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556 results matching “#CI-1: Appointment of PR”
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You can apply for registration through this pathway if you hold a qualification approved by the General Medical Council (GMC) for registration as a physician associate in the United Kingdom.
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Prevocational training requirements for doctors in their PGY1 year
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Prevocational Training Requirements for Doctors in
New Zealand: a discussion paper on options for an enhanced training framework -
Update on Waitemata DHB's accreditation status as at 1 July 2022
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Report on our progress with strategic directions and initiatives for the 12 month period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019.
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This document outlines the standards that an applicant will be assessed against.
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Report on our progress with strategic directions and initiatives for the 12 month period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017
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Report on our progress with strategic directions and initiatives for the 12 month period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018
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This is an updated draft version of the statement which we're consulting on. Please see the consultation section of our website for more information including how to provide feedback.
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Our strategic plan for the period from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020.
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This form outlines the additional information that will be required by the CICM so they can provide us with advice on your application for vocational registration in intensive care medicine.
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These standards will come into effect on 1 July 2022. The standards outline the standards vocational training providers need to meet in order to be accredited to provide vocational medical training and recertification programmes. We have made revisions to update recertification, cultural safety, health equity and specialist assessment of IMG content.
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This document covers a number of NZREX-related policies including pass criteria, serious concerns and critical incidents, request for resits, feedback, and recount of results.
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Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | The Medical Council of New Zealand (Council) recently held an election to select four medical practitioner nominees and can now announce the results of this election.
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The Medical Council of New Zealand has two new members. The Hon Matt Doocey, Associate Minister of Health, made the appointments, which are effective from 1 July 2024 for a three-year term. The Minister also reappointed two current members for further terms. These four appointments follow the election by the profession, earlier this year.
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Urgent care medicine (formerly known as accident and medical practice) is the primary care of patients on an after-hours or non-appointment basis, where continuing medical care is not provided.
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We sometimes require that a doctor has a chaperone present to observe their consultations with patients. We do this to mitigate risk to the patient where there are concerns that the doctor poses a risk of harm or serious risk of harm to the public. This is different from when a chaperone is present as a matter of good medical practice.
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To apply for registration within a special purpose (locum tenens) scope of practice, you must first hold an approved postgraduate qualification in the branch of medicine in which you want to work, and then meet remaining requirements outlined in the registration policy.
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You cannot work outside the requirements of your scope of practice and any requirements set by Council specific to you. These are shown on your practising certificate. If you are registered within a provisional general, provisional vocational or a special purpose scope of practice, you need our approval of any change to your employment, supervision, position or location.
Once we've received and approved your variation application we will issue you a new practising certificate. -
We sometimes require that a doctor has a chaperone present to observe their consultations with patients. We do this to mitigate risk to the patient where there are concerns that the doctor poses a risk of harm or serious risk of harm to the public. This is different from when a chaperone is present as a matter of good medical practice.
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List of our fees effective from 1 July 2026
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This gazette notice lists the fees payable from 1 July 2025.
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Checklist 1: United Kingdom qualifications-based - checklist for registration in New Zealand.
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1982 to 30 June 1983
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1983 to 30 June 1984
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1986 to 30 June 1987
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1987 to 30 June 1988
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1989 to 30 June 1990
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1992 to 30 June 1993
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1995
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021
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Our strategic plan for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014
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Our strategic plan for the period from 1 June 2014 to 30 June 2015
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Our strategic plan for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016
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Our strategic plan for the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report for Northland DHB following site visit on 1 and 2September 2021
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Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand set these Professional Standards for Physician Associates 2026 (the standards) under section 118(1)(i) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. The standards will come into force on 1 October 2026.
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Read about our past performance. Our annual reports include detailed information and statistics about our activities for the twelve months from 1 July of a year to 30 June of the following year.
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Report on our progress with its strategic directions covering the period from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013.
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report for Whanganui District Health Board following site visit on 1 and 2 April 2019
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This gazette notice lists the fees payable from 1 July 2026.
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Diagram showing the basic layout of the stations candidates will rotate around during the NZREX Clinical.
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These standards only apply until 1 July 2020. This document outlines the standards New Zealand Colleges must meet in order to be reaccredited.
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Council is delighted to report that in October 2024 we received Toitū carbonreduce programme certification in line with ISO 14064-1:2018 and Toitū requirements.
