General Practice

If you would like explore general practice further, find out what life is like as a GP and the benefits of working in this specialty, go to http://www.gpaustralia.org.au/and meet some real-life GPs at http://www.gpaustralia.org.au/content/meet-real-life-gps

Advantages of Starting a Career at TPCH

• Paediatric Emergency Medicine rotations
• Broad general medicine and surgery rotations

Overview of AGPT Program

The AGPT program is an Australian government funded initiative to provide training to doctors (registrars) pursuing the specialty of General Practice. Successful completion of the program leads to either (or both) of two endpoints:

1. a fellowship from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM)
2. a fellowship from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP)

The Department of Health contracts with nine regional training organisations (RTOs), across 11 training regions, throughout Australia to deliver the program in urban, regional and rural areas. These areas are categorised into two pathways – General pathway and Rural Pathway based on the modified Monash Model (MMM 1 – 7).

There are two RTOs in Queensland:

General Practice Training Queensland (South East QLD)

Generalist Medical Training (North West QLD)

Registrars on the Rural Pathway must undertake all general practice placements in rural/remote MMM 2-7 locations.  Many overseas trained doctors and international graduates will be subject to the 10 year moratorium and will only be eligible to undertake the AGPT program on the Rural Pathway.

Registrars on the General Pathway can undertake their general practice placements in any MMM 1-7 location. A rural term is not compulsory for the General Pathway, however, Registrars on the General Pathway will have a ‘training obligation’ which can be met by completing 12 months’ general practice work in a combination of locations such as outer metropolitan, rural, non-capital city MMM 1 locations and Aboriginal Medical Services.

Duration of training is dependent on a registrar’s choice of college vocational program (FRACGP, FARGP, FACRRM) and prior experience, not their choice of Training Pathway.

GP Registrars with an interest in rural medicine, may choose to pursue both FACRRM and FRACGP (with or without FARGP) concurrently.

Achieving either FACRRM or FRACGP will enable Registrars to gain specialist (general practitioner) registration and once they have completed training, may work anywhere in Australia.  Overseas trained doctors or international medical graduates, who are subject to the 10-year moratorium will however continue to have restrictions on the locations where they can work, after they have attained Fellowship, until their 10 year moratorium has expired.

Doctors applying to the AGPT in their Intern Year (PGY1), if accepted into the program, must complete their Junior House Officer [JHO] year (or PGY2) at a hospital which will be the first year on the AGPT program. These doctors would then normally commence their General Practice placements in their second year of the AGPT program.

Doctors who apply to the AGPT in PGY2 or later, may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning [RPL] for the required hospital training time. Both Colleges (ACRRM and RACGP) have different guidelines and policies for RPL and prospective applicants should be familiar with these policies which can be found on the college websites.

Generally speaking, the required hospital rotations need to be completed before Registrars can begin their GP term placements.

For all junior doctors, it is worth considering remaining in hospital training for an extra year, as a Senior House Officer [SHO] to gain more experience at a higher level of responsibility and to have a greater chance of completing all required hospital rotations and gaining Recognition of Prior Learning.

Further details on the training program can be found in the AGPT handbook.

Entry requirements for Training Program

• General Registration OR will have General Registration by the start of GP training
• Can apply on Provisional Registration [ie Intern year or PGY1]
• Australian/New Zealand Citizenship or Permanent Residency (by the closing date of applications)
• International medical graduates can apply on a 457 visa but will need to apply for a letter of support from their preferred  RTO and would be subject to the 10-year moratorium
• Overseas trained doctors will need general registration and permanent residency at the time of application and would be subject to the 10-year moratorium

For details on eligibility, refer to the AGPT eligibility guide.

Application & Selection Process

Stage 1: Online Application and eligibility check.

At this stage, applicants fill out online applications on their preferred college websites (or apply to both colleges) and nominate their preferred fellowships, training pathways (Rural Pathway or General Pathway) and up to four training regions. A list of the regional training organisations (RTOs) that deliver the AGPT program in these training regions can be found on the AGPT website. They will also nominate two referees in the online application. It is important to note that ACRRM only has Rural Pathway places available while RACGP has Rural and General Pathway places available.

Applicants found to be eligible would proceed to the next stage in the selection process and pay selection process fees ($725 for RACGP and $700 for ACRRM) by the due dates.

Typical Dates*

Pre-requisite Training

The colleges require candidates to complete certain hospitals rotations and achieve relevant experience in preparation for GP training. These include mandatory rotations, paediatric experience and other rotations suitable to general practice.

Mandatory rotations required for both colleges (minimum of 10-12 week rotations):

• General Medicine
• General Surgery
• Emergency
• Paediatrics

The paediatric requirement can be met in a number of ways set out by the colleges – through a ward rotation or a combination of emergency department rotation, post graduate diploma in child health and community posts. For further details on ways to complete the paediatric requirement, refer to the GPTQ website.

Additional hospital rotations required for RACGP:

• 3 other hospital rotations of choice, in disciplines which are deemed relevant to general practice.

Additional hospital rotations required for ACRRM:

• Anaesthetics
• O&G.

Further details on these requirements along with a list of recommended rotations/ ways to fulfil these requirements can be found on the GPTQ website.

Applicants may also be able to shorten the length of their training time by applying to their college for recognition of prior learning.

Tips

• GPTQ hosts information sessions each March to guide potential applicants about the choices they must make as part of their general practice training applications.
• Applicants should familiarise themselves with the Assessment Criteria which will be made available in the Colleges’ Guides prior to applications.
• There are no recommended study courses or study guides to prepare for the college selection process.  Applicants can prepare by recalling good examples of patients and situations that illustrate an ability to deal with difficult situations. Applicants are encouraged to think about a variety of experiences that demonstrate their abilities and / or commitment to rural practice (for ACRRM or RACGP rural pathway).
• IMPORTANT:  Always liaise with your Training Organisation to ensure you will meet the Paediatric requirements at your hospital

Useful Resources

• AGPT Eligibility Guide
• ACRRM selection information
• RACGP Selection information
• Ten things you should know if you’re applying for GP Training