Policy on registration in a vocational scope

This page sets out the requirements you must meet before we can register you in a vocational scope.

The requirements will depend on whether you hold an approved postgraduate qualification from New Zealand or Australia, or whether you have a postgraduate qualification from somewhere else.

Requirements for registration

If you wish to register in a vocational scope of practice you must:

  • satisfy the requirements of Council's Policy on registration in New Zealand
  • hold the prescribed qualification (a combination of qualifications, training and experience) that is assessed as being equivalent to or as satisfactory as the relevant approved qualification
  • be fit for registration (Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (HPCAA), section 16)
  • be competent to practise medicine in the vocational scope applied for
  • meet our English language requirements
  • complete a period of practice in a provisional vocational scope of practice (if applicable)
  • complete any assessment requirements within a provisional vocational period
  • be competent to practise independently and unsupervised. 

  • Policy on registration in New Zealand

    Policy

    1 November 2016 (PDF, 683 KB)

    This policy gives an overview of the rules we apply in deciding whether to register a doctor in New Zealand. There will also be a specific policy that applies to the pathway you are registering under and the two policies should be read together.

Doctors without an approved postgraduate qualification

If you are applying for registration in a vocational scope and do not hold an approved Australasian postgraduate medical qualification such as a Fellowship, Diploma or Certificate, your training, qualifications and experience will first need to be assessed to see whether they are equivalent to those of a locally trained specialist. There is a separate policy for this pathway to registration.