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1984 to 30 June 1985
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1985 to 30 June 1986
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1988 to 30 June 1989
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1990 to 30 June 1991
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1991 to 30 June 1992
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1993 to 30 June 1994
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1995 to 30 June 1996
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 1999 to 30 June 2000
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024
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Council's annual report for the year from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.
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Our strategic plan for the period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012.
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Our strategic plan for the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017
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Our strategic plan for the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018
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This dashboard page contains information around doctors with a vocational scope of practice including breakdowns by age, gender, and ethnicity.
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This page outlines how the process of renewing your practising certificate works and what to do if your certificate is about to expire and you haven't heard from us.
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From today, 1 October 2026 physician associates are a regulated health profession in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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This document outlines the adjustments to our existing fees and disciplinary levy effective 1 July 2021, made using an activity-based costing methodology, and following an extensive review process.
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We've drafted these standards to align with new recertification requirements. They will be effective from 1 July 2022. Before this time, providers will need to show evidence they are progressing towards implementing these requirements.
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This dashboard page breaks down new doctors by entry pathway (how they qualified for registration in New Zealand) by ethnicity, gender, age group, and the country of their primary medical qualification.
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We are now accepting applications via the new United Kingdom General Registrants pathway and the amended Examinations pathway.
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Report on our progress with our strategic directions covering the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014
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Report on our progress with our strategic directions covering the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015
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Report on our progress with our strategic directions covering the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016
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From November 2014, Council reviewed and implemented significant changes to prevocational medical training requirements for doctors in Aotearoa New Zealand. The changes aim to improve patient safety and the performance of doctors through provision of high-quality learning.
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Working relationships with our key stakeholders are at the heart of everything we do to protect public health and safety. This page describes Council's relationships with Aotearoa New Zealand medical schools, Medical Colleges, Te Aka Whai Ora | Māori Health Authority, Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand, the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC), and other organisations where we have established a memoranda of understanding (MoU).
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This dashboard page contains information around the distribution of doctors within New Zealand.
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An amendment to our current scopes of practice and prescribed qualifications correcting the commencement date (as published in the New Zealand Gazette on 1 October 2024).
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Recertification programme providers are expected to work towards these strengthened recertification requirements for vocationally-registered doctors, with implementation completed by 1 July 2022.
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This dashboard page contains information around registered doctors, those who are on the register and hold a current practising certificate. You can also view the same data for past quarters.
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An amendment of this notice was published on 1 October 2024, Notice No. 2024-sl4980 and another amendment was published on 31 March 2025, Notice No. 2025-sl1765.
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Council is pleased to announce that from 1 November 2024, international medical graduates (IMGs) with an approved postgraduate medical qualification, intending to practise in Aotearoa New Zealand in an approved area of medicine, can apply for specialist registration via a new fast-track registration pathway.
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The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (The Tribunal) has asked us to publish a summary of its recent decisions. You can access the full decision on their website at the links provided.
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This dashboard page contains information around doctors undertaking vocational training in New Zealand.
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One of the ways the Council helps doctors to stay competent is by requiring them to participate in recertification programmes. Regular practice review (RPR) is one part of this continuing professional development.
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Patients are entitled to information about their health and the care they are receiving. This statement outlines what we expect of doctors when helping patients to make an informed decision about their care and treatment.
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Council's strategic plan sets out our key strategic goals, the outcomes that flow down from our goals, and how we can achieve these outcomes.
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This page contains the latest Medical Council notices published in the Gazette for Scopes of Practice, prescribed qualifications and Fees.
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Medical Council News is our official newsletter. Published and distributed to the profession regularly, the newsletter contains a summary of the most important recent news as well as articles on topics likely to be of interest to doctors and physician associates.
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We are seeking stakeholder feedback on the Medical Council of New Zealand’s (Council) proposal to gazette changes to its existing fees and disciplinary levy, to be effective from 1 July 2021.
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We are seeking stakeholder feedback on the Medical Council of New Zealand’s (Council) proposal to gazette changes to its existing fees and disciplinary levy, to be effective from 1 July 2022.
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This dashboard page contains information around international medical graduates, doctors who obtained their primary medical qualification outside of New Zealand.
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Established on 1 July 2022, Te Whatu Ora leads the day-to-day running of the health system across New Zealand, with functions delivered at local, district, regional and national levels.
