There
has been a move to nationalisation of the
registration
process in Australia, but as yet there is very
little
research into the impact of this or whether this
will
reduce confusion. A review of pathways to practise
for
the health profession of psychiatry found that
nationalisation
of the registration system makes little
difference
to improving the integration of overseas
trained
health professionals into the national health
system.
The review found key issues were: the examination
process; poor communication between different
agencies;
visa and residency related issues; and medical
board
registration difficulties. It was concluded that
there
is a negative perception among overseas trained
psychiatrists
regarding the existing pathways to registration
as specialist psychiatrists