“I returned to Melbourne for the SIMG interview in November 2017 and received the result of ‘partially comparable’ which meant I still needed to do 24 months of supervised clinical practice, an effective management of anaesthetic crises (EMAC) course, participate in the continuing professional development (CPD) program, and the SIMG exam.”
“I commenced working at Royal Perth Hospital as a senior registrar from August 2018. While I was happy to be in Australia it was a really hard time as I initially struggled to get used to the Australian system and the new environment and of course, everything was in English. I was exhausted after work every day for the first six months, as I was trying to learn a new system, do my job well and concentrate on everything in another language. The environment at Royal Perth Hospital was great as there were many SIMGs who made me feel very welcome.”
“In June 2019, I started studying for the exam by attending the ANZCA final exam preparation course. This was challenging as I had no idea what to expect or what it involved. The next three years were an incredibly tough road, and my life was only work and study. While COVID was a stressful time, perhaps the reduced freedom and lack of distraction helped my study”.
“During these three years, I completed a range of study courses and additional English support sessions to improve my standard, especially for the viva. Despite all my efforts and support from so many people, I received notification that I needed to attend a re-interview to discuss opportunities and strategies to help prepare me for the next exam sitting. While receiving the letter was initially hard, the advice from the committee was excellent as I felt they understood my situation and their advice was tailored to areas I needed to focus on. This gave me reassurance and motivation to keep going”.
Naoko passed her final exam in May 2022 and says “it has been a very long process of hard work, discipline and setbacks along the way but to receive the words ‘congratulations’ on the email was honestly the best feeling I had experienced in my life”.
“I couldn’t have achieved this successful result without the significant support and help I received from so many. Thanks to my many friends, colleagues, and consultants who kept encouraging me. Several consultants gave up their personal time to help with my study. I felt so much kindness and support through this exam journey.”
“Australia is a wonderful place to work and I commend the openness to accept people from diverse backgrounds. I love working here and I am excited to continue my profession as a consultant and further my learning”.