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This consultation document is seeking stakeholder feedback on the Medical Council of New Zealand’s (Council) proposal to gazette an increase to the practising certificate (PC) fee and disciplinary levy, to be effective from 1 September 2020.
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This policy, which comes into effect on 1 April 2020, sets out on when we might make public in some way, information about an order or direction made by us about a doctor.
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These standards for physician associates put patient interests first and support the health and safety of the public by setting out the minimum requirements for safe practice, and outlining the expectations for communication, consent, collaboration, and professional behaviour. The standards should be read in conjunction with other components of the regulatory framework for physician associates, including scopes of practice and the supervision framework.
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A notification around concerns about your health is different from one about conduct, and our approach to dealing with it is non-judgmental and focuses on your rehabilitation and the safety of patients and people you come into contact with.
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This dashboard page contains further information around the distribution of doctors within New Zealand.
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This dashboard page contains information around new registrations - registrations granted where the doctor was not already on the medical register.
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This dashboard page contains information around changes over time in the number and demographics of registered doctors - doctors on the register with a current practising certificate.
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In our second year as a Toitū carbonreduce certified organisation under ISO 14064-1:2018 and Toitū requirements, Council focused on supporting the implementation of the Environmental Sustainability Strategy and strengthening the accuracy and completeness of emissions reporting.
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The Performance Assessment Committee (PAC) is made up of two medical members and a lay member. The PAC can assess a doctor’s performance at any time.
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You can apply via this pathway if you have passed Part 1 and Part 2 of the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test administered by the General Medical Council (GMC), United Kingdom (UK); completed 12-months of satisfactory practice in the UK; and hold full general registration with the GMC.
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Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand (Council) invites feedback on proposed practising certificate (PC) fees, disciplinary levies, and other fees to take effect from 1 July 2026.
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The following key three areas of work were highlighted in our 2026 independent performance review:
1. Consumer input and transparency.
2. Contributing to a sustainable medical workforce.
3. Collaboration and relationships with others in the health sector.
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Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | the Medical Council of New Zealand (the Council) is considering making changes to the advanced life support (ACLS) requirement for interns in the Provisional General scope of practice (postgraduate year 1, or PGY1) interns.
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You can apply for registration via this pathway if, within the last five years, you have passed either the New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX Clinical); or Part 1 and Part 2 of the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test.
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This page contains a full list of our forms including application, report and referee forms, as well as checklists and the current fees payable, for physician associates.
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It is the Council’s role to ensure that the quality of training programmes offered by providers of prevocational medical training is of a high standard. Information on accredited prevocational training providers and the Council’s accreditation standards can be found here.
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This page contains a full list of our forms including application, report and referee forms, as well as checklists and the current fees payable.
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Every doctor in New Zealand must be registered to practise medicine. If you are not eligible for registration under any other pathway, you must sit and pass the NZREX Clinical, our registration examination.
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If a doctor or physician associate has an issue with their own health, wherever possible we try to help them to remain in practice while it is being resolved. That said, our primary objective is to protect the health and safety of the public - which may mean that the doctor or physician associate will be unable to practise safely, or will be limited in what they can do, until they are well enough to fully resume practice.
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Rehabilitation medicine is the medical care of patients in relation to the prevention and reduction of disability and handicap arising from impairments, and the management of patients with disabilities from a physical, psychosocial and vocational viewpoint.
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If you want to work as a specialist in New Zealand, hold the approved New Zealand/Australasian postgraduate qualification, but do not already hold general registration, you can apply down the VOC2 pathway.
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This consultation sets out two proposals for registration of International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in the Provisional General scope of practice in Aotearoa New Zealand based on an applicant having passed Part 1 and Part 2 of the United Kingdom (UK) Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test.
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To ensure that you are continuing to maintain your competence to practise medicine, you must meet recertification programme requirements set by Council, including any minimum continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.
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To ensure that you are continuing to maintain your competence to practise medicine, you must meet recertification programme requirements set by Council, including any minimum continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.
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You are eligible for a 50 percent refund of your practising certificate fee if your medical income (including any tax) in New Zealand or overseas is NZ$20,000 or less.
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If you have concerns about a registered doctor or a physician associate, you can refer the matter to the Council.
