The Australian Medical Council sets standards for elements of the prevocational phase of the medical education continuum, including intern training accreditation and programs that assess certain cohorts of international medical graduates.

The Prevocational Standards Accreditation Committee oversees the AMC’s work in this area.

Intern training accreditation authorities and the national framework for medical internship

The AMC develops national guidance and standards on internship on behalf of the Medical Board of Australia. It has developed standards and procedures for accreditation and monitoring of the eight state based intern training accreditation authorities.

For further information, please click here.

Pre-employment Structured Clinical Interviews (PESCI)

The Pre-employment Structured Clinical Interview (PESCI) is an objective assessment of the clinical experience, knowledge, skills and attributes of an international medical graduate to determine whether they are suitable to practise in a specific position for which they are seeking registration. The Medical Board of Australia decides whether or not a PESCI is required, based on the nature of the position and the level of risk inherent in it. A PESCI is position specific and is not transferable from one position to another.

The PESCI is conducted by a provider that has been accredited by the AMC.

The AMC criteria for accreditation detail what providers must demonstrate to be granted and maintain AMC accreditation to conduct PESCIs. They address the context (governance, expertise and capacity) of the PESCI provider, independence in decision making, interview processes and content, and reporting on interview outcomes.  The accreditation criteria, and process, the responsibilities of the various organisations contributing to PESCI standards, and how the AMC monitors accredited providers are described in the Pre-employment Structured Clinical Interview (PESCI) Guidelines and Criteria for AMC Accreditation of PESCI Providers available here.

The AMC accredits and monitors PESCI providers on behalf of the Medical Board of Australia. The Medical Board of Australia has developed a standard PESCI report format for PESCI providers to complete. When deciding whether or not to grant medical registration to the applicant in that position, the Board considers the completed PESCI report together with other sources of information. Information about the Board’s requirements for PESCI is available here.

In May 2018, minor changes to the PESCI Guidelines and Criteria were approved.  These changes reflect decisions by the Medical Board to no longer require PESCI for hospital-based positions.

Download the Pre-employment Structured Clinical Interview (PESCI) Guidelines and Criteria for AMC Accreditation of PESCI Providers (PDF 713KB) here.

Download the 2021/22 financial year data for accredited Pre-employment Structured Clinical Interview (PESCI) providers here.

Workplace Based Assessment (WBA) programs

The workplace based assessment (WBA) pathway it is an alternative to the AMC clinical exam component of the assessment pathway for international medical graduates. A WBA program is a structured program (minimum six months) of on the job assessment. It tests if the candidate has an adequate and appropriate set of clinical skills and the professional qualities to practice safely within the Australian healthcare environment and cultural setting.

The AMC accredits providers to conduct workplace based assessment programs against accreditation standards.

The standards cover: the context (governance, expertise and resources) of the WBA program provider, independence in decision making, selection of candidates for the WBA program; assessment methods, plans blueprints and standards; reporting and recoding assessment results; selection and training of assessors, review and evaluation

The accreditation standards and process, the responsibilities of the various organisations contributing to standards of WBA, and how the AMC monitors accredited providers are described in the Accreditation of Workplace Based Assessment Providers: Standards and Procedures.

Ongoing accreditation of WBA providers is subject to them continuing to demonstrate via annual progress reports to the AMC that they meet the accreditation standards.

In 2016 the AMC completed a review of the workplace based assessment accreditation guidelines and procedures and approved revised standards for implementation from 1 July 2016. The AMC made minor changes to the procedures in early 2018 to reflect AMC Constitution changes.

Download the Australian Medical Council Accreditation of Workplace Based Assessment Providers: Standards and Procedures (PDF 2MB) here.

Download WBA Standards Table (PDF 215KB) here.

 
For enquiries regarding prevocational standards accreditation, please use the Contact Form.