Area of Need

The Area of Need (AoN) assessment pathways aim to fill shortages of emergency medicine specialists in Australia, primarily in rural areas.
Short-Term Training

As part of the process of obtaining medical registration from the Medical Board of Australia for employment in a Short-Term Training (STT) position in an Australian emergency department, it requires the assessment of your international qualifications and experience and the suitability of the position by the College.

Specialist Assessment

Specialist Assessment is the assessment of your international emergency medicine specialist qualifications, training, and experience, as comparable to a newly elected Fellow of ACEM (FACEM).

Pathway selection

The flowchart below provides a guide:

SIMG Pathway Fees

Read more about the SIMG Pathway Fees on our fees page.

Positions/Pathways relevant to Australia only

Area of Need position assessment is the assessment of your international emergency medicine specialist qualifications and experience, as comparable to a FACEM, to work as an emergency medicine specialist in a designated Area of Need position (typically in a rural or regional location).

Concurrent assessment - If you apply for an Area of Need position, you may apply for Specialist Assessment concurrently.

Short-Term Training position assessment is the assessment of your qualifications and experience for short-term employment in an emergency department training position. Applicants must have completed specialist training or be in the final two years of their international specialist training.


Specialists who trained in countries other than Australia and Aotearoa​ New Zealand are referred to as Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) and International Medical Graduates (non-specialists) are referred to as IMGs.

  • SIMG application statistics and Emergency Medicine Specialist demographics in Australia and New Zealand

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