How to Start as a Locum Doctor: Step-by-Step Guide

Starting your locum journey requires some planning and preparation. Here’s your essential checklist:

[ ] Update Your CV:

[ ] Obtain References

[ ] Medical Indemnity Insurance

[ ] Prepare all the Paperwork

[ ] Obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN)

[ ] Provider Number

1. Update Your CV:

• Ensure that your CV is up to date and reflects your most recent work experience, plus any clinical skills. As a helpful hint, keep it concise and limit it to a single A4 page. Numerous studies show that this is the most beneficial way to structure your CV. Include rotations completed, relevant qualifications, publications, and any specialised skills you possess (eg ultrasound cannulation). A well-crafted CV will make a strong impression and increase your chances of securing the most desired locum positions.

2. Obtain References:

• Most hospitals/organisations will want 2 clinical referees who have actively worked with you within the last 12 months. These referees typically need to be consultants or, at the very least, senior registrars. Ask these doctors if they would be willing to serve as a reference, and ensure they have a favorable impression of you. Get an email and phone number from each. Your references will be the most important component when it comes to securing work, so choose them wisely. Their job position or title is only marginally important; what matters is what they say. It is better to have a young consultant say excellent things about you than the head of a unit who only sort-of knows you. 99% of the time, it is admin staff who choose to on-board you. They do not know (or care) about the level of seniority of some consultants, they only see what is written about you.

3. Medical Indemnity Insurance:

• Generally, working in the Public Hospital system provides indemnity coverage for malpractice. Locum work requires you to have your own comprehensive medical indemnity insurance. Many regular providers offer this type of insurance at a reasonable cost, depending on your seniority and specialty. For a locum HMO, this should be no more than $200/year. Note that ordinary Public Hospital insurance covers you in all states in Australia except Tasmania. If you plan to work in Tasmania, please inform your insurer to ensure you have the appropriate coverage.

4. Prepare all the Paperwork:

• This is the most time-consuming and horrible part of locum work. Every hospital has specific paperwork that needs to be completed and sent to them once a job has been secured.

These are the general documents that you should have scanned to your laptop or phone, ready to use whenever needed:

1. Certified copies of your passport, driver's licence, and visa (if applicable)
2. Certified copies of your primary medical degree and other relevant qualifications (e.g. specialist degree)
3. Copy of your medical indemnity insurance certificate
4. Copy of your current AHPRA registration, with any restrictions highlighted
5. Evidence of vaccinations, including HIV, Hep B&C, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella, dTpa, TB screening, COVID vaccination and flu vaccination
6. National (or international) police check issued within the last two years. You can easily get one done online, I personally used Fit2Work.
7. Working with Children Check (required for each state you plan to work in)
8. Permission to have secondary employment, if applicable (a letter from your full-time hospital granting you permission to work as a locum at other hospitals)

All of your above documents will need to be certified. To ensure that your documents follow AHPRA's certification requirements properly, use the link below; otherwise, they will be rejected:

https://www.ahpra.gov.au/registration/registration-process/certifying-documents.aspx

In essence, to meet the certification requirements, your documents must:

• Be signed by an Authorised Officer (doctor, pharmacist, lawyer, chiropractor, midwife, there is a whole list of Authorised Officers - just Google them)
• For any documents with more than one page, they must be initialled on every page. Plus, all pages have to be numbered (i.e. page 2 of 5)
• Be annotated on the first page with this statement verbatim

“I certify that this is a true copy of the original and the photograph is a true likeness of the person presenting the document as sighted by me.”

• Underneath the aforementioned statement, the Authorised Officer must also include their name, date, contact information, and occupation/profession. This includes any occupation/profession numbers if relevant, for example, a provider number if a fellow doctor is doing yours. Also, if applicable, there must be a stamp or seal of the Authorised Officer.

5. Obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN):

• Different hospitals have different payment processes. Some hospitals add locums to their PAYG (Pay-As-You-Go) Payroll system, and others pay locums as independent contractors. To receive your remittance, you will need to set up your own ABN. This is surprisingly easy and free to set up. Go to the ABN registration website:
• https://www.abr.gov.au/business-super-funds-charities/applying-abn
• This step may appear intimidating, but follow the prompts and it will guide you through the process. I promise it’s not too scary!
• I have a more thorough walkthrough of getting an ABN (here)

6. Provider Number:

• Across Australia, a doctor’s prescriber number remains the same no matter where they work. However, an individual provider number is required at every hospital or organisation where work is done. Previously, provider numbers were granted by snail mail and took a tedious 8-12 weeks to arrive. Now, a newly developed online health portal allows for instant provider numbers to be provided. To access this portal, you first need to make an online account at PRODA. Link below:

https://proda.humanservices.gov.au/prodalogin/pages/public/login.jsf?TAM_OP=login&ERROR_CODE=0x00000000&URL=%2Fpia%2Fpages%2Fprivate%2FmyIdentity%2FmyServices.jsf&OLDSESSION=

Follow these steps:

1. Create an account
2. Use 3 identity documents to verify your identity
   
   • Sidenote, if you are from NZ you can select “foreign visa” as one of your “category 1” identity documents, and just plug in your NZ passport number
3. Once verified, link “Health Professional Online Service” (HPOS) to your PRODA account
4. Once in HPOS, add your current provider number or your AHPRA number to register
5. For each new locum job you accept, apply for a new provider number using the hospital’s address

• This is only possible for doctors from Australian medical schools or Australian permanent residents. If you are not one of these, you will need to fill in this form and manually email it to AHPRA.

Application for Medicare Provider Number.pdf

After completing the above steps, you are officially ready to start locum work!

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