Policy on registration in a vocational scope

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 (ie 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

  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.

• Policy on English language requirements

  1 March 2018 (PDF, 585 KB)

  We are required to ensure that any doctor seeking registration in New Zealand is able to communicate in and comprehend English sufficiently. This is part of our role of protecting public health and safety.

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, qualiifcations 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.

• Policy on registration within a vocational scope of practice - doctors who do not hold approved postgraduate qualification

  1 December 2016 (PDF, 1.1 MB)

  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.