Registration pathways
There are three main types of registration for doctors — Vocational, General and Special purpose scopes of practice.
For physician associates, there are two types of registration - Physician Associate Provisional and Physician Associate General.
Each scope of practice has multiple application pathways. These pathways have specific requirements you need to meet in order to be registered. This section outlines the different pathways for each scope.
- Check each scope and its pathways to see which ones you may qualify for below.
- If you are a doctor, view the visual guide outlining the registration pathways available to International Medical Graduates, including both permanent and temporary options here.
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Medical practitioners registered within the General scope of practice (or the Provisional General scope of practice, which precedes it) are typically resident doctors, resident medical officers (RMO) and doctors undergoing vocational training.
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Vocational registration is a form of permanent, specialist registration which allows you to work independently in New Zealand.
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Special purpose registration is a temporary form of registration, for specific purposes. You should apply for this scope when you want to work in New Zealand for a specific purpose such as research, further training or to assist with a disaster.
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When a physician associate first applies for registration in New Zealand, they will be registered in the Physician Associate Provisional scope of practice. There are multiple pathways to registration in the Physician Associate Provisional scope. Each of these has specific requirements you will need to satisfy to be eligible for registration. This section outlines the different pathways for each scope.