Key points
- Recency of practice is a registration standard: you must maintain an adequate connection with your profession in the scope you intend to work.
- The Medical Board’s FAQ provides concrete minimums (e.g., FTE-hour thresholds) — and ‘one day a month’ typically won’t cut it.
- IMG supervision is not optional: if you have limited or provisional registration, supervision remains a requirement for the duration of that registration category.
If you want to remove uncertainty from your Australia plan, understand these two concepts early:
1) **Recency of practice** — whether you have sufficient recent clinical practice to be safe/competent in the scope you intend.
2) **Supervision** — the oversight and reporting structure attached to limited/provisional registration categories.
They control timelines because they can trigger additional conditions, reporting, or re-entry plans if you don’t meet the standard cleanly.
Recency: what ‘minimum’ looks like in practice
The Medical Board’s FAQ gives concrete minimums in FTE hours (and provides examples of what does/doesn’t meet the standard). If your practice pattern is low intensity (sporadic locums, intermittent sessions), you can fall below minimums without realising it.
Action: calculate your hours against the published minimums and keep a simple log you can evidence if queried.
How to de-risk recency while you transition countries
1
Before you resign from your current role, model your expected clinical hours for the next 12 months (including travel/admin gaps).
2
If you’ll have a gap: build a mitigation plan (e.g., supervised practice plan, structured CPD, documented clinical exposure) aligned to the standard.
3
Keep evidence tidy: employment letters, rosters, session logs, appraisal letters, and any structured training attendance.
4
If asked for a re-entry plan: provide a coherent staged plan (supervision level, clinical scope, educational supports, timelines).
Supervision: assume you will need a real supervisor, not a name on a form
Supervision is a functional relationship: orientation, oversight, and periodic reporting. The practical failure mode is a supervisor who is willing in principle but too busy to complete reports on time.
Before you start:
- Confirm who supervises you day-to-day.
- Confirm how reports will be completed and by whom.
- Confirm what happens if your supervisor leaves/rotates.
Official references
AHPRA — Recency of practice (registration standard overview)
Medical Board of Australia — FAQ: Recency of practice (includes concrete minimums/examples)
Medical Board of Australia — Supervised practice guidelines (IMGs)
Medical Board of Australia — Supervision (IMGs must be supervised on limited/provisional registration)
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Australia · Registration · Article 7 of 15