Victorian General Practitioner – Rural Generalist (GP-RG)

2015 Fact sheet

The Victorian General Practitioner - Rural Generalist (GP-RG) program is an integrated and supported training pathway to a career as a Rural Generalist, a general practitioner (GP) with advanced procedural skills training, who provides procedural services (obstetrics, anaesthetics, surgery, emergency care)[i] at a rural hospital as part of their role as a rural GP.

The GP-RG training pathway spans the five years from internship to postgraduate year (PGY) 5[ii] and on completion, candidates are eligible for a qualification in general practice with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACCRM) and/or the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), as well as an advanced procedural skills qualification recognised by the relevant specialist college/s.

Table 1: The GP-RG pathway

The GP-RG program is administered and co-ordinated across Victoria by six regional / local partnerships, each comprised of:

•  Local health services

•  Regional training providers

•  Rural clinical schools

•  Other relevant training and/or service providers

Applications and selection to a GP-RG pathway

Selection to a GP-RG pathway is managed separately by each GP-RG provider. Applicants from Rural Community Intern Training (RCIT) programs, or who are undertaking other rural/regional internships, will generally be given preference, though lateral entry into the pathway may also be possible. Medical students interested in pursuing a GP-RG pathway are advised to seek an internship in a rural or regional health service, a regional intern program or one of Victoria’s five RCIT programs:

•  East Gippsland Community Based Intern program

•  Echuca Intern Network

•  Grampians Rural Community Intern program

•  Murray to the Mountains

•  South West Community Intern program

Contact

For more information about the GP-RG program in Victoria and how to apply, please contact one of the 6 GP-RG providers listed below:

•  Barwon Health – Dr Rodney Fawcett, Director Medical Education and Training, 03 4215 3239, ,au

•  Beyond Medical Education – Ballarat – Emma Newton, Education and Training Co-ordinator, 03 5441 9300,

•  Beyond Medical Education – Bendigo – Emma Newton, Education and Training Co-ordinator, 03 5441 9300,

•  Bogong Regional Training Network – Jo Hamilton, ARST Co-ordinator, 02 6057 8600,

•  Murray to the Mountains Intern Program – Shane Boyer, Manager, 03 5823 4569,

•  Southern GP Training – Julie Rogalsky, Regional Manager, 03 5132 3100

Or contact Joan O’Neill at the Department of Health and Human Services on 03 9096 7315 or email

Please note that the GP-RG program is currently under review and this may result in changes to the program from 2016.

[i] Training may include other disciplines such as paediatrics and mental health, if identified as a workforce requirement by the GP-RG provider

[ii] The GP-RG pathway may take between 5 and 6 years to obtain fellowship, based on individual training components and ACCRM or RACGP requirements