FAQs for Registrars
What are the conditions under which I am paid?
SEM (Single Employer Model) Registrars are choosing to be paid under the Salaried Medical Practitioners Agreement (SMPA). This is the same industrial agreement that doctors in the hospital are employed under. The below FAQs answer common questions about SEM, however, the SMPA remains the definitive document.
I hear the SMPA is changing, how does that affect me?
Yes, the AMA and RDAT through TSMOPS have negotiated a new SMPA with the of Department of Health. This has been agreed and is going through the Tasmanian Industrial Commission processes. When formally accepted, the new base pay will be back paid to the 1st of July 2023.
What are full time hours and leave entitlements?
Full-time employment for Registrars (MP5-13) is 40 hours per week or 80-hours per fortnight. Your contract will be provided to you in the hours you are contracted to work, not 1.0 FTE definitions. Annual/Sick/PD leave will be pro-rata, however, full-time allowances are 5 weeks annual, 4 weeks sick, and 2 weeks PD leave (per year, for 1.0FTE). Your available leave balances can be found by logging in to the Employee Self Service (ESS).
Is there a lump sum bonus payment?
Prior to 30 June 2023 there was an interim lump sum payment for JMOs signing contracts. This is now included as part of the base salary increase in the new SMPA so will not be paid in addition.
Can I enter the SEM at anytime?
Currently lateral entry is permitted; this is subject to change and may not be a future feature of the program as it becomes established.
How is on call paid?
If you have a regular on call commitment, then the on-call roster will determine the on-call allowance as per clause 38, SMPA. Where on call is variable, it will be additional 'as worked, as per timesheets'. For example, the on-call roster was prepared for 4 weeks, and the Registrar is on call for 1 of the 4 weeks (or 7 out of 28 days) that is a 1:4 on-call roster and therefore the Registrar is paid a 10% On-call Allowance (10% of fulltime base rate, regardless of contracted hours).
Can I work shifts to maintain additional skills?
There are two options for maintaining additional skills while working in the community:
- One option is to work parttime in your area of additional skill and parttime in community general practice and this can be incorporated into a Single Employer Model Contract, for example, 60 hours of community general practice and 20 hours of emergency medicine.
- A second option is to work in community general practice and undertake casual shifts in your additional skill.
Please note you cannot be provided a contract that is more than 1 full time equivalent or 80 rostered hours per fortnight. For people seeking to undertake casual shifts to maintain additional skills on top of full-time general practice, the additional hours worked would be recorded on your timesheet and paid as overtime. Monitoring of these hours would be required to ensure safe work hours and sufficient rest periods are maintained.
How are call backs paid?
A call back is an unplanned event and paid as the following:
- An employee who is called back to duty outside if rostered hours of work will be paid a minimum payment of 3 hours at double-time.
- A call back that extends longer than the 3-hour minimum will be paid at double-time and calculated on hours worked to the nearest half hour.
- If further call backs occur within the 3-hour period, no additional payment will be made until the previous minimum payment expires and then payment will be made at the call back rate for each hour worked.
- The duration of call back will include actual travel time to and from the hospital to a maximum of 15 minutes each way.
How are additional shifts paid?
If you are a part-time Registrar and work an additional shift, then this is simply paid as an additional shift, including any appropriate plenty rates if applicable.
If you are a full-time Registrar and work an additional planned shift, this will be treated as excess time and paid as such. Excess time is calculated per each pay period. All work performed in addition to Ordinary (full-time) hours will be paid as penalties, please refer below.
If you work an extra shift or are called back and this did not allow a sufficient break between shifts, then whilst you are not required at work, you will still be paid for the rostered shift. If you could not be released from the shift or part of the shift, then penalties (as below) are applied.
Penalties are as follows:
- 125% (time and one quarter) for the first 4 hours per fortnight, unless the excess hours are worked on a Saturday or Sunday, in which case the loading will be paid at 150% (time and a half).
- 200% (double time) beyond 4 hours.
- 250% (double time and a half) for time worked on a Holiday(s) with Pay.
Will I need to complete a timesheet for each practise/hospital I work in?
If your hours are regular each fortnight across all workplaces and do not change, this can be set up as auto-pay, so you will not be required to complete timesheets, unless in exceptional circumstances such as working casual shifts.
If your hours are not regular, a timesheet will need to be completed unless otherwise advised; the timesheet will need to clearly identify which setting you are working in, at that time, if you work across more than one setting, for example, community general practice, District Hospital inpatient, and emergency medicine.
What will I be classified as?
