In the lead-up to the Tasmanian Rural Health Conference, I had the opportunity to undertake a road trip across northern Tasmania, accompanied by Dr Toby Gardner, Chair of the RACGP Tasmania Faculty Council. Together, we visited key rural general practice and training sites to hear first hand from those delivering and supporting rural healthcare on the ground. 

We first travelled to the Beaconsfield Family Medical Practice, recently recognised as the RACGP Tasmanian General Practice of the Year in 2024. The award is a well-deserved acknowledgement of the practice’s dedication to delivering outstanding care and supporting the next generation of rural GPs. Dr Reddy shows a real commitment to supporting his community through his support of the local hospital facility and expanding his practice to meet the community’s chronic disease needs. 

We then visited the UTAS clinical school in Launceston which has had a recent expansion in medical student places who can spend most of their time training in the local area. With first class training and simulation facilities UTAS continues to deliver students excellent training opportunities outside of major city centers. We then visited Burnie Clinical School, where we met with staff and students deeply engaged in rural medical education. It was encouraging to hear directly from students about their passion for rural practice and the meaningful mentorship they’re receiving. We also visited a nursing home where students are placed for a number of weeks under the supervision of local GPs and where they get excellent exposure and training in aged and end of life care and see the crucial role of rural GPs in the health system.  

These visits provided valuable grassroots insight that fed directly into discussions at the Tasmanian Rural Health Conference in Launceston. The Rural Doctors Association Tasmania conference continues to provide a wonderful conference each year this time filled with multiple streams across different health professions which provided an environment of collegiality and rich discussions on advocacy for rural communities. I definitely recommend adding RDAT conferences to your future travel and conference schedules as they know how to run a great conference and to support each other.  

Soon after representing Rural Faculty at the RACGP Urgent Care Clinic Summit, I also attended the Towards One Healthcare System Summit in Canberra. The summit focused on progressing national reforms toward better integration between primary and tertiary care, with a strong emphasis on patient-centred approaches, data sharing, and sustainable funding models. Sadly rural often remains an afterthought in system reform and design but it was pleasing to see a number of the workshops and talks at this Summit adequately reflect our advocacy for unique solutions for rural and remote communities.   

These experiences – from on-the-ground practice visits to high-level national policy discussions – reaffirm the importance of listening to and evaluating the voices of rural GPs, supervisors, and communities. Our advocacy continues to be grounded in these realities, ensuring rural general practice remains visible, viable, and valued at every level.

A/Prof Michael Clements
Chair, RACGP Rural

Do you know an extraordinary GP, medical student or GP in training going above and beyond? Nominate them for an RACGP Rural Award today! Nominations must close on 30 June so don't miss the chance to submit yours.
 
GPs receive all kinds of acknowledgements from their patients, but it is important to formally celebrate this work and dedication to holistic patient care.
 
The RACGP Rural Awards recognise outstanding achievements and exceptional individuals for their contribution to rural general practice. This year, we’re seeking nominations for the:

• Brian Williams Award
• Rural Registrar of the Year Award
• Rural Generalist of the Year Award
• Medical Student Bursary
• Rural Community Research Project of the Year.

Congratulations to our Rural Generalist New Fellows!

Congratulations to our new Rural Generalist Fellows who completed FRACGP-RG in May 2025.

Finding the right mentor

RACGP Rural’s Doctors for Women in Rural Medicine Committee invites you to join our next online member meet-up with special guest speaker Professor Jenny May, National Rural Health Commissioner. 

We know rural women GPs often work in isolation or with limited peer networks and professional interactions, especially when it comes to navigating leadership roles, advocacy or practice ownership.  

Professor Jenny May will share practical advice on finding the right mentor – from identifying the right person to building a relationship that supports your growth and goals. Hear from Prof May here about why this session is so important. 
 

Introduction to Point-of-care Ultrasound - Townsville

RACGP Rural invites you to attend an Introduction to Point-of-care Ultrasound workshop in Townsville.
 
Date: Saturday 12 July 2025
Time: 8.30am – 4.30pm
Venue: James Cook University Townsville, Bebegu Yumba Campus, 1 James Cook Drive, Douglas 4814
Cost: $995 for RACGP members, $695 for RACGP registrars

About the course:
This full-day workshop will help increase your understanding of the applications of point-of-care ultrasound in the diagnostic process. Experts will guide you through the diverse applications of point-of-care ultrasound in rural primary care. You will be introduced to basic techniques using advanced, high-end mobile ultrasound equipment provided by our sponsor GE HealthCare.
 
The workshop is capped at 30 participants to allow increased hands-on experience. Participants will rotate through six ultrasound skills stations:

• eFast
• deep venous thrombosis
• heart and lung ultrasound
• intravenous line placement and foreign object retrieval
• musculoskeletal soft tissue
• first trimester transabdominal obstetric ultrasound.

