Welcome to our first newsletter of 2024. This is an exciting time for new medical students and GPs in training as they prepare for the next part of their journey.
I’m really looking forward to my second year as GPRA’s President, continuing to represent you – our members – and providing unwavering support to all junior doctors, regardless of their chosen GP learning pathway.
I’m delighted to start off the year with some good news. You may recall GPRA has been advocating diligently for the reinstatement of the Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH) as a resource, an issue that GP registrars nationwide have flagged as crucial. I’m pleased to confirm that as of Monday 15 January, the AMH is once again accessible to RACGP AGPT registrars.
In 2024, my focus remains on advocating vigorously for your interests and the welfare of all GPs in training. This includes enhancing our relationships with stakeholders at various levels and reinforcing GPRA’s position as the peak organisation for future GPs.
Remember, GPRA is your advocate, irrespective of your chosen pathway. Our mission is to amplify your voice, ensuring that your training needs are met at the training, practice, policy, and government levels.
Our key priorities for 2024 include:
- advocating for fair and equitable employment conditions for GPs in training, which is critical if we are to continue attracting good doctors to the GP specialty. This will include base rate parity and access to portability of leave
- collaborating with the Colleges to enhance the registrar training and education experience, streamlining processes where necessary
- seeking reforms for the International Medical Graduate training pathway
- promoting general practice as the preferred specialty for hospital-based trainees.
Kicking off the year with a bang, we will be placing a budget submission in front of the Health Minister next week with a new proposal to support GP trainees to receive the same employment conditions as their non-GP specialty counterparts. As part of this submission, I have been meeting with numerous politicians and policy makers – both State and Federal – to tell them about our ideas and concepts. Stay tuned for more on this, as we continue to advocate fiercely on your behalf to make the GP specialty even more attractive to future doctors.
There are many positives about general practice, and I thoroughly commend it to junior doctors. In my opinion, it is the best specialty there is. I am a GP myself and I am passionate about GP training. So many of us have been or are going through the same experience as you, and you are certainly not alone in your training experience.
If you have any questions about your training pathway or if you are looking for advice about your employment agreement, please contact us at enquiries@gpra.org.au. Our experienced advisors will assist you.
I am looking forward to continuing to work with you and our other members to secure a healthier future for general practice.
I wish you all the best for a busy, rewarding, and challenging year ahead.
