Q. What is the Australian General Practice Training Program?
A. The Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program is an Australian government initiative which provides training for doctors to obtain general practice Fellowship and gain specialist registration.
The AGPT Program is three to four years of full-time training offered in urban, regional and rural locations nationally. It comprises hospital training, general practice placements and extended skills training.
Q. Do I REALLY have to do diversity if I am a RACGP registrar? I know of others who say they were exempt.
A. There are no exemptions, however some registrars may meet the criteria for a variation. If you feel you may be in this category you discuss with your RHE as soon as possible. The final decision still sits with the RACGP.
Q. Can my current supervisor see my registrar feedback reports?
A. Yes, they can. It is important that you are honest in your feedback. Making information confidential, means it can’t be actioned. Change cannot occur without issues being addressed.
Q. I don’t find learning plans very useful. I have my own method, does it have to be electronic?
A. MCCC acknowledges that registrars do have their own learning styles. Whilst using the learning plan in SWAN is favoured, as it enables viewing by your supervisor and Training Advisor. Registrars may use different formats as a learning plan, however they must be able to be submitted and stored electronically.
Q. There seems to be so much to learn- where do I start! What should I learn first?
A. This is a great conversation to have with your Supervisor and with your Training Advisor who will be allocated to you at the beginning of GPT/PRRT 1, who will assist you with the development of your plan.
Q. Can I change between the rural and general training pathway during my training?
A. MCCC expects that GP registrars who elect to train on the rural pathway are prepared to be placed and work rurally within MCCC for their entire training time. Transfers from the rural to general GP training pathway are unlikely to be approved.
MCCC has a policy to match all rural pathway registrars to rural practices first as this is a mandatory GP training curriculum requirement. MCCC places general pathway registrars in any remaining rural practices once all rural registrars have been placed. If a registrar is undertaking the ACRRM pathway or enrolled in FARGP and needs to meet a rural requirement, MCCC will make an exception to this process.
Q. How many weeks leave can be considered in an RPL application?
A. Registrars may include up to seven weeks of leave per year pro-rata, which may include any combination of personal leave, sick or carers leave and educational leave. Please refer to RACGP RPL Policy & Guidance Document
For more frequently asked questions about RACGP RPL click here.
Q. I can’t attend one of the workshops, is it okay to just do it next year? Do I have to attend all workshops?
A. Workshops are considered mandatory. If you have a genuine reason for not being able to attend a workshop, this should be discussed with your RHE in advance. How this workshop is to be made up will be decided by the RHE. Should you be sick on the day of a workshop, a sick certificate is required.
Q. How come some registrars get paid differently to me? Can you also include the difference for Aboriginal Health practices and their payments/teaching?
A. Each registrar signs their own contract with a practice. The terms of this contract may vary greatly from yours. On-call, after-hours, hospital rounds etc., can all have a bearing. Some practices don’t include external payments but adjust in their wages instead. You can never compare apples with apples in this space and should not try. Aboriginal Health posts are funded differently and therefore paid differently as well. However all contracts must be compliant with the NTCER (2017-18)
Q. Do I really have to do on call?
A. If On Call is a requirement of your practice, then yes you do. MCCC advocates that on-call is an important part of being a GP. Your on-call roster shouldn’t be more onerus than other GPs in your practice.
Q. I want Friday afternoons off so I can go back to Melbourne but the practice wants me to have Wednesday afternoons off.
A. The practice is your employer and any such arrangements need to be discussed. Ultimately, it is your employers right to ensure the needs of their practice are being met.
Q. I don’t understand how I am being paid – the practice is not paying me properly. For more senior registrars transferring to Fellowship – how do I understand payment according to percentages. How do I make the choice
A. Talk to your local RLO to understand the payment system.
Q. How many annual leave and sick leave am I entitled to?
A. All registrar entitlements are within the national workplace relations system. Registrars are entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave for each year of service with the employer at their base pay rate. The minimum entitlement to paid personal/carer’s leave for a registrar is 10 days per year. Please refer to the National Terms and Conditions for the Employment of Registrars (NTCER) for further information.
Q. I am doing more on call/hospital/nursing home work than others, what I can I do to change this?
A. Speak to your supervisor first. You can also discuss this with your RLO or Training Adviser.
Q. Where and how do I find the available ARST/extended skills post?
A. The MCCC website has a comprehensive list of the ARST & ES posts. It is updated regularly indicating vacancies. Registrars are to apply directly to the posts.
Q. When can I do an ARST/AST or extended skills post?
A. ARST/AST posts are usually undertaking before commencing GP or in the final year of training being FARGP.
ES posts in a hospital environment can be undertaken before commencement of training or after GPT2. ES posts undertaken in a community post should be undertaken after GPT2 is successful. This is so you have GP experience and that it won’t affect your out-of-practice education schedule.