This will depend on your previous experience:
- An Accredited Registrar is classified as a Medical Practitioner Level 5-9
- First year Registrars will be MP Level 5
- Fifth year Registrars will be MP Level 9
The current award only allows progression to MP Level 10-11 on successful completion of all fellowship exams and within one year of obtaining a specialist fellowship.
An existing MP5 will remain an MP5, an existing MP7 will remain an MP7 etc and will increment to the next level on the completion of 12 months at the current level.
If you are coming from interstate, your classification will depend on how many years you have worked as a Registrar and appointed to the appropriate level.
Can I move to another Practice?
The SEM Pilot is statewide, so moving to another Practice would be possible. The Practice would need to be listed on the current 19(2) direction. In the 2023 training year, Tasmania has up to eighty available 19(2) exemptions from the start of the 2024 training year.
Please note, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations that have their own 19(2) directions and exemptions do not need to be listed on the SEM 19(2) direction separately. Doctors participating in SEM can also be employed under the SEM pilot at these Practices if they agree to participate.
Can I leave the SEM?
Yes, participation in the SEM is optional and you can leave at any time (on agreement with your Practice if part way through a rotation), once you leave, you will not be eligible to re-entre the SEM at any time.
Which College do I need to be a member of to participate in SEM?
All doctors on an accredited training program with an endpoint of one of the following will be considered to participate in the SEM pilot:
- Fellowship of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM)
- Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP)
- FRACGP- Rural Generalist (FRACGP-RG)
Please note, doctors will also need to meet other eligibility criteria to participate in SEM, these include:
- Being placed in an approved accredited GP training Practice.
- Being placed in a THS facility OR a private Practice in Tasmania with a current appropriate 19(2) direction; this can be a Practice listed on the SEM 19(2) direction or under the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation 19(2) direction.
Can I take LWOP for an extended period from the THS?
The program will consider periods of LWOP to allow you to further your training where it cannot be undertaken in Tasmania (or the public system) or if exposure to another worksite is beneficial for career development.
Enabling LWOP or secondment for a fixed-term employee ensures accrued benefits are retained, which is also an incentive to return to the role.
You could access up to 12 months of LWOP to do Private GP work as this is considered development; an example where this may be relevant includes a scenario where LWOP could also be utilised if you are on the SEM and have a GP Practice lined up to complete your placement, but the Practice is not listed on the 19(2) exemption, this would allow the Registrar to retain leave entitlements and return as a THS employee when the Practice list is updated.
The THS would not support LWOP for a holiday, the employee would need to access accrued leave for this purpose.
If LWOP was needed for health reasons, then this would be treated as Sick Leave Without Pay, once accrued sick leave was exhausted.
Will I need to purchase my own indemnity insurance?
Registrars participating in SEM pilot will be entitled to apply for indemnity and legal assistance in accordance with Employment Direction 16; for further information please refer to the Employment Direction 16. It is highly recommended you also have personal medical indemnity whilst working in private Practice.
I am currently working with an interstate public service, will my leave entitlements transfer?
Long Service Leave can be transferred, as long as the length of time between public service employment is less than 3 months. All other leave entitlements will not transfer.
How do I apply for leave?
Wherever possible the SEM pilot aims to place operational decisions with the Practice and Registrar in their work setting, you will be required to provide evidence of your Practices' approval of any leave requests and upload this onto the ESS system as per the usual THS employee leave processes. As long as there is adequate leave accrued, the leave request will then be approved by the delegated THS staff member in your region and ensure the correct information is received by payroll.
Can my relocation costs be paid for?
Relocation allowances for interstate or intrastate Registrars may be considered, you would need to meet eligibility and require approval from relevant delegates.
Will I receive a percentage of my billings?
No, your billings will be split between the THS and your Practice, with each party receiving 50%. If you choose to be a participant of the SEM, you will receive a salary and other entitlements such as annual and sick leave; the 50% of your billings that will be paid to the THS will be used towards your salary. We expect that the THS will run at a loss throughout the pilot, as it is being run to see if it is a sustainable model to be used in the future, to ensure rural GP’s have the same access to salaries as their hospital-based peers.
How will my billings and participating in SEM affect my tax?
We currently believe that your billings on the SEM should not affect your tax, however, as this is a pilot, we cannot guarantee this and would highly recommend discussing further with your own tax accountant and/or financial advisor. We will be asking your Practice to share your billing details at least every 3 months, which is usually a common practise regardless, to assist Registrars with their billings.
Can I still Salary Package while employed under SEM?
Yes, you can access salary packaging as you are still a THS employee.
Can I sign a length of training contract?
Length of training contracts are currently not a feature of the pilot. 6-12-month contracts will be offered with the option to renew at the commencement. We will notify employees if length of training contracts become available.