approval. your documents would be returned to you if you wish.
5.Then you can now apply to sit for the exam.
6. Examination dates are available every month of the year
7. There are limited centers around the world: For instance, no center in Africa. Click here to check venues
8. The exam is arguably one of the most expensive amongst various medical exams worldwide. As at 2015, the exam fee for the part 1 AMC MCQ is 3,500 AUD

9.After successfully passing the  part 1 (AMC MCQ) exam, you can begin to search for job in Australia

10. As part of the employment process, employers conduct PESCI (Pre-Employment Structured Clinical Interview)...sometimes through skype or directly if you are in Australia.

NOTE: Some employers don't conduct this interview, as there have been cases of some people who gets jobs without this structured interview.

11. If you didn't get a job soon, while you await a job opportunity, you can proceed with the AMC part 2 (clinical exam). passing this equally increases your chance of quickly getting a job. The part 2 AMC MCQ exam is conducted only in Australia.

12. You can seek job with private of government hospitals, government seems to be the better option as they usually have migration services.

13. If you are offered a job, some companies/hospitals have a migration assistant and they will take charge of all the migration process...however some others don't. So you would have to take care of the migration process by yourself. Example of territories with migration assistance is NSW health authority
14. You need to write an academic module of  the International English Language Test System (IELTS) with the Bench mark of 7.0 before you can collect an AMC Certificate

15. Then complete a 12 month period of supervised practise (47 weeks minimum) and you will be issued a full AMC certificate.

16. It is also advisable to submit an EOI expression of interest to migrate to Australia

OPTION B
If you are an IMG from Africa, Asia or the Middle East, another way to take which will give you more chance of getting a job or practice in Australia are;

Firstly write an academic module of  the International English Language Test System (IELTS) with the Bench mark of 7.5 and you must not score below 7.0 in all the exam sections (Reading,
Speaking, Writing and Listening).

Secondly, register for the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test which provides the main route for (IMGs) to demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to practise medicine in the United Kingdom (UK).

The PLAB test has 2 parts:
Part 1 : Consists of A Multiple choice format Examination Paper with 200 SBA's (Two Hundred Single Best Answer questions) lasting 3 hours, This part is conducted in a number of countries including Bangladesh, Egypt (Cairo), India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka.

Part 2 : Consists of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). This Part is available only in the city of Manchester, United Kingdom. It consists of 14 clinical stations, a pilot station and a rest station. The pilot station is usually unannounced and mixed with the clinical stations. The marks for the pilot station do not count towards the final score. All the stations are of five minutes duration. The level of difficulty of the clinical part of the PLAB exam is set at the level of competence of a senior house officer in a first appointment in a UK hospital.
On completing your PLAB  tests you can seek a job in the UK, work there for one or two years to gain an experience in the UK system which is similar to and equally recognized in Australian Medical System.

I'm not saying you can't write the AMC MCQ exams or go straight to Australia and search for placement.  I'm only suggesting an alternative pathway to move to Australia from the experience gathered from reliable IMG's in Australia. Some have done it successfully. It will also boost your chance of getting things easy in Australia. Some have been lucky to get jobs while others have not been so lucky.

Do you know employers' preference for job applicants follows this sequence: 
1. Australian citizens who graduated from Australian and New Zealand(NZ) medical schools 
2. Non-Australian graduates of Australia and New Zealand (NZ) medical schools
3. Doctors from UK (working or have experience in UK medical System)
4. Other competent authority countries ( such as Canada, Ireland, USA etc.)
5. Countries with Health system comparable to Australia's (countries of the European Union basically)
6. All other IMGs

Bear in mind that there's usually an average of 500 applicants for every job opening.

Good luck!

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For more information on how to start your application check 
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Attend an Open Innovation and Creative Thinking Techniques Programme in the UK.

The Centre for Continuing Professional Development (CCPD) within Imperial College London's School of Professional Development presents a diverse range of cutting edge courses for professionals working in science, technology and medicine. The majority of courses are taught at the South Kensington campus and are open to all on a fee paying basis. Modules from several Masters Programmes are made available as CPD short courses as an initiative to provide flexible education for full-time working professionals.

Open Innovation is a potential answer to tap into creativity and knowledge outside an organisation. It exploits a creative power of users, communities and customers to co-develop new products, services and processes.

The course will explore an emerging range of companies using open business models (e.g. Google, Facebook) and challenging traditional business approaches. It will cover a creative thinking process and idea development tools which will be supported by practical group exercises

Benefits of Attending?
Delegates will benefit from identifying open innovation sources and open business models to expand their knowledge of developing partnership and co-creation approaches.

Who Should Attend?
The course is specifically designed for delegates wishing to develop their creative thinking skills and techniques which can be successfully used for innovation management, entrepreneurship, new service development and decision-making.

CPD Approval & Certificate of Attendance
All participants will be awarded an Imperial College London Certificate of Attendance on completion of the course.

Duration: 1 day (July 3, 2015.)
Fees: £250

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How to Relocate Abroad with children:

Migration or relocation is not an easy task. It's like leaving your comfort zone to where your fate is yet to determine.  Relocating with children can add to the challenge, but needn't be an insurmountable challenge. As with any change, careful management and planning can pay dividends :

1. Notify your children:  explain the reasons and benefits of your relocation decision. Make sure you convince them to accept your details.

