Medical Clearance Certificate: Fit to resume an activity
A medical clearance certificate confirms you're fit to resume an activity after surgery or serious illness, or to start certain work, such as aged care. An AHPRA-registered GP assesses your recovery by phone, with video if needed, before confirming clearance if it's clinically appropriate.
- Real-time phone or video consultation
- Covers post-surgery, post-illness and sports clearance
- Tailored to the specific activity you're being cleared for
- Accepted across work, sport and screening contexts
- Same-day issuance if approved
- One-off payment
- Full refund if declined
- Same-day delivery if approved
Getting Back to What You Do
In OMC Health's fitness for work certificate pathway, a medical clearance request is assessed against a specific need. This is the activity, placement, role or organisation asking for clearance.
Medical clearance may be requested before returning to sport, attending a placement, resuming a particular activity or meeting an organisation's health requirements. The requesting body sets the standard, so its form or checklist matters.
This page explains what a GP can assess through telehealth and when an examination or test is needed instead. It also covers what an issued clearance can say and which screening processes sit outside a medical certificate.
Key Facts
Clearance is specific
The GP needs to know exactly which activity, placement or duties are being assessed.
Recovery timing
Current capacity is assessed individually rather than against one fixed recovery timeline.
Possible outcome
Clearance may be supported, supported with conditions or require further assessment.
Consult mode
The consultation is conducted in real time by phone or video. If the requesting organisation needs a physical examination or test that cannot be completed remotely, the GP should not issue a clearance from telehealth alone.
What Is a Medical Clearance Certificate?
A medical clearance certificate records the GP's view on whether you can resume or take part in a specific activity, placement or role. It also notes any clinically supported limits.
It is not a general statement that the person is healthy for every activity. The scope should match what the requesting organisation has actually asked the practitioner to assess.
OMC Health consultations are conducted by AHPRA-registered GPs. Practitioner registration can be checked through the AHPRA public register.
Post-Surgery or Post-Illness Clearance
Recovery timelines vary according to the illness or procedure, current symptoms, complications, treatment and the activity the person wants to resume.
Recent surgery, significant injury or complex recovery may require treating-specialist information, examination or other findings before the GP can support clearance.
See how the consultation and certificate process worksHow to Get Started
We operate as a platform that connects you with trusted Australian medical practices in three simple steps:
Book Your Certificate
Select the Fitness for Work certificate on the OMC Health booking page and tell us a bit about your situation.
Consult with an AHPRA-Registered GP
We connect you with an available AHPRA-registered GP from one of our partner practices for a real-time phone or video consultation.
Receive Your Certificate If Approved
If the GP determines it's clinically appropriate, your certificate is digitally issued and emailed the same day.
Ready to get started?
Book a real-time consultation with an AHPRA-registered GP. From $12.99.
When Medical Clearance Needs More Than Telehealth
The consultation is conducted in real time by phone or video. The requesting organisation may need a physical examination or a test that can't be done remotely. In that case, the GP should not issue a blanket clearance from telehealth alone.
Examples can include hands-on musculoskeletal examination, measured strength or functional-capacity testing, vision or hearing testing, spirometry, cardiovascular measurements, laboratory testing or other organisation-specific assessments. The medical certificate for knee injury and medical certificate for shoulder pain pages explain when an in-person exam comes first.
The Medical Board of Australia's Good medical practice code requires appropriate clinical assessment and professional judgement. Where the information necessary for the decision cannot be obtained remotely, an in-person or other appropriate assessment is needed.
Before booking
Upload the requesting organisation's form or checklist so the GP can see exactly what needs to be assessed.
Can be reviewed remotely
Relevant history, current symptoms, available records and the stated requirements of the activity or placement.
May require another service
Physical examination, measurements, formal testing, investigations or specialist assessment that cannot be completed through telehealth.
What the GP Assesses
The GP reviews the reason clearance is requested, current symptoms and functional capacity, relevant medical history, available records and the requirements supplied by the organisation.
