ALMS Sessional Placements

ALMS Sessional Placements operates as a locum placement agency providing locum opportunities in metropolitan and rural Practice across Australia.

We are committed to satisfying the particular requirements of both, Practice and Practitioner to ensure optimal working conditions.

Local Practices and practitioners are provided with a personal understanding of their particular needs and the flexibility to manage their rosters to suit.

Suitably qualified overseas medical practitioners are provided with a unique opportunity to experience the Australian medical system while enjoying the many rewards of Australian life.

Applicants are requested to provide a detailed Curriculum Vitae and list preferences for location, remuneration and position. ALMS in liaison with local clients present applicants with suitable job opportunities as they come to hand.

Practices are requested to provide a detailed job description including remuneration and any special requirements of the position. ALMS will contact the practice to discuss suitable candidates for the position.

When all parties are satisfied with the particulars of a placement, assistance is given where necessary in the processing of provider numbers, Australian Medical Board Registration, Immigration sponsorship formalities and any other special considerations.

If you are a Practice and would like to register a position please click here for Job Placement Form.

If you are a medical practitioner and would like ALMS Sessional Placements to locate suitable work for you, click here for Locum Application.

On 18 November 2003, the Australian Government announced its Enhanced Medicare Package which included a range of measures designed to address Australia's short and longer term medical workforce needs. The aim of the recruitment initiative was to significantly increase the number of appropriately qualified overseas trained doctors providing medical services in Australia. Although the program is no longer operational it provided ALMS with invaluable experience in the placement of overseas doctors.

The package included a number of initiatives that aimed to increase opportunities for appropriately qualified overseas trained doctors to enter the Australian medical workforce, with opportunities for doctors to stay longer or obtain permanent residency through changes to immigration arrangements.

On 19 December 2003, the maximum visa validity period for temporary resident doctors (visa class 422) was extended from 2 to 4 years. From April 2004, medical practitioners were also included on the Skilled Occupations List that is used for the General Skilled Migration Program.

The Australian Locum Medical Service was awarded tenders to assist in filling eligible vacancies in districts of workforce shortage across Australia. A district of workforce shortage is a geographic area in which the general population need for health services is not fully met. This is generally in rural areas, although there are some metropolitan exceptions.

It was our role amongst other things to assist overseas trained doctors with locating suitable positions, arranging immigration, medical registration, specialist recognition where appropriate, and assisting with relocation arrangements. Overseas trained doctors were not  charged a recruitment fee by ALMS.

It is also our role to assist employers with filling  vacancies across Australia with overseas trained doctors.

In order to meet Immigration and Medical Board registration requirements for overseas trained doctors it is generally required that a job vacancy also be located in an "Area of need". This is a State/Territory determination that is required in most instances to enable Immigration Sponsorship and Visas for overseas doctors.

Broadly speaking it refers to whether sufficient attempts to recruit local candidates to a position and sufficient labour market testing has been completed, to justify overseas doctors being granted limited registration to work in these areas.