This workshop is sponsored by our partner GE HealthCare.

The Rural Procedural Grants Program (RPGP) helps cover the cost of professional development for GPs who provide procedural and/or emergency medicine services in unsupervised settings in rural and remote areas.

Not in the program?
Join the RPGP. It’s a great opportunity to access financial assistance, maintain or update your procedural and or emergency medicine skills so you can continue to provide vital services to your rural or remote community. You may be eligible for up to $32,000 in funding per financial year, depending on the services you are credentialed to provide.

If you have any questions about the RPGP, or your eligibility, we’re here to help. The dedicated RPGP team can support you throughout the application or claims process and assist with any queries. Please visit our website, email the team or give us a call on 1800 636 764 for more information. 

AGPT Rural and Rural Generalist training

Become a remote supervisor in Queensland 

Are you interested in shaping the next generation of rural GPs and rural generalists? 
Do you have a passion for education and training?  
An interest in rural or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health? 
 
We’re building a pool of remote supervisors to support general practice training in rural Queensland communities. A remote supervisor is one who primarily supervises their registrar remotely using phone, video conferencing and email technologies. There is also an expectation for some face-to-face time with the registrar a few times during the training semester. Remote supervisors are matched to training sites that need additional supervision support to continue training registrars. As part of a broader supervisory team, you may work alongside part-time supervisors, other doctors within the clinic, nurses, allied health professionals, practice managers, and other staff. Remote supervisors are paid in line with the remote supervision payments schedule 2 and are reimbursed for travel expenses. Further information is available in the remote supervision guidelines. 

Supervisors residing outside of Queensland but have an interest in supporting Queensland registrars and training practices are encouraged to submit their interest (noting they must be in Australia). If you are interested in supporting remote supervision in other states and territories please contact us at nationalmedicaleducation@racgp.org.au. 

Join us in supporting high-quality training and healthcare where it’s needed most. 
 
Express your interest here.

Apply for the General Practitioner Procedural Training Support Program

The General Practitioner Procedural Training Support Program (GPPTSP) provides $40,000 for eligible GP Fellows to the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) Associate Training Program (Advanced Procedural) or Advanced Rural Skills Training in Anaesthesia.

The GPPTSP aims to improve access to obstetric and anaesthetic services for women living in rural and remote communities by supporting GP Fellows to attain procedural skills in obstetrics or anaesthetics.
 
Eligibility
To be considered, applicants must be working principally in Monash Modified Model classifications MMM 3–7 and have achieved Fellowship of the RACGP and/or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).
 
How to apply
Obstetrics – applications are open until 10 July 2025. Visit the RANZCOG website to apply.

Anaesthetics – visit the ACRRM website for more information and to apply.

Rural Health Connect

Rural Health Connect links clients with psychologists through video or phone consultations with our psychologists covering a wide range of areas. In addition to our core services, we offer a perinatal grief and loss program which connects individuals to a psychologist with special training in perinatal loss and culturally safe delivery. It covers losses from early-stage miscarriage to stillbirth, late-term losses, and neonatal death. The program is fully bulk-billed, with no waiting period, and is supported by the Australian Government. It is designed to be inclusive and accessible, with a strong focus on providing culturally safe engagement for priority populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse families, refugee and migrant communities, and individuals in rural and remote areas.

Please see this flyer for referral information.

Preparing your practice for extreme weather events

General practitioners have an essential role in responding to disasters caused by extreme weather events. Under climate change, bushfires, heatwaves, storms and floods are becoming more frequent and severe, and having greater impacts on general practices and communities. This webinar will highlight the health effects of extreme weather events and equip general practitioners with knowledge of how to implement effective disaster planning. Hear from general practitioners with experience responding to disasters to learn about how you can prepare.  

Learning outcomes 

1. Discuss common weather events driven by climate change impacting general practices and their patients. 

2. Outline effective disaster management strategies to reduce the impacts of extreme weather events 

Register here 

Online Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training (FPS ST)

RACGP Rural’s Online Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training (FPS ST) package provides GPs with essential training to enable them to become a GP provider of Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) and provide cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-derived counselling to patients in their practice.
 
This flexible, fully online and accredited training package uses technology, peer learning groups and locally available resources to provide GPs with access to complete all the requirements of FPS ST, without leaving their home or practice. 
 
On completion GPs can register with Medicare as FPS providers and access FPS related MBS numbers 2721, 2723, 2725 and 2727.
 
The General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) is currently offering GPs a training subsidy that covers part of the cost of completing accredited Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training (FPS ST). The subsidy is limited and subject to availability.
 
Eligible GPs will be reimbursed $600 once they complete the requirements for the Online FPS ST package and register as GP providers of FPS with Medicare Australia. For more information on the FPS training subsidy, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit the GPMHSC website.