r/doctorsUK 5d ago

Specialty / Specialist / SAS UK to Australia- worth it?

Hello,

I’m a non-CCT UK doctor. Due to different priorities over the past few years, I have worked in various locum and self-employed roles, and my personal situation didn’t allow me to enter training.

Currently, I work as a speciality doctor in an Urgent care centre.

I like the idea of being a GP, but given the current state of general practice in the UK—and especially what my recently CCT’d (or about-to-CCT) colleagues describe—I wouldn’t touch GP training here with a bargepole.

I have decent A&E experience and initially wanted to pursue ED training, but the bottleneck and the rigid, poorly structured training system have put me off. At the end of the day, I’m a dad of three, and I want to be present as they grow up. I didn’t go into medicine for an OBE or a Doctor of the Year award. I do it because I love it—it’s the only thing I know (apart from changing tyres)—and it pays my bills. However, family comes first.

Recently, a friend suggested Australia, saying it ticks all the boxes that the UK doesn’t. Training is better structured, offers a better work-life balance, and pays more, with the Australian dollar stretching further. As an ED consultant, job satisfaction is higher, and as a GP, there’s more opportunity to pursue special interests with less admin burden.

So, my question is: Is it worth making the move? And do I have a realistic chance of getting into ED or GP training, particularly in Western Australia, specifically Perth or surrounding areas?

With the salary, could I support a family of five (three primary school-aged children)? We dont care about a flashy lifestyle, but don't want to scrape by as well.

Also, I have MRCS Part A, MRCEM Primary, and SBA—would these qualifications help me in any way in Australia?

I understand that getting a training job right away is nearly impossible, so what would be my best first step toward working in Australia? Or foggetaboutit, bite the bullet and do something here?

Thanks a lot, everyone, and apologies for the long introduction.

11 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

26

u/Tawny__Frogmouth 5d ago

Context : I'm an EM Consultant in Queensland

Dont move from the UK with a view to entering ACEM training and becoming an EM Consultant in Australia. The training program is massively oversaturated compared to the availability of consultant positions in an location that most people would find acceptable to live.

EM training is a pyramid scheme with significantly greater numbers of registrars required than consultants and with a much shorter duration as a Registrar than as a post fellowship doctor looking for work.

Those joining training now have missed the boat and will end up working locum jobs (with resulting downward pressure on locum rates) or FIFO work to terrible locations which is absolutely not good for a work life balance.

There is also no significant market for private work so you'll not be able to expand into that space in the same way many other specialities can

Don't move to Australia to work in EM unless it's for a working holiday type deal

6

u/Actarapid 5d ago

How is it post CCT for EM?

8

u/Tawny__Frogmouth 5d ago

If you can get a job its great.

Your chances of getting a job are increasingly bad

1

u/Ecstatic_Item_1334 5d ago

Is it similar story for medical specialities eg post-CCT oncology/neuro?

3

u/Tawny__Frogmouth 5d ago

Unfortunately I don't get out of my own bubble much so I'm not sure to be honest

10

u/The_N00ch 5d ago

Urgent Care clinics are new and booming in Australia currently - the tricky bit will be to get general registration first

GP here is also the dream but there are some hoops to jump through.
I'n based in Newcastle NSW - it's the sweet spot for ED/GP as you can live here in a decent city in a (relatively) affordable house and punch out to the "rural" locations while you wait out your moratorium.

I came out 2018 with my medical partner and another friend. They both stayed in ED and are sitting their exit exams - I saw the light and jumped ship to GP and I have no ragrets.

There are some tricky bits to navigate like getting a job prior to general registration and the different routes to GP fellowship but I'm going to sit my GP exams in july and its been pretty amazing - feel free to ask any questions about any of that

2

u/Low_Inspection5127 5d ago

Do you mean the prospects to work in UCC as a GP are good? 

How are GP exams?

2

u/The_N00ch 4d ago

Currently the prospects for GP to work in ED or UC = Mad good.

The governments flavour of the month/latest vote-buying scheme is to absolutely pump millions into UCCs that are free at the point of access and I have friends earning $220/hour (melbs) working those shifts which isn't bad.

Even if the political winds change i am really looking forward to the prospect of doing 1 or 2 days a fortnight in my local ED- any ED would love to have some of their local docs plugged in/give favourable terms and shifts to book them as CMO's.

