AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS

So….. When you decide General Practice Training is for you, what is the next step?

The earliest time you can apply for General Practice training is in your intern year. Applicants range from interns to people with many years of prior medical experience and can be Australian graduates or graduates from overseas who are eligible to apply.

A medical student who is thinking of joining the General Practice training program in their intern year may want to consider working in a hospital which offers more general than subspecialty terms. Your hospital terms are invaluable opportunities to learn how the hospital system works and how to recognise and manage acutely unwell people.

General medical, general surgical and emergency terms will give you exposure to a much wider range of common acute conditions and emergencies than for example Cardiothoracic surgery as your only surgical term (where you are lucky to get into the theatres at all) and Immunology as your only medical term (great experience but may not help you with other sorts of conditions). Terms such as General Psychiatry, Dermatology, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Geriatrics are also really useful. If you are planning to do a few more RMO years then there is no disadvantage in doing subspecialty terms as long as you make sure you get a wide range of exposure to all of the specialties. Please note that a Paediatric term is mandatory in general practice training.

General Practice Training is delivered via a regionally based model, with one of 21 Regional Training Providers (RTPs) or the Remote Vocational Training Scheme responsible for your training. Therefore one of your most important considerations is which region/s you would like to train in. The RTPs are contracted by GPET to deliver training but are independent entities. This means that they all deliver the same components of training, but may do this in a slightly different way and offer GP Registrars slightly different opportunities.

Finding out about what the different regions can offer you will help you to make the best choice. Ways you can do this include:

Contacting GPET:
Visit the Australian General Practice Training website on www. agpt.com.au. There are step-by-step eligibility guides for entry into the program and for the general and rural pathways and also the 2007 Guide for Applicants (look in the Applicants section). You can register your interest and receive updates from GPET prior to selection opening. Selection commences in June each year (3 June in 2006) and closes around one month later.

Join GPRA: www.gpra.org.au, telephone 1300 131 198 or email enquiries@gpra.org.au.
Membership is free! GPRA has a guide specifically for hospital doctors considering General Practice training, written by Registrars actually in the program. Copies of the GPRA Prevocational Guide will be distributed to all hospital administrations. If you are unable to find a copy please contact us on our GPRA enquiries email: enquiries@gpra.com.au. GPRA also offer a mentor program: we can put you in touch with a GP Registrar in your region of choice.

Contact or visit the Regional Training Providers directly.
See the RTP contact list later in this guide. Differences between regions may include, but are not limited to: geographical size, numbers of urban, outer metro, rural and remote training practices available, types of special skills terms, advanced rural training opportunities, special interest terms, overseas exchange programs, likelihood of relocation during training, types of educational programs, social support and incentives available

The Requirements:
To enrol in the Australian General Practice Training program you must have Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency, medical qualifications and medical registration.

Doctors who are International Medical Graduates (including from New Zealand) may be subject to the 10 Year Moratorium. Please refer to the article on the 10 Year Moratorium in this guide for further details. Doctors who are affected by the 10 Year Moratorium can only apply for the Rural Pathway. All other eligible doctors may apply for the General or Rural pathways.

The Pathways
Australian General Practice Training is divided into two pathways, Rural and General. The pathways are based on the RRMA (Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Area) classification system.

This system is based on 1991 Census data and divides areas into RRMA 1-7:
RRMA 1 Capital cities/ large metropolitan areas
RRMA 2 Other metropolitan with population >100 000
RRMA 3 Large Rural centres (population 25 000 to 99 999)
RRMA 4 Small Rural centres (population 10 000 to 24 999)
RRMA 5 Other Rural areas (population <10 000)
RRMA 6 Remote centre (urban centre population >5000)
RRMA 7 Other remote centre (population <5000)

The RRMA system is currently subject to a review by the Commonwealth Government, which may result in some major changes to training in the future. General Pathway Registrars may train in RRMA areas 1-7. They are not eligible for the financial incentives available to Rural pathway Registrars and must undertake a minimum of six months in a
rural area and a minimum of six months in an outer metropolitan area of need. A financial incentive is currently available for the outer metropolitan placement. Exemptions from six months rural training are difficult to obtain.

Rural Pathway Registrars undertake the majority of training in rural and remote locations (a minimum of 18 months). Training must occur in RRMA 4-7 areas. Generous financial incentives are available (up to $60 000 over your training time).

How do I apply for the Australian General Practice Training Program?

Applicants must:

• Complete and submit an application form at www.agpt.com.au (including certified copies of the required supporting documentation and three passport size photos) by the due date.
  
• Nominate the training pathway
  
• Nominate two Regional Training Providers (RTPs) with whom you would be willing to train.

The current selection process

• Applicants are ranked on the basis of three structured referee reports.
• Your ranking band determines which applicants are granted an interview with the RTP.
• Once all applications are received, GPET sends each eligible applicant a preference and training distribution matrix listing: the number of places available per RTP, the number of first and second preferences per RTP and your individual ranking band. Applicants then have the opportunity to revise their preference if their ranking band makes it unlikely they will be granted interviews with their initial preferences.
• The number of interviews granted in each RTP totals 110% of their available training places (unless there were fewer applicants than places).
• If there are unfilled places after this process there will be another round of applications later in the year (recently there have been 3-4 Rounds per year).
• Interviews are held by the Regional Training Providers.
• Successful applicants then commence the following year!

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