Q. Can I transfer in the MCCC region during my GP training?
A. MCCC GP Training (MCCC) has clear processes and criteria regarding potential transfers and changes to training pathways by GP registrars.
In summary, GP registrars are expected to complete their entire training within the MCCC footprint, with the majority of training completed within one of four designated training regions: Metro West, North East, North West or South West. Although it is possible for GP registrars to move between these four training regions, this movement is subject to availability of a position and is not automatically granted by MCCC.
Q. Can I transfer to another GP training organisation during my training?
A. MCCC will not approve a request from a GP registrar to transfer to another GP Training provider unless there are exceptional and unforeseen circumstances. These circumstances need to be specific, not known prior to taking on a position with MCCC and not due to changed circumstances that are a direct result of a voluntary decision.
There are two main phases in the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) selection process. The first is undertaking the National Assessment which consists of the Candidate Assessment Applied Knowledge Test (CAAKT) and the second is attending an interview at a preferred Regional Training Organisation (RTO).
The RACGP will be in contact with you if you are successfully allocated to interview with one of your preferred RTOs.
The FARGP is a specialist twelve-month program for registrars wishing to specialise in rural general practice. It is recommended that the FARGP is undertaken during general practice training to enable you to get the most out of your experience and fulfil the majority of FARGP requirements before heading into the FRACGP exams. FARGP can also be undertaken post-Fellowship.
As a FRACGP GP, like other fellowed Australian GPs, general practice earnings can be determined based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to hours worked, complexity, Medicare item numbers, number of patient presentations and billing practices.
When working in a general practice setting, fellowed GPs earnings are supported through access to A1 Medicare rebates.
To find out more about what you can expect to earn in different practice settings visit gpra – gp-earnings-calculator to access GPRA’s earnings calculator. The calculator is based on the earnings of a fellowed GP. Importantly, there is no difference in MBS patient rebates based on what general practice fellowship has been obtained.
The Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine (ACRRM) training program has been developed by Australia’s leading rural doctors and academics, meaning you have access to the best training program in rural generalism.
If you become a rural general practitioner, you will have a lot on your plate, from treating a common cold to being the first on the scene for major trauma or emergency.
Download this MCCC Guide for ACRRM registrars to learn more about the key features and opportunities available for registrars who choose this Fellowship pathway in our region.
Fellowship of ACRRM equips you to practise unsupervised anywhere in Australia. This gives you real freedom, independence and scope of practice through your career. This unique integrated training program provides the skills and confidence to practise in a broad range of geographic and clinical settings. ACRRM Fellowship enables you to follow different career pathways, from solo practice in small communities to leadership roles in larger hospitals; from retrieval and expeditionary medicine to Aboriginal health services or urban general practice. Achieving a FACRRM will verify that you are qualified to practise anywhere – independently and safely.
Currently, registrars enrolled in the AGPT can elect to train to either or both the FACRRM and the FRACGPFACRRM training is open to both rural and general pathway registrars providing they train in ACRRM-accredited training posts.
Both these programs are AMC accredited in the discipline of general practice. ACRRM has a unique curriculum and set of assessments which reflect the broader and deeper requirements of the rural and remote context. Registrars must train in posts accredited by ACRRM. The ACRRM program is an integrated program that usually takes four years post-internship. However registrars with experience may apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL).
No, while most registrars will spend a significant amount of training in rural areas, the focus is gaining skills and knowledge required in rural and remote settings. Some of these skills can be developed in urban or rural facilities. However having a good understanding of the context of rural medicine is also essential. Therefore all registrars must spend a minimum of 12 months of training living and practising in a rural or remote setting.
Once you have met the minimum eligibility of 24 months training, or equivalent Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), you can commence assessment. However it is important to note that the standard for all assessments is that of a doctor practising independently and safely at Fellowship level; so it is important to be well prepared. While the order is not specified, it is strongly recommended that StAMPS (assessment) is left until you have had the experience across the broad range of learning experiences including community primary, emergency and hospital care, and rural or remote settings.
The ACRRM website provides sample questions and scenarios, plus recorded virtual classroom sessions; there are also online modules on Rural and Remote Education Online (RRMEO). StAMPS preparation workshops and study groups are offered via live virtual classroom or face to face at least twice a year.
The Core Clinical Training stage of Fellowship training ideally involves completion of terms in general internal medicine, general surgery, paediatrics, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, and anaesthetics over a 12 month period in an ACRRM accredited hospital.
Where completion of these terms is not possible, there are flexible ways to build these skills sets as you progress through training. Provided that you have completed 12 months training you will be able to progress to the next stage of training.
For further information see the Fellowship Training Handbook