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We recognise Taiwanese medical schools so that graduates from these schools have the opportunity to undertake NZREX Clinical. We must ensure we only register fully qualified doctors. However, the exclusion of Taiwanese medical schools from WDOMS is due to political factors and not the standard of those schools. The ECFMG has approved graduates of these schools to undertake the prerequisite examination - USMLE Steps 1 and 2.
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This dashboard page contains information around Māori and Pacific Peoples doctors in the medical workforce including breakdowns by age, gender, and work role.
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All physician associates applying for registration in New Zealand must have key documents verified from their primary source. Council uses the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates’ (ECFMG) Credential Verification for Health Professionals (CVHP) service to do this.
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This pathway is for New Zealand and Australian medical graduates wanting to register within the Provisional General scope of practice to complete their internship.
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A recent change to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 sets a new requirement on all health profession regulators, including the Medical Council. We are now required to publish a policy setting out on when we might make public in some way, information about an order or direction made by us about a doctor.
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The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCAA) requires us to specify the scopes of practice within which doctors are permitted to practice, and to describe and define the boundaries of each.
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VOC1 (specialist) registration is for doctors who hold an approved New Zealand / Australasian postgraduate qualification and already hold registration in the General scope of practice.
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Graduates of Aotearoa New Zealand and Australian accredited medical schools and doctors who have sat and passed an approved medical registration examination, including the New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX Clinical) complete prevocational medical training.
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In some circumstances you can be restored to the medical register if your registration has been cancelled. This page outlines how to apply to be restored to the register.
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Special purpose postgraduate training registration is available for doctors looking to come to New Zealand on a temporary basis, to gain experience and skills to take back to their home or sponsor country.
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In this issue of MC News, Dr Rachelle Love introduces a new series of feature profile articles from interviews with our Council members, and we confirm the practising fee and disciplinary levy for the year commencing 1 July 2024.
Other key features include our consultation on Treating yourself and those close to you, a recent Coroner's report and the importance of refraining from amending clinical notes after being notified of a patient's death. -
This page contains important information on approved qualifications, the information to include with your application, and other things that may affect your application for registration in a vocational scope.
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Our policies set out the rules and criteria we use to make decisions on applications for registration. These policies will also be referenced on the pages that provide detail on how to apply for registration.
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A Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) is an investigatory body appointed by the Council. Its purpose is to investigate matters and concerns referred to it by the Council about a registered doctor. Although a PCC is appointed by the Council, it is separate from the Council, and regulates its own procedures.
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Doctors who hold overseas qualifications and who want to apply for registration in Aotearoa New Zealand must have key documents verified from their primary source. Since November 2017, Council has required primary source verification using the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates’ Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (ECFMG’s EPIC) service, which is now accessed via the MyIntealth portal.
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There are two medical schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. Council recognises the primary medical training qualifications from both Aotearoa New Zealand and Australian medical schools.
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Graduates of Aotearoa New Zealand and Australian accredited medical schools and doctors who have sat and passed an approved medical registration examination, including the New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX Clinical) complete prevocational medical training.
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This guide outlines the essential skills and competencies an intern needs to accomplish by the end of prevocational medical training.
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This area of our site contains detailed information about the medical workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Whenever you use a health or disability service in New Zealand, you are protected by the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights (Code of Rights). The Code of Rights applies to both public and private facilities, and to both paid and unpaid services. It gives you as a patient, the right to be treated with respect, receive appropriate care, have proper communication, and be fully informed so you can make an informed choice.
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This page contains forms relating to recertification programmes requirements and professional development.
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If you're not working away from New Zealand but are just taking a break from medical practice, this page outlines what you need to do.
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It is Council’s role to accredit and monitor specialist training providers and to promote medical education training in Aotearoa New Zealand. Council assesses Aotearoa New Zealand-based vocational medical training and recertification providers against these standards.
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The International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today with the World Health Organization in a ceremony in Geneva.
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Supervision is a registration requirement for all doctors registered in a provisional general, provisional vocational or special purpose scope of practice. Supervision supports a doctor’s practice and enables their performance to be assessed while they become familiar with the New Zealand health system and the expected standard of medical practice.
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The Council offers two clinical supervision courses for clinical supervisors and prevocational educational supervisors. The courses supplement training that supervisors receive from training providers and medical colleges. Courses are available to all supervisors through the ePort platform.
