All MBBS students will have their student details provided to the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency and be registered with them for the duration of their course. Prior to graduation, students apply for full registration with AHPRA.
See:http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Student-Registrations.aspx
On the presumption that students enrolling into the Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) do so with the intention of practising as a doctor, it is important to be alerted to the role of the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency well ahead of time, and to the legislation which relates to medical registration in Australia.
The prime purpose of the Medical Practice Act is to protect the public. The act stipulates that the board is to refuse to register as doctors persons who:
- are not of good character
- have been convicted of a serious crime
- are ill in a manner which may put the community at risk
- are not able to complete the training and clinical experience required under provisional registration (ie internship).
After completion of the final year of the course and graduation, you will be required to apply for full registration with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency. You will be asked to sign a statutory declaration attesting (1) that you have never been convicted of a serious crime and (2) that you are not presently under treatment for, or suffer from, any condition or illness which may impair your ability to practise and which may put the community at risk. This statement is provided to you to:
- remind you of the vocational nature of your course and the strict requirements laid down for registration of medical practitioners by the Parliament of Australia, and
- give you the opportunity to consider your position, and seek appropriate advice, if you suffer from an illness or condition which could prevent you from being granted provisional registration or if you have been convicted of a serious crime.
Further information
Contact AHPRA at http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Student-Registrations.aspx