Can I work in Australia as a veterinarian?

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Veterinary degree recognition series – part 1: Can I work in Australia as a veterinarian?

A frequent question here at Veterinarycareers.com.au is “Am I eligible for that job that you posted?”

Notably we are posting jobs from all over the world so if you are Australian and graduated from an Aussie vet school then let’s say its ok to apply for jobs in Oz – likewise we treat our Kiwi colleagues in New Zealand as another State and give them equal access to our job roles (I will have to check that stands in Government roles – but I know some awesome Kiwis who have helped protect our shores in Government roles – so I think it is a safe bet)

… so lets not teach people how to suck eggs or avoid the hard questions anymore. It’s obviously a large topic when you look at the possible combinations of location and degree, and throw in Visa eligibility over the top of that. I suggest we travel together via an investigative journey and see if we can make sense of where the opportunities lie and how to successfully navigate the challenges with the particular veterinary degree that you have gained.

Part 1: Working in Australia – What Qualifications are currently recognized?

To work in Australia as a veterinarian you must be registered to do so.

STEP 1: Who makes the decision on recognizing my degree?

In Australia the body who makes decisions on who is eligible for veterinary registration is the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council Inc.

STEP 2: Who registers veterinary surgeons in Australia?

Each State and Territory in Australia then has a Veterinary Surgeons Board (VSB) that a veterinarian needs to be registered with to practice (and this includes a lot of public practice roles like Government). There is a good list of the VSB Contacts on the Queensland Government Website – although some details (e.g ACT VSB) may need updating.

STEP 3: How do I become a registered veterinarian in Australia?

To be eligible to apply for registration as a veterinary surgeon in Australia and New Zealand for registration you must either:

  1. have obtained your primary veterinary qualifications in Australia or NZ
  2. be eligible to apply for registration without further examination, or
  3. if you are an overseas trained veterinarian and meet your degree meets certain criteria and then you successfully complete the National Veterinary Examination (NVE) you can become eligible to be registered.

Who can be registered to work in Australia without further examination?

The list of who can apply without further examination (AVBC Website ) includes when your primary qualification was obtained via:

  1. an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited veterinary school AND you have passed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination

OR

2. a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) accredited veterinary school in United Kingdom and South Africa; or

3. you have been registered with the RCVS by passing the RCVS examination

4. you have successfully completed the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) examinations (in USA or Canada)

The Full list of University degree courses this currently includes is available here: FULL LIST

Obviously this will only be part of your move to Australia – you also need to meet the requirements of a work visa and be eligible for entry via the skilled migration list or be otherwise eligible to live and work in Australia (there is more on this below).

What is the National Veterinary Examination?

The National Veterinary Examination (NVE) has been developed to assist veterinarians who qualified overseas to obtain registration in Australia, thus enabling them to practise their profession. Procedures have been established by which eligible overseas trained veterinarians may prove their competence to practise in Australia. To do this you must:

  • Have done veterinary training at a recognised University
  • Be eligible for registration in the country where you trained
  • If your first language is not English, you must pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to a given level (detailed on AVBC Website).

The NVE process is a little daunting but I know quite a few people who have successfully done this and who are now Aussie vets! The details of who is eligible for this process are on the ABVC NVE website page.

There are two parts to the NVE a preliminary exam and a final exam.

 1. The preliminary exam is offered twice a year and at various places around the world. It is a test where there are three parts each with 100 multiple choice questions. You have to take the test within the time that your English proficiency test is valid (usually 2 years). Some VSB’s will let you apply for a limited registration to practice after completing this preliminary exam.

2. The final exam is held over a 4-5 day period and held at an Australian Veterinary School. The format of the exam can be found [HERE – as of 9 July 2016]. This test must be attempted and passed within about 2 years after the first test.

Successful completion of the NVE will enable the AVBC to provide a skill assessment for the purpose of migration for the nominated profession of veterinary science. This opens the possibility for the skilled migration system (below).

Australian Work Visa’s and the Skilled Migration List

Obviously of course you must also hold a visa to work in Australia, further information about working visa’s can be found on The Department of Immigrations website  and it will also be worth looking up the Skilled Migration List process.

Getting a VISA and being eligible to register as a vet in Australia means you can start to apply for veterinary jobs in Australia. You will need to compete the registration process before you start practice.

The skilled migration list, as I understand, is for where Australia needs assistance to fill skilled roles. In Australia that veterinarians are on this list is currently controversial within the profession as there is a belief that we have too many graduates. But in reality many employers are finding it hard to fill vet roles. So particularly if you are keen to move to the Australian countryside – this might be the best route of entry for you and your family. I recommend getting advice form a company that specialises in arranging skilled migration visa’s to help you navigate the process.

Having a profession on the Skilled Migration List means that employers in Australia can nominate to employ you – and this job is pre-arranged before you arrive. I am not sure if this is permanent emigration or temporary and if and how it includes your family and partner – I will look into it a bit further and report back.

The AVBC website has a good overview of the ‘skilled migration’ process – but there could be other ways to be eligible for a work visa – so please keep this in mind while you are researching for visa or emigration requirements.

Thanks for reading – watch this space for part II – and I am open to suggestions on which part of the puzzle to bite off next!

Cheers

Dr M