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Tell us who you are so we can better direct your enquiry
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Prevocational medical training for interns incorporates aspects of the apprenticeship model of 'learning on the job’ as part of a team. Senior doctors supervise and assess the interns’ performance, providing them with ongoing feedback and gradually increasing their responsibilities.
Prevocational medical training for interns in PGY1 and PGY2 is overseen by prevocational educational supervisors and clinical supervisors.
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General practice is an academic and scientific discipline with its own educational content, research, evidence base and clinical activity, and a clinical speciality orientated to primary care. It is personal, family, and community-orientated comprehensive primary care that includes diagnosis, continues over time and is anticipatory as well as responsive.
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General surgery is a broad based specialty which includes the diagnosis and treatment (operative and non operative) of patients with disorders of the colon and rectum, upper gastro-intestinal organs, breasts, endocrine organs, skin and subcutaneous structures, blood vessels (including varicose veins) and the head and neck region. It also includes the early and ongoing management of trauma.
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Dermatology is the study, research and diagnosis of disorders, diseases, cancers, cosmetic, ageing and physiological conditions of the skin, fat, hair, nails and oral and genital membranes.
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Pathology involves the assessment and diagnosis of patients with diseases. Includes anatomical pathology (including histopathology), chemical pathology, forensic pathology, general pathology (a mix of anatomical and clinical pathology), genetic pathology, haematology, immunopathology, and microbiology (including virology).
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report: Bay of Plenty District Health Board
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The Council and the Australian Medical Council (AMC) work together on accrediting the vocational medical training programmes offered by Australasian (joint Australian and New Zealand) vocational providers. If the applicant provider is seeking recognition in Australia (as an Australasian training provider), or if the scope is already recognised in Australia, stage 3 will be led by the AMC, with Council making a decision based on the AMC’s assessment.
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Cardiothoracic surgery is the diagnosis and treatment (operative and non operative) of patients with disorders of structures within the chest including: the heart and vascular system, the lungs and trachea, the oesophagus, the diaphragm and chest wall. It includes the management of trauma and congenital and acquired disorders of these structures.
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Most international medical graduates (IMGs) registered within a provisional general, provisional vocational, or special purpose scope of practice will need to submit a supervision plan with their application. The Council will consider the proposed supervision plan as part of the application process.
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Once a doctor successfully completes prevocational medical training and has received registration within a general scope of practice, a doctor is then eligible to enrol in a vocational medical training programme. Doctors undertaking this training are referred to as trainee doctors, and are usually employed as registrars.
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Ophthalmology involves the diagnosis and management of patients with abnormal conditions affecting the eye and its appendages, including prevention of blindness, promotion of eye health and rehabilitation of patients with visual disability.
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You can apply for registration through this pathway if you have a primary medical degree from the UK or Ireland and have completed your internship within the UK or Ireland.
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This page contains all of the updates we've published around our COVID-19 response. Check this page regularly for our latest updates.
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Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand is committed to meeting Aotearoa New Zealand's healthcare demands by enabling highly qualified international and locally trained doctors to join the workforce through flexible and efficient registration pathways.
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The special purpose visiting expert scope of practice enables doctors to come to New Zealand to proctor, demonstrate, assist or teach a new or existing procedure to New Zealand practitioners for a maximum of one week.
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Our registration application forms include a range of 'fitness for registration' questions. This page will help guide you should you need to make a declaration about any issues that might affect your fitness for registration.
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Council is proposing to extend the provisional vocational assessment period from 18 to 24 months. This will enable a specific cohort of specialist IMGs who may not otherwise meet the standard, to gain provisional vocational registration and complete discrete training to address identified
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Any doctor or physician associate applying for registration in New Zealand must be fit for registration and fit to practise. It's a legal requirement on us to ensure they are. We determine this as part of our assessment of your application for registration.
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If you trained and qualified as a specialist outside of New Zealand and Australia and wish to work in New Zealand as a specialist you can apply based on overseas training and qualifications and we will assess your case on its merits.
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An audit of medical practice is a systematic, critical analysis of the quality of a doctor’s own practice, the results of which are used to improve clinical care and/or health outcomes, or to confirm that current management is consistent with the current available evidence or accepted consensus guidelines.
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The special purpose teleradiology scope of practice enables doctors without the recognised New Zealand or Australasian qualification to provide teleradiology services for patients in New Zealand.
