Consultation - Development of a new collegial peer support and supervision framework for International Medical Graduates

Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand (Council) currently requires all international medical graduates (IMGs) registered in the provisional general, provisional vocational and special purpose scopes of practice to work under supervision when commencing practice in New Zealand. The purpose of supervision is to:

a.       support an IMG to integrate safely into the New Zealand healthcare system; and

b.       assess the IMG’s performance against the expected standard of medical practice to ensure they are competent and fit to practise before changing scopes from provisional to full general or vocational scopes of practice.

 As part of ongoing work to ensure that registration policies are fit for purpose and enabling, Council is reviewing its orientation, induction and supervision guide. The current guide has been in place for several years. With the evolving nature of supervision, now is an appropriate time to review and revise it. This includes developing a framework that not only addresses Council requirements but is responsive to the needs of employers and IMGs, while striking an appropriate balance between a pragmatic and principled approach.

 Council is proposing to implement an agile and flexible framework based on registration pathway, comprising of two elements. Depending on the registration pathway, an IMG will either undertake an initial period of:

·       collegial peer support; or

·       supervision.

 Our consultation paper [PDF, 350 KB] explains the proposal in further detail and includes a visual representation of the framework. 

Your feedback is important to us. Please provide written submissions by completing the survey questions online . Alternatively, you can email your response to consultation@mcnz.org.nz.

We look forward to receiving your feedback. The consultation closes on 22 July 2025.