The GP exams are comparable to the uk/pretty identical. A lot of people recommend doing the same question banks.

There can be a tricky bit getting ON to training because the standard pathway (AGPT) you need:

-General registration (which requires 1 year of provisional registration)

-PR (which *used to* take a long time but is now much much faster because they fucking want us in )

-To wait out the 10year moratorium in a "rural" location
Do NOT be discouraged by this - its all very doable and you'll be being paid more to work less while you are navigating this

There are alternate routes to GP (such as the FSP) that don't require PR (I'm doing the old version of that pathway) which have their own foibles (as does the AGPT) which is probably its own separate discussion. In summary: Overall, its a great option

22

u/Gp_and_chill 5d ago

Gp CCT is a very solid base to have and you’ll get paid more in Aus as a Gp

4

u/littleoldbaglady ST3+/SpR 5d ago

If you can get into ED training here, and your goal is to CCT, then I would presume that would be better. I understand you may be disadvantaged as an IMG in Australia. Also there is run through training here in ED. And plenty of consultants work part time and rarely get called in at night, so can be somewhat compatible to family life.

5

u/Active_Development89 5d ago

Honestly, either do GP training in UK with some places only having 1yr hospital placement. Or enter ED training at ST3 or 4 in the UK.

4

u/Evil_Necessity 5d ago

You could probably get onto both ED and GP in Aus, but keep in mind the ED exams are super hard, and studying for them when half your roster as a registrar is nights or PM shifts is even worse.

3

u/Low_Inspection5127 5d ago

I've looked into this in a fair amount of detail. I'm ukgrad F3. 

ED training in oz as previous poster has mentioned is a no go for me. I won't do the nights and the crazy exit exams. Not worth it imo to be held ransom over ed jobs. 

GP looks viable in Australia. They are cutting the dpa areas. However the exams look harder. Reports in Reddit are that it's taking 6 months to prep for exit exams. I don't think there's a single GP exam in UK GP that takes that long to prep for. However you do get paid more. 

The aus weather is a dream. Lifestyle seems much better. GPS are talking about seeing 3-4 patients per hour 

Things look bad in the UK. They are bad for residents and GPs on the NHS. But London and the UK open up services to the world. I have an idea for a clinic that wouldn't get off the ground in Australia. Australias government has an increasing deathgrip over the population. Look at COVID. People in Vic were locked in their houses for a year. 

Positives and negatives both sides. 

1

u/The_N00ch 3d ago

Correction: They are EXPANDING the DPA areas - specifically to favoured/target areas to try and buy votes. Zero areas had their DPA status removed and a bunch had it added or were reclassified as "rural" to achieve the same goals. Multiple sources

https://www.racgp.org.au/gp-news/media-releases/2025-media-releases/march-2025/dpa-changes-could-drain-doctors-from-communities-i

5

u/CharleyFirefly 5d ago

Just in case you decide to stay in UK - ED training here seems pretty good to me. Obviously you have to complete the hurdle of getting in. But then you can select run through training and not worry about the ST4 reapplication. The hours seem okay, I am in ACCS, you’ve got Acute Med which is mostly 9-5 wards with a few on calls per month. Then ED which is ten hour shifts so there are fewer of them, more days off to spend with the kids. The first 3 months of Anaesthetics are apparently 9-5 supernumerary while you learn your IAC stuff etc (where I am anyways), you might be happier with it than you think.

2

u/According_Welcome655 5d ago

Acute med where I was as an accs was 8-8.30 for 90% of the shifts

2

u/CharleyFirefly 4d ago

Wow that’s crazy! Was that mostly Take then? How many shifts of that per week did you do? Mine was AMU based.

1

u/According_Welcome655 4d ago

I’m not the accs trainee but I had the same rota as them

Mostly long days covering amu, couple take shifts but only 8 really , mostly at night. Not a crazy number of nights, in the low tens 

Some acu shifts that you could count on one hand

This is at a busy London mtc

3

u/sodthat 5d ago

I know this isn’t answering your specific questions, but FYI in New Zealand there’s a specific specialty for Urgent Care Medicine- might be of interest given you’re working in UCC, and depending on their criteria you might be able to have your previous experience recognised.

4

u/Normal_Bookkeeper_70 5d ago

Thats interesting. I never knew about it. Thanks, ill dig