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The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 requires us to define the areas of medicine and specialties (known as ‘scopes of practice’) that make up the practice of medicine in Aotearoa New Zealand. You'll find these scopes of practice listed here. For a more detailed explanation of each, please select the scope of practice that interests you.
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Vaccination is a crucial part of the New Zealand public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Health practitioners can help to protect themselves, their patients, and the wider community by getting their COVID-19 vaccination.
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If you, as an international medical graduate (IMG), apply for vocational registration and your application is successful, you will have to complete a provisional vocational registration period. You'll work under supervision for this period, during which we make sure you're competent to practise independently in your chosen field of medicine.
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NZCSRH accreditation update status as of 15 August 2024
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RNZCUC accreditation update status as of 17 December 2024
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All international medical graduates (IMGs) registered in a provisional general, provisional vocational and special purpose scope of practice must be supervised. This is to support their practice while they become familiar with the New Zealand health system and the expected standard of medical practice.
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This pathway is for New Zealand and Australian medical graduates who have successfully completed their internship in Australia and want to register within the General scope of practice.
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Regardless of your scope of practice, the basic process for registration as a doctor or physician associate in New Zealand is as outlined here.
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You can apply for registration through this pathway if you have an overseas specialist qualification on our approved list, and have a job offer to work in New Zealand for 12 months or less.
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This page outlines the registration process for physician associates including information on what you need to provide, what you can expect and how long it will take.
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We serve Aotearoa New Zealand by protecting the health and safety of the public. We do this by setting and promoting standards for doctors and physician associates.
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Council collects workforce data from doctors as part of the renewal of practising certificates.
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Our definitions of clinical and non-clinical practice
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Evaluation of Council's RPR programme by Malatest International - end of year report for 2017
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report for Te Whatu Ora - Te Tai Tokerau following site visit on 29 and 30 April 2024
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report for Southern District Health Board following site visit on 26 August 2020.
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Summary of the Malatest evaluation of the regular practice review (RPR) programme for 2017.
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In some circumstances you can be restored to the medical register if your registration has been cancelled. See this page to check whether you are eligible for restoration to the register, and how to apply.
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Evaluation of Council's RPR programme by Malatest International - end of year report for 2015
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report for Wairarapa District Health Board following site visit on 17 and 18 October 2019.
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report for Hutt Valley District Health Board following site visit on 12 and 28 October 2020
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The professional services a doctor can perform in New Zealand are defined by the scope of practice for which they are registered.
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Certificates of professional status (COPS) are documents used by professional regulators to share information about whether a health practitioner is in good standing. Doctors or physician associates applying for registration, restoration or returning from practising outside New Zealand need to provide us with certificates of professional status.
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Glossary of terms used in relation to prevocational medical training. Examples include clinical attachment, intern, multisource feedback (MSF), and prevocational educational supervisor
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report: Auckland District Health Board
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If you hold an approved postgraduate medical qualification from the UK, Ireland or Australia and intend to work as a specialist in Aotearoa New Zealand in an approved area of medicine, you can apply via the VOC4 fast-track pathway.
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Our definition of the practice of medicine and clinical practice
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Prevocational medical training accreditation report for Tairāwhiti District Health Board following site visit on 4 and 5 May 2021
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This pathway is for physician associates who have experience practising clinically in New Zealand.
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Evaluation of changes to prevocational medical training by Malatest International - end of year report for 2018
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Malatest Evaluation of the RPR Programme - end of year 2014
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Evaluation of Council's RPR programme by Malatest International - end of year report for 2016
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Evaluation of Council's RPR programme by Malatest International - end of year report for 2017
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Evaluation of Council's RPR programme by Malatest International - mid year report for 2016
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Malatest Evaluation of the RPR Programme: mid-year 2017
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Evaluation of Council's RPR programme by Malatest International - mid year report for 2018
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Evaluation of Council's RPR programme by Malatest International - mid year report for 2015
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There are two key scopes of practice for physician associates:
Physician Associate Provisional scope of practice (for first period of registration).
Physician Associate General scope of practice (for physician associates who have completed the provisional period) . -
Prevocational medical training accreditation report for Te Whatu Ora - Te Toka Tumai Auckland following site visit on 27 and 28 March 2024
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This policy outlines the requirements you must meet before you can be registered in the General scope of practice.This policy should be read alongside Council's Policy on registration in New Zealand.
