So you want to be an Aussie doctor?

Introduction

On a dark, cold December evening, when you've been at work all day and there's no prospect of going home any time soon, and you don't really feel like going outside because it's pouring with rain and you'll have to wait ages for a bus, is it any wonder that the land down under suddenly seems irresistible?

It has certainly proved so to many UK medical graduates. In 2002-03, 476 UK doctors went to work in Australia on a temporary visa, and 251 as occupational trainees, far outnumbering medical migrants from any other country.1 At first glance it's not hard to see why. Australia seems to have struck a good balance between public healthcare funding (via Medicare, Australia's equivalent of the NHS) and private healthcare provision, with the result that many hospitals and surgeries are better equipped and staffed than those run by the NHS. Working conditions, although extremely professional, are generally more relaxed and informal than in the United Kingdom, and there's an extremely good rapport between doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals. And then, of course, there are the additional perks of living in a country with a fantastic climate, amazing diversity of scenery, excellent sporting and leisure provisions, a thriving cosmopolitan culture, and a world-renowned sense of humour and welcoming spirit. There's a reason—or several—why, in Mercer's annual quality of life surveys,2Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth consistently rank in the top 20 cities to live.

So how can you get your hands on a piece of …