MBA expedited specialist pathway and pathway to ANZCA fellowship

The expedited pathway is for SIMGs seeking specialist registration in Australia.

This pathway will be available to specialist qualifications the MBA has assessed as substantially equivalent, or based on similar competencies, to an approved Australian specialist qualification in the specialty. As a result, an Expedited Pathway in anaesthesia will be available to those anaesthesia SIMGs with full specialist qualifications from the United Kingdom and Ireland. 

To be eligible to apply for the specialist registration through the Expedited Specialist Pathway, SIMGs must hold recognised overseas specialist qualifications on the  Expedited Specialist pathway: accepted qualifications list. 

For more detailed information, including the registration and application process, please visit MBA’s website.

Yes, you can still choose to apply for our standard SIMG assessment process pathway rather than the expedited pathway. 

If you meet the criteria in ANZCA’s regulation 23.8 and 23.9, you may be considered as substantially comparable by our assessors. You will not require a structured interview and will be issued with the requirements for completion of your SIMG individual program (usually six months)

You can expect to receive an outcome within one month after a completed application is received. 

Please refer to the MBA’s website for more information. 

While the expedited pathway allows SIMGs from UK and Ireland to bypass the college and be granted specialist registration to work in Australia potentially faster, it does not provide the meaningful and ongoing support and recognition as the college fellowship program uniquely offers. Specialists who do not undertake the Pathway to ANZCA Fellowship may have impacts on supervision and training roles they may wish to undertake. You will also miss out on exclusive member benefits and an Anaesthesia community of practice within Australia. 

The college recommends that potential specialists that meet relevant criteria undertake the Pathway to ANZCA fellowship offered by the college as a comprehensive preparation to working in Australia and community of practice support, plus resulting in a FANZCA designation. If specialists undertake the alternative Expedited Pathway process, the college strongly suggests undertaking the Pathway to ANZCA Fellowship in parallel to gain relevant benefits.

The Pathway to ANZCA Fellowship offers you the opportunity to join the college continuing professional development (CPD) home, access to personalised support, professional network and development opportunities. 

The college has recently developed a video in relation to the benefits of ANZCA fellowship – to view this video please click here. 

Our existing SIMGs have greatly valued the support and information provided as part of the ANZCA fellowship program, to successfully transition to Australia and New Zealand’s health and cultural environment. Some of these testaments are captured here.

For further information on the benefits of ANZCA fellowship, please refer here. 

Those who have been accepted into the Expedited Pathway are eligible to apply to undertake the pathway to ANZCA Fellowship.

Those undertaking the SIMG pathway (through ANZCA) are not required or eligible to undertake the Pathway to ANZCA Fellowship as these components are already included in the assessment process.

The Pathway to ANZCA Fellowship is designed to run in parallel with the expedited pathway to maximise timelines and ensure alignment with MBA expectations for a streamlined ‘expedited’ process. Therefore, requirements are being introduced to gain ANZCA fellowship which include: 

• Undertake six months clinical practice assessment full-time equivalent, AND
• Evidence of completion of an Effective Management of Anaesthetic Crises (EMAC), AND
• Successfully complete the SIMG Performance Assessment (PA) , AND
• Participate in the ANZCA/ FPM Continuing professional development (CPD) program, AND
• Completion of all MBA expedited pathway requirements and satisfactorily completed all requirements specified by the college

Detailed requirements will be published on our website in due course.

Yes, you can. Please submit the transition application to the SIMG team for assessment once you have accepted onto the expedited specialist pathway.

Yes. The Medical Board of Australia releases summary monthly reports of data on Expedited Specialist pathway applications and registrations.  

The college report on Specialist medical colleges specialist pathway can also be found here

Yes, you can. However, we highly recommend that you undertake a pathway to ANZCA fellowship to run in parallel with the expedited specialist pathway to maximise timelines and ensure alignment with MBA expectations for a streamlined ‘expedited’ process.

All application and program fees are non-refundable except annual fees which may be refunded on a pro-rata basis.

If you have paid your performance assessment (PA) fee but the assessment has not yet taken place, please contact the SIMG team for advice.

Please submit the application form for pathway to ANZCA fellowship to [email protected] for assessment.

FAQs for SIMGs are on MBA’s FAQs page. 

MBA expedited SIMG pathway for specialist anaesthetists: Information update - July 2025

MBA expedited SIMG pathway for specialist anaesthetists: Information update - March 2025