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You can apply for registration through this pathway if you hold a qualification accredited for licensure in the United States of America for registration as a physician associate.
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You can apply for registration through this pathway if you hold a qualification accredited for licensure in Canada for registration as a physician associate.
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Evaluation of Council's RPR programme by Malatest International - Interim report to November 2014
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You can download copies of your current and expired practising certificates by logging into your myMCNZ account.
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This page sets out the recertification programme requirements for doctors registered and practising in the General scope of practice only. This is typically either participation in a medical college vocational training programme, or in the Inpractice recertification programme.
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If you are registered and practising in a vocational scope only, you must participate in the recertification programme offered by the medical college or other approved recertification provider responsible for your vocational scope of practice.
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How you apply for a practising certificate will depend on whether or not you are already registered in New Zealand, if you have worked in New Zealand before, and how long it has been since you last practised. If you already hold a practising certificate, please see our page on renewing your practising certificate instead.
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Malatest International's final evaluation report of our Regular Practice Review Programme
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The purpose of these principles is to provide a framework for good decision-making about notifications assessed and managed by the Council. The principles are not intended to cover every specific scenario but rather provide guidance in how notifications should be assessed and managed. The framework applies to the decisions of the Notifications Triage Team (NTT) and of Council.
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You can apply for registration through this pathway if you have recent experience in a comparable health system.
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Doctors and physician associates get sick too, and when they do it's important that their illness doesn't interfere with their ability to practise safely. A doctor or physician associate must always be able to practise without putting patients or the public at risk.
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You can apply for this pathway if you have passed the Australian Medical Council examinations and are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
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A Review of Prevocational Training Requirements for Doctors in New Zealand: Stage 2 - A second consultation paper on the proposed changes to prevocational training
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Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand’s latest quarterly workforce data shows that women now make up slightly more than half of practising doctors in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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This policy applies if you're applying for registration temporarily to teach, train, carry out research, work as a locum tenens specialist, assist in an emergency or work as a teleradiologist.
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The Medical Council of New Zealand will protect and safeguard personal information and treat it with the utmost care, respect and discretion. This includes all personal information collected online.This privacy notice applies to personal information that we collect through this website: www.mcnz.org.nz
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This document sets out Council’s policy in regards to accrediting training providers of prevocational medical training (training providers) and their clinical attachments. It outlines the components of the accreditation assessment.
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This document outlines the policy, process and guidelines for recognition of a new vocational scope of practice.
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Under sections 11 and 13 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand (“Council”) gives notice of an amendment to the notice titled “Scopes of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications for the Practice of Medicine in New Zealand Notice 2024.
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Under sections 11 and 13 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand (“Council”) gives notice of an amendment to the notice titled “Scopes of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications for the Practice of Medicine in New Zealand Notice 2024.
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Disclosure of harm refers to instances where a patient has been adversely affected as a direct result of medical care. Open disclosure in this situation promotes transparency, can strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and is important for the health and safety of the public in general. This statement is intended to help doctors understand the purpose of open disclosure and why it matters to patients and their family/whānau. It also guides doctors on factors to consider when a situation requires that the harm is disclosed.
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Council is proposing to change the current requirement that international medical graduates registered in the special purpose teleradiology scope of practice must be supervised by doctors based in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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We have approximately 95 staff, including our Chief Executive and senior managers whose activities are overseen by a Council of 12 people who are a mix of doctors and laypeople. Our Chair is Dr Kenneth (Ken) Clark. Joan Simeon is our Manukura (Chief Executive) Officer.
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Under section 14 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (“Act”), Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa |
Medical Council of New Zealand (“Council”) gives notice of an amendment to the notice titled “Scopes of Practice and
Prescribed Qualifications for the Practice of Medicine in New Zealand Notice 2024” published in the New Zealand Gazette, 30 September 2024, Notice No. 2024-sl4580 -
This statement outlines Council's expectations of doctors who perform cosmetic procedures. These include standards relating to training, skill and expertise, advertising and obtaining consent from the patient.
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If you are thinking about practising medicine in New Zealand, there are many things to consider. This page provides an introduction to medical registration, the healthcare system, getting a job and settling in the country.
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There are 36 areas of medicine, or 'scopes of practice', within which you can be registered and work as a specialist in New Zealand. This page defines each scope, and details the structure of the New Zealand or Australasian training programme.
