General Practice Registrars Australia Ltd. (GPRA) is the peak national representative body for GP Registrars. Since the inception of general practice vocational training in 1974, GP Registrar representation has played an integral role in maintaining educational relevance and standards. GPRA provides essential feedback on Registrar issues to relevant stakeholders and represents the future of General Practice.

GP Registrars (GPRs) are the future of General Practice. They are graduated doctors who are training in the specialty of General Practice with the length of the training being a minimum of three years.

GPRA will promote general practice as the medical specialty of choice and improve the health care of all Australians through excellence in Education and Training.

GPRA will set the benchmark for excellence for the future of General Practice in Australia by fostering the highest standards of professional competence, academia, research and ethical practice.

• GPRA History and Corporate Profile
• How Does GPRA Work
• GPRA Board
• GPRA Management

The GPRA began as part of the RACGP Training Program in the early 1970s and was known as the National Training Association (NTA). ‘Registrar’ replaced the term ‘trainee’ in the 1990s and thus the National Registrars Association (NRA) was born. This was again changed in 2000 to the General Practice Registrars Association when the organisation was independently funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. In 2004, GPRA became incorporated as a public company limited by guarantee and is called General Practice Registrars Australia Ltd. GPRA is a not - for - profit organisation and has been recently listed as a ‘Health Charity’ which positions it as the only charitable organisation dedicated to supporting General Practice Registrars.

The Objectives
The main objectives of GPRA are:

• To recognise and support the needs of General Practice Registrars in Australia
• To strive for the unification of the profession of general practice, with the goal of ensuring a strong future for general practice
• To strive for excellence in general practice education and training, thereby ensuring improved health care outcomes for the Australian community.
• To be involved in the GP training program environment at all levels.
• To promote the profession of General Practice in Australia

GPRA is an organisation run for Registrars by Registrars which provides quality representation on educational and policy issues to the federal government, GPET, RTPs, and GP stakeholder organisations (e.g. Divisions of General Practice, AMA, RACGP, RDAA and ACRRM). GPRA produces a number of educational and professional resources for GP registrars, including a series of publications, several events and regular newsletters to optimise Registrars’ training experience. GPRA also performs the function of the industrial body for GP Registrars and negotiates the ‘National Minimum Terms & Conditions for Basic and Advanced GP Terms’ with the National GP Supervisors Association (NGPSA) which govern the minimum conditions of employment for Registrars.

>>BACK TO TOP

When the training program was transferred to a regionalised training model in 2000, regional training providers (RTPs) were established to deliver the training. Each RTP employs one or more Registrar Liaison Officers (RLO) who provide support to Registrars and facilitate Registrar input into the program. The RLOs from each RTP and registrar representatives on other national organisations such as RACGP, GPET, ACRRM and the AMA constitute the GPRA Advisory Council.

The GPRA Advisory Council meets face-to-face two to three times a year and communicates daily via an email list-server, thus forming an Australia wide network from which to source solutions to local and national training issues. This continuous evaluation and feedback greatly enhances the quality of GP training, and RLOs in each region are given a unique opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of GP education and training.

GPRA has an eight member Board and a Management unit that continually strive to provide enhanced support and services to GPRA members. The GPRA Board Directors are elected from GPRA’s membership at each Annual General Meeting in August. . The GPRA Board Directors are elected from GPRA’s membership at each Annual General Meeting in August. The Board relies on the GPRA Advisory Council to inform GPRA policy, positions and representation to stakeholders. The GPRA provides an excellent training ground for general practice registrars in committee work, representation and leadership.

