Want to live and work in Australia? You can use your OET results for visas and registration, and it can even help improve your work opportunities.
Learn more about Australia's history, its healthcare system and how to register and work in Australia in our handy guide below.
The beginning of OET
The focus of this guide is Australia. Not many people know, but it is the birthplace of OET.
It also surprises many candidates to know that the test has been around since the 1980s. At this time, a lot of overseas healthcare professionals were arriving to work in Australia. It led to the need for an English test which would test English in a healthcare setting and to the creation of OET. Since the 1980s, a lot of research, discussion and testing has been carried out on the test format. The result is that the test remains one that can be trusted by healthcare employers and healthcare professionals.
The Australian healthcare system
Australia is a very large country and responsibility for healthcare comes from different levels of government:
- Federal (country-wide)
- State and territory
- Local
At a federal level, the government promotes good health and funds research into healthcare issues. State and territory governments supply and manage hospitals, maternal and child health and dental health. Local government level is responsible for sanitation and hygiene, food safety and water quality monitoring
A universal healthcare system
Healthcare in Australia is universal to all who are eligible for it (visa-dependent) through a publicly funded scheme called Medicare. Medicare subsidises payments charged for seeing a doctor and a high proportion of prescription medicines. It also funds public hospital services to provide them free of charge.
Tax largely covers the funding of Medicare with individuals who are financially able to encouraged to purchase private health insurance. This ensures that those who most need it have access to the treatment they need for free. Private health insurance can cover hospital charges, allied health services (such as physiotherapy and podiatry) and some aids (such as glasses).
Access to the healthcare system
Patients generally first present to the healthcare system through a GP of their choice. Some patients will also access public hospitals through emergency departments where they may present themselves, via an ambulance or from referral from their doctor. Patients arrange and pay for visits to allied health professionals (dentists, physiotherapists, chiropractors etc.) themselves or as part of their private health insurance.
Registering to work as a healthcare professional
To register to work as a healthcare practitioner in Australia, you need to apply for registration with the relevant national board. This registration is handled by AHPRA [Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency]. It will require you to supply proof of your relevant healthcare qualifications and that you have the necessary English language skills. Many healthcare professionals applying for registration with AHPRA will use OET test results to show they have met the English requirements.
OET strongly encourages individuals wishing to register with AHPRA to contact them directly to check the requirements for their individual profession and situation.
If you are interested in finding out more about the registration requirements in other countries which accept OET, check out who recognises OET.
Sources:
http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/internet/otd/publishing.nsf/Content/australiasHealthSystem
http://www.heti.nsw.gov.au/international-medical-graduate/australian-healthcare-system/