How to Get a Doctor’s Certificate for Sick Leave in Australia

by Marta Jordan Writer

Life happens. You may wake up one day with a fever and a splitting headache and just the thought of getting up and going to work is enough to make you want to throw up. Oh well, you’ll just take a day off and hope you feel a little better tomorrow. But wait! Your workplace has a policy requiring you to present a doctor certificate even for a single day off. Now you’ll have to get up, get dressed, drive down to your nearest clinic and convince the doctor that you really are sick so you can then send the certificate to your workplace. All of this is time that you could have spent resting in bed!

Or perhaps, in an alternate situation, it’s your child or partner who has woken up with a stomach flu and is unable to keep anything down and you need to stay at home to look after them. Again, you need to drive down to the GP’s clinic to get a carer’s leave certificate in order to access your sick or carer’s leave allowance. This can be a major annoyance, and many people either muster up the strength to make it to their workplace and spend a highly unproductive day there or have to take unpaid time off.

Luckily, with the advent and growth of online healthcare services during the pandemic, this has changed. Now, whenever you need to take some time off work, whether due to your own illness or a loved one’s, you can get a doctor’s certificate for sick leave in a matter of minutes!

How to Get a Doctor’s Certificate for Sick Leave

Many telehealth apps today allow you to get quick access to a doctor and get a medical certificate in as little at 15 minutes. All you need to do is follow a fast, six step process and you’ll have your certificate mailed to you!

Here are the six steps:

- Download the app of the service provider or login or create an account on their website.

- Select the type of certificate you need: medical certificate for sick leave or carer’s leave.

- You will then be asked to fill in a short questionnaire pertaining to your medical history, some basic information about you, including your name, gender, blood group etc and your family medical history. The questionnaire will also ask why you need the certificate, how long you expect to be away from work and when you’re likely to be going back. Having all of this information will help the online doctor accurately assess your request and determine if a medical certificate is appropriate for you.

- Pay a minimal fee for the online doctor consultation.

- Choose a time and date for a quick consultation with an online doctor, who will ask you a few questions to confirm the details you have mentioned in the questionnaire.

- Once the doctor is satisfied with your request, you will be issued your doctor’s certificate for sick leave or carer’s leave.

Although the steps might be different for the app or service provider you choose, on an average, this is likely what you can expect when you try to get a doctor’s certificate online.