Preparing for GP training

Tips on preparing for GP training

• Speak with GPs and GP trainees – hear about their experiences
• Everyone will have a different story about their pathway to becoming a GP and what their daily practice is like – GP life is full of variety
• Go on GP placements – as well as university mandated GP terms there are opportunities for medical students for further experience such as the John Flynn Placement Program
• Research the GP training programs  -the Australian General Practice Training program is the largest and most popular program – see our how to apply page
• Understand how MCCC education works – and the practices where you could train
• Choose your intern and resident rotations with general practice in mind – emergency, medical and general surgery rotations are mandatory intern rotations which are an ideal base to build your experience
  • If possible, a paediatric rotation is very useful as well as mental health and O&G, as they form a large part of a GP’s workload
• Consider areas that may interest you – extended skills or advanced skills placements
• Consider extra qualifications – DipObs, Certificate in Emergency Medicine or the Sydney Child Health Program
• Keep the end of rotation feedback forms from each rotation – these are important for evaluating your hospital experience to see if you are ready to go into practice
  • See more about the hospital experience assessment (HEA)
• Have referees – speak with your hospital supervisors about being a referee for your AGPT application
• There are no pre-requisite courses required before applying to GP training – other than your medical degree
• Your previous experience and training may give you an advantage – see more about recognition of prior learning (RPL)

Interview tips for GP trainees 

In order to secure the placement you want for your training, you’ll need to do some preparation for the interviews at each clinic. Each clinic will approach the interview slightly differently, but here are some tips that will help you stand out from the pack:

• Polish your CV and cover letter – make sure it’s obvious what skills you will bring to the clinic. Think about things (eg specialist rotations) that will make you stand out
• Research the clinic – find out about supervisor’s interests and extra services the clinic offers- the practice profiles and showcases on the MCCC website are a good start
• Familiarise yourself with the NTCER – this will tell you if the clinic is offering something above the expected minimum
• Speak to the GP trainees who are working at the clinics you’re interested in – they will be able to give great insights into the life of a registrar at the practice
• Be professional – it probably goes without saying, but these are professional interviews so it’s important to do all the regular things like dress accordingly and be on time. Even if the interview is held online due to COVID restrictions, such as on Zoom this is still important
• Have questions ready to ask the interviewer to show you are interested – things like patient load, expectations and pay conditions are important to discuss in the interview
• Prepare answers for the common questions – ie “Why do you want to work here?” and “What skills do you bring to the practice?”
• Structure your answers to keep them concise – one common method is the STAR interview response: Situation, Task, Action, Result for behavioural type questions.