>>BACK TO TOP

Dr Rachael Sutherland (Chair) MBBS (Hons) DRANZCOG, is currently undertaking her subsequent term in Ballarat. She became the Victoria Felix Registrar Liason Officer at the beginning of 2005. This introduction to the GPRA experience, which she greatly valued personally, and in the interest of registrars and General Practice education generally, led her to subsequently join the Board. She enjoys a broad range of clinical practice, with a particular view to health promotion in the future. Feel free to contact Rachael on chair@gpra.com.au

Dr Stuart Anderson (Vice Chair) is an advanced academic registrar in Bairnsdale, Victoria, where he works clinically in private practice, as a VMO and in the Aboriginal Medical Service and academically with the Monash University East Gippsland Regional Clinical School. He has been the getGP RLO since 2004. He has worked at Box Hill, Bairnsdale and Launceston as an RMO before moving to the Gippsland Riviera in 2004. Stuart has special interests in aboriginal health, adolescent health, minor procedures and education. Outside of medicine, Stuart is a keen motorcyclist and drummer, although he doesn’t look intimidating enough for either of those roles. Stuart can be contacted at stuartanderson@bigpond.com

Dr Naomi Harris is an advanced term GP Registrar in Timboon, Victoria. Naomi graduated from Monash University in 2003 where her passion for rural health was ignited. After graduating, she subsequently entered rural pathway training in 2004 then did hospital posts for a year. Naomi had always lived in rural Victoria up until going to university. She became an Advisory Council member in 2006 after her appointment to the National Rural Faculty and was appointed to the GPRA board in June 2006. She is heavily into music and plays the saxophone in the local concert band and loves good jazz music and wine. Naomi also enjoys watching live sport especially a good game of footy! Naomi can be contacted at nhar34@hotmail.com

Dr Anna Colwell graduated from the University of Tasmania and then moved to Canberra for her JMO years. She is currently completing an Academic post at the Australian National University and a Subsequent term in Woden. She has been the RLO for the ACT/SENSW region of CoastCityCountry Training since 2005. Her medical interests include nutrition, mums and babies and education. Outside of medicine she is interested in cooking, reading, travel, people and (out of necessity) working on the garden. She can be contacted on mnacolwell@aapt.net.au

Dr Lachlan Fieldhouse graduated from Newcastle medical school in 2004 and has been an Intern and RMO at Orange base hospital since 2005. Lachlan started GP training on the rural pathway in 2006 and became the RLO for GP Logic that year. Prior to becoming a doctor he got married, had two sons, and worked part-time as a personal carer to people with spinal injuries and as an assistant nurse in aged care. He has been involved in JMO advocacy through the NSW IMET JMO forum and with NSW IMET hospital standards and accreditation survey teams. He hopes to complete rural GP fellowship and encourage others to do so. His interests outside of his amazing family and electronic music composition include mental health, addiction medicine, anesthetics, pediatrics, education and indigenous health promotion. Lachlan hopes to go wherever he is needed. In 2007 this will likely be Canberra.Feel free to contact Lachlan at lachlan_f@hotmail.com

>>BACK TO TOP

Amit Vohra
Managing Director 
md@gpra.com.au

GBQ, MBA (Dist.) has recently completed his Masters in Business Administration (with distinction) from Curtin University.  He holds exceptional experience in Client, Employee and Resource Management.  With a penchant for soft systems methodologies and action research in a business environment, he takes keen interest in Business Entrepreneurship in the Non-Profit Sector. He has obtained his Shipmasters Certification from the Nautical College Australia.  With an extensive 8-year background in Merchant Navy, he has travelled over 20 countries and worked with diverse nationalities. He is also Treasurer on the Executive Board of the Curtin Alumni and has been offered a position in the Doctoral Program at Curtin University.  Amit is newly married and likes to spend his time outdoors, with a special affinity for water sports, hiking and biking.  Feel free to contact him via email at md@gpra.com.au

Eleanor Jackson
Member Services Marketing Manager
Eleanor.jackson@gpra.com.au

Kate Marie
Business Development Manager
Kate.marie@gpra.com.au

Laureen Kambalametore
Operations Manager
Laureen.k@gpra.com.au

>>BACK TO TOP