General and provisional general scopes

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.

Before being granted registration within the General scope of practice, medical practitioners may be required to successfully complete a period registered with the Provisional General scope of practice.

Provisional general scope

To ensure a doctor is competent to practise, regardless of seniority, we initially grant registration within the Provisional General scope of practice.

To qualify for registration within the Provisional General scope of practice a doctor must:

  • hold a prescribed qualification for registration in the Provisional General scope of practice
  • be considered fit for registration (including satisfying Council's English language requirements)
  • be competent to practise in the scope of practice

Registration within the Provisional General scope of practice is subject to some conditions. For example, the doctor needs to work under supervision for the first six months at least, and in an approved position. The supervisor assesses whether the doctor is able to work at the standard required for the New Zealand healthcare system.

Once the Council is satisfied a doctor has fulfilled the Provisional general scope requirements, they can apply for registration within the General scope of practice.

Applying for registration

There are different options (or 'pathways') for eligibility for registration in the Provisional General scope of practice. The requirements that must be satisfied to be eligible for General registration vary according to the pathway by which a doctor obtains Provisional General registration.

The following pages contain detailed information on the requirements and process for each pathway.

Recertification requirements for the general scope

Once you are registered within the General scope you must participate in a Council-approved recertification programme; generally in either the Inpractice programme for General scope doctors or in an accredited vocational training programme.

  • General scope

    21 February 2022

    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.