The assessment is therefore tied to the actual activity being cleared rather than relying on a broad statement that the person has recovered.
Possible Clearance Outcomes
The GP may support full participation, note temporary conditions or limits, or recommend a review. They may also decline to provide clearance until more assessment or information is available.
The requesting organisation then applies its own requirements to the medical information provided.
What the Certificate Says and What It Does Not Replace
Where clearance is clinically supported, the document should identify the activity or role assessed, the assessment date and any relevant restrictions, conditions or review requirements.
It should not be treated as a substitute for a separate screening, licensing, occupational testing or organisation-specific approval process.
Activity or role assessed
The document should make clear what the GP has actually considered for clearance.
Capacity outcome
The GP may record full clearance, stated limitations or a requirement for further assessment.
Relevant dates
The assessment date and any clinically supported period or review date should be clear where applicable.
Practitioner details
The issued document identifies the GP and issuing practice so its authenticity can be checked.
NDIS Worker Screening is separate
NDIS Worker Screening is a formal screening process administered through the relevant worker-screening system. An OMC medical-clearance certificate does not replace an NDIS Worker Screening Check.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission explains that state and territory worker-screening units assess applicants and record whether a worker is cleared or excluded.
Clearance is different from sick leave evidence
A medical clearance decision looks forward at whether a specified activity can be resumed. Sick leave evidence addresses whether illness or injury affected capacity for work during a particular absence.
For workplace absence evidence requirements, see the Fair Work Ombudsman's notice and medical certificate guidance.
Simple, transparent pricing
- Reviewed by AHPRA registered GP
- Delivered on the same day if approved
- Secure and confidential
- Full refund if GP declines
- No hidden fees
Bring the Requesting Organisation's Clearance Checklist
"Medical clearance" only has meaning in relation to the activity or organisation asking for it. Before booking, obtain the employer, sports body, training provider or other organisation's form or written requirements.
The GP can review the health history, current condition, available records and the activity being cleared. Some organisations need an examination or test that can't be done remotely. In that case, the GP should not issue a blanket clearance based only on a phone or video consultation.
For occupational requests, Safe Work Australia notes that businesses remain responsible for managing workplace health and safety risks. A GP clearance contributes clinical information but does not replace the organisation's own risk-management obligations. See Safe Work Australia.
Start With the Organisation's Checklist
University placements, training programs, volunteer organisations and other bodies may have their own form, immunisation requirements or evidence checklist. Upload it before the consultation so the GP can identify what can and cannot be completed remotely.
Match Clearance to the Activity
The GP needs to know what activity you are returning to, its physical demands and the relevant injury or illness. They also need to know if the sports body or facility requires an examination, test or specific form.
Workplace Clearance May Have a Separate Pathway
Your request may relate to starting a new role, returning after an absence or meeting an employer's medical standard. If so, use the pathway that matches that need rather than a general clearance request.
Related clearance pathways
Certificate Verification
Once an OMC Health certificate is issued, its authenticity can be checked through OMC Health's verification service.
Frequently asked questions
View all FAQsThis depends heavily on the specific procedure, so the GP assesses your individual recovery rather than applying a fixed timeframe. Some procedures allow clearance within weeks; others need months of recovery first.
Yes, in most cases. Clearance following a concussion generally involves a more cautious, staged approach given the specific risks of returning to contact activity too soon.
They're closely related, but medical clearance covers more ground, including sport and general activity as well as work. A return to work certificate focuses on your capacity for your job duties.
Yes. If you haven't fully recovered, the GP can issue a certificate for partial clearance or with specific conditions. They can also advise when a follow-up review is appropriate.
No. A medical certificate usually records that you were unfit for work or study for a period. A medical clearance certificate confirms you're fit to resume a specific activity, such as work or sport, if the GP finds it clinically appropriate.
A medical clearance certificate confirms you're fit to resume an activity after surgery or serious illness, or to start certain work, such as aged care. An AHPRA-registered GP assesses your recovery by phone, with video if needed, before confirming clearance, if clinically appropriate.