2. Be aware of your perception of change:
Children's expectation of change is largely influenced by the parents' mindset: if accepted as a part of life, there is no reason why a balanced child will not be able to adapt and accept the change

3. Involve them in the process: whether it's viewing homes, showing them the school and the new activities they can partake in, help with the packing or have other responsibilities. These are all empowering and can help with the acceptance of the upcoming change

4. Explain how the process will work : from knowing how long the transition will take, what will happen to their belongings, what their new home country will be like.
Knowing what to expect is a great way to alleviate worry and the sense of anticipation

5. Identify ‘same and different’ aspects of your new life.
Tell them what won’t change, and what they can expect to be different. For example, moving to London from the Nigeria will mean that everyone speaks English, you’ll still be able to live in a house and have a car.

6.   Pay attention on their room and environment: this can help with their sense of security, knowing that whilst they've moved across the world, they still have some familiarity and consistency until they settle into their new home.


7. Tell them to be wary of strangers: since it's a new environment, children need time to get familiar and study people's culture  before relating.


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IELTS Life Skills Test:

What's IELTS Life Skills test?

IELTS Life Skills is for people who need to show that their English speaking and listening skills at Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels A1 or B1 as part of their UK visa application.

IELTS Life Skills is available at two levels:

IELTS Life Skills – A1 Speaking and Listening

IELTS Life Skills – B1 Speaking and Listening

It is a face-to-face Speaking and Listening test that will be taken with an examiner, and with one other test taker. The tasks in IELTS Life Skills are designed to reflect the everyday experience of communicating in an English-speaking country. You will be expected to take part in short discussions on everyday subjects including:

Personal details/experiences, family and friends, buying goods, work, health, leisure, education/training, transport, housing or weather.

The focus of the test at each level is designed to assess whether you can listen and respond, make your meaning clear, and talk with other people.

How to register for IELTS Life Skills - Speaking and Listening

From April 2015 IELTS Life Skills will be available at test centres in the UK and throughout the world. These centres are in locations specified by UK Visas and Immigration and meet official requirements for language testing for UK visa purposes.

Results for IELTS Life Skills tests

Test results are normally available within 6 days of your test.

You will get one of two results:

·         Pass

·         Below pass

A below pass result means that you have not been successful and your test cannot be used for your visa application.

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For more detail click here

Opportunities to Participate in the Creating Healthy Active Local Kids (CHALK)

The Centre for Continuing Professional Development (CCPD) within Imperial College London's School of Professional Development presents a diverse range of cutting edge courses for professionals working in science, technology and medicine. The majority of courses are taught at the South Kensington campus and are open to all on a fee paying basis. Modules from several Masters Programmes are made available as CPD short courses as an initiative to provide flexible education for full-time working professionals.

The CHALK programme responds to the post Marmot review recommendations for a ‘Fair society’ with capacity building and access for the most vulnerable a key focus of the programme.

CHALK comprises:
Bespoke capacity building training and mentoring for those working with children and families across the public, private and third sector

Community based interventions targeted at children and families

Course Aims

• To recognise one’s own opportunities for promoting healthy weight in children
• To know the causes and consequences of overweight in children
• To know how diet and nutrition can help to achieve healthy weight
• To know how physical activity can help to achieve healthy weight
• To provide confidence in raising the issue of unhealthy weight with children and families through brief intervention
• To transfer knowledge within one’s own organisation

Who Should Attend?
Health and non-health professionals working in the public, private sector or third sector who deliver or manage services for children and families.

The CCPD have trained participants from over 100 occupations, including GPs, paediatricians, sports coaches, library staff, foster parents, local borough summer play workers, school nurses, head teachers, health visitors.

Accreditation
The programme was commissioned by the Department of Health in 2008. All participants will receive an Imperial College London Certificate of Attendance on completion of the programme. The programme is also accredited by the London Public Health Network.

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For more information and bespoke delivery of CHALK, please contact Dr. Raheelah Ahmad raheelah.ahmad@imperial.ac.uk

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2015.

         The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2015 is run by the Royal Commonwealth Society in partnership with Cambridge University Press.

The Royal Commonwealth Society(RSC), founded in 1868, is a network of individuals and organisations committed to improving the lives and prospects of Commonwealth citizens across the world. Through youth empowerment, education and advocacy, the Royal Commonwealth Society promotes the value and the values of the Commonwealth.

The Royal Commonwealth Society (RSC) is inviting young people to share their hopes and concerns for the future, thereby generating an important youth perspective and Commonwealth wide dialogue as the international community gathers to set development goals for the next 15 years.

Awards:
There will be a Winner and Runner-up in Junior and Senior category.

Winners will be flown to London for a week of cultural and educational visits, culminating in a special award event in November 2015. Runners-up will be recognised in national award events. All four top entries will be published by the RCS. A number of Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards will be made in both the Junior and Senior categories, and participants who do not receive an award will be entitled to a certificate of participation.

Eligibility:

It is opened to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and under, the Essay Competition offers young people the opportunity to make their voice heard on a global platform and engage with issues important to them. Every year, judges are impressed with the extremely high standard of entry as participants compete with their peers from every corner of the Commonwealth. For many bright and ambitious students, this is the ultimate competition!

Topics: Participants are encouraged to be creative in their response.

Answers can be submitted in number of formats, for example: poem, letter, folk tale, script or essay.

JUNIOR CATEGORY

Born after 1st May 2001 (under 14 years)

1 What are the advantages and disadvantages of being young?

2 Imagine what the world will be like when you are an old person.

3 I am the future!

4 Imagine you are a young person living in a different part of the Commonwealth. What is life like for you?

SENIOR CATEGORY

Born between 2nd May 1996 and 1st May 2001 (14-18 years)

1 What do you hope to achieve in your lifetime?

2 In 2030 you will no longer be young. What changes would you like to see in the world in 15 years’ time?

3 Youth versus experience.

4 Fresh perspectives. What can a young

Commonwealth offer?

Click here to apply

Application deadline is May 1, 2015.

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