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Prescribing medicines and treatment is an essential part of medical practice. This statement outlines what good prescribing practice involves and the legal requirements doctors must comply with.
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A history of the Medical Council of New Zealand, compiled by Professor Richard Sainsbury.
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The Standards for accreditation of specialist medical training programmes are jointly agreed and applied by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ). Australasian colleges are required to apply the New Zealand specific criteria in addition to the AMC standards.
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Currently, there is no requirement for applicants for this examination to have had any clinical practice experience. This consultation seeks views on the merits of introducing a requirement that individuals applying to sit the NZREX must have had clinical practice experience and if so, then what that should be.
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All physician associates applying for registration in the physician associate provisional scope of practice (except those applying via the NZ experiential pathway) must complete a Council-approved induction programme, within the 12 months immediately prior to applying for registration.
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This document provides general advice to employers (including Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand and some PHOs) about their responsibilities as an employer of a doctor.
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Our current scopes of practice and prescribed qualifications (as published in the New Zealand Gazette on 5 April 2023, Notice no. 2023-gs1359).
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These standards have been superseded by the 2022 standards above.
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If you're applying for registration in the vocational scope and did your postgraduate training outside of New Zealand and Australia, this policy outlines the rules that will apply when we consider your application.
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The Medical Council of New Zealand (the Council) wants to ensure that recertification programmes for all doctors are robust, help assure the public that the doctor is competent and fit to practise, and improve the current high standards of practice of doctors in New Zealand.
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Council has not issued standards specific to practice within the purpose of the End of Life Choice Act 2019 (EOLCA). Council considers that the provision of health services under the EOLCA falls within the wider practice of medicine, to which Council’s statements are directed. This document sets out existing Council statements alongside the relevant sections of the EOLCA.
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Our "Good medical practice" publication provides guidance to doctors on the standards of practice we expect.
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In August 2021, Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa |Medical Council of New Zealand, underwent a full performance review that showed compliance to our obligations under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCAA).
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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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One of our most important roles is ensuring doctors and physician associates are fit to practise. We have a set of standards for each profession which outline what we expect of doctors and physician associates, and procedures to follow if there are concerns about a doctor or physician associate's conduct, competence or health.
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Profiles of the candidates in our 2021 Council election
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We are seeking your feedback on the draft Professional standards for PAs. These draft standards propose the principles and values of good PA practice and the professional standards expected of PAs working in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Training providers that offer vocational medical training and recertification programmes must gain accreditation with the Council by meeting the Accreditation standards for Aotearoa New Zealand training providers of vocational medical training and recertification programmes (2022).
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This document highlights the revisions we're making around recertification, cultural safety, and health equity to the accreditation standards for NZ training providers of vocational medical training and recertification programmes
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You can make a notification directly to the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC). The HDC's role is to promote and protect your rights as set out in the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights (The Code).
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Process for assessment and accreditation of Aotearoa New Zealand based vocational training providers
This guide sets out the accreditation process for Aotearoa New Zealand-only vocational training providers that are currently accredited by MCNZ. It applies both to currently accredited providers seeking reaccreditation, as well as unaccredited providers seeking accreditation.
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We regulate doctors in New Zealand, with other medical professions having their own regulatory authority. There are 18 health professional regulation bodies established under the HPCAA including ourselves.
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Application for a physician associate general scope of practice
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In addition to being registered, you must also hold a current practising certificate to practise medicine in New Zealand. You cannot lawfully practise in New Zealand without this certificate.
This section outlines the importance of holding a current practising certificate, the consequences of practising without one, and how to apply for one. -
This gazette notice lists the scopes of practice and prescribed qualifications for Physician Associates.
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Manatū Hauora - The Ministry of Health (the Ministry) is proposing that the Physician Associate (PA) profession be regulated under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance (HPCA) Act 2003. This document outlines the details of this proposal.
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To apply for registration as a medical practitioner in New Zealand, or to sit the New Zealand Registration Examination (NZREX Clinical), you must have a recognised primary medical qualification from a university medical school listed on the World Directory of Medical Schools.
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Council is seeking feedback on a proposed change to its processes. Specifically, in relation to advice obtained from medical colleges regarding an international medical graduate’s (IMG) application for registration in a provisional vocational scope of practice.
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This policy outlines the requirements you must meet in order to be issued a general scope without limitations.