Your first FSP Training Site newsletter.

FSP Training Site Newsletter

Welcome to the first Fellowship Support Program (FSP) newsletter where we aim to provide you with key information, advice, news, and updates for all things Training Sites.

In this issue

Expectations of Training Sites
In-practice teaching
Supporting your registrar
Support for practices
Supervisor remuneration
Things to note – upcoming opportunities and updates
Resources

Expectations of Training Sites

As a practice manager, you’re a valuable support for your registrar and supervisor, helping to ensure that training goes smoothly. You’ll often be the first person the registrar will contact for assistance with a range of queries.

You also have an important role in providing feedback. You’ll receive feedback about the registrar from their patients and other practice staff and practitioners. This feedback is valuable in helping the registrar develop their skills, but it does need to be given sensitively. At the beginning of the training term, discuss the process for two-way feedback with the registrar and their supervisor. You can also assist with aligning expectations from both the employment and training perspectives.

You'll also help with:

orientation
explaining practice processes
sharing local knowledge
sharing your particular expert knowledge (e.g. immunisation schedules)
managing registrar hours and rostering to prevent fatigue.

Clinical supervision plan

As a requirement of accreditation, training sites must ensure that each registrar has a clinical supervision plan. The supervisor works with the broader supervisory team to develop a plan that details the roles and responsibilities of the team, documents how the registrar can access clinical supervision, and indicates who will provide onsite support when the registrar's supervisor isn't available.

The clinical supervision plan should consider:

supervision outside usual business hours
supervision during home visits
supervision whilst the registrar is working as a visiting medical officer (VMO) or on-call at a hospital as part of the practice roster
supervisor leave (planned or unplanned)
the registrar's competence and level of training.

In-practice teaching

Teaching time requirements

Teaching time by supervisors includes both formal and informal teaching activities, and the amount of time required depends on the registrar’s stage of training:

Year 1 (GPT1 and 2) – minimum 1 hour per fortnight of scheduled and uninterrupted time.
Year 2 (GPT3 and 4) – minimum 1 hour per month of scheduled and uninterrupted time.

Some scheduled teaching sessions should be one-on-one that address the registrar's individual learning needs. For example, observation of consultations, review of medical records, feedback, assessment, and critical incident review.

Practice managers have the important task of ensuring time is set aside for teaching. Teaching sessions should ideally be scheduled in the first hour of a consulting session or before consulting starts in the morning. Scheduling teaching sessions at lunchtime or at the end of the day should be avoided as these times are prone to interruptions or participants running late.

How each training site coordinates the provision of teaching will reflect the number and type of learners and educators at the site. A teaching plan includes:

a calendar of scheduled teaching activities
required assessment activities
activities planned to address an identified learning need
records of completed teaching activities.

Practices, especially those with multiple registrars and/or supervisors, may find it useful to keep a calendar or chart to display activities each week. This will also act as a prompt to plan at least a week ahead. Required assessment activities can be scheduled well ahead of time.

Supporting your registrar

Supporting your registrar's wellbeing

It's important for the practice team to take an interest in and monitor the wellbeing of their registrar. The transition to general practice can be stressful and for many it is the first time they've had significant responsibility for patient care.

Prevent burnout by encouraging your registrar to maintain healthy work-life balance and habits.
Encourage an open line of communication between practice managers, supervisors, and registrars to ensure registrars are receiving the support they need.

Contact the RACGP FSP team if you have concerns about the wellbeing of your registrar. For helpful information and a list of resources for registrars, refer to the Registrar safety and support section in the FSP Registrar Handbook.

Support for practices

Hosting a registrar is a rewarding experience for training sites, but we recognise it can also be stressful and you may need help or guidance along the way.

Supervisors & Practices Program officer can assist with any administrative or operational queries regarding a registrar’s program – FSPadmin@racgp.org.au
General Practice Supervisors Australia (GPSA) has many resources to support training sites, such as information on how to prepare your site for hosting a registrar, along with checklists, fact sheets and links to useful resources. Visit the Supporting practices pages on their website.

Supervisor remuneration

In-practice supervision includes:

For the first two weeks of the program, 1 hour per day with the FSP registrar as part of the Early Assessment of Safety and Learning (EASL), 10 hours total.
During GPT1 and GPT2 of the FSP, conduct weekly or fortnightly meetings (30 minutes or 60 minutes respectively).
During GPT3 and GPT4 of the FSP, provide educational supervision to the FSP registrar for 1 hour per month.

Payments will be made by the RACGP for:

Supervision of each FSP registrar at $150 plus GST & super per hour, and
Submission of six-monthly Supervisor Report on the FSP registrar’s performance at $150 plus GST & super per report.

Supervisors need to complete the Global Competency rating for every assessment entered into the FSP Portal or the assessment is not finalised and won’t incur a payment.

Schedule of payments

Activity	Description	Fee	Occurrence
EASL	x10 hours of educational supervision	$1,500 + GST & super	In the first month of the program
In-practice teaching	x1 hour of educational supervision per fortnight in GPT1 & GPT2 x1 hour per month in GPT3 & GPT4	GPT1 & GPT2: $300 + GST & super GPT3 & GPT4: $150 + GST & super	Monthly in arrears
End of term report	Submission of end of term report on registrar's performance	$150 + GST & super	At the end of each term

Things to note – upcoming opportunities and updates

Supervisor Q&A Sessions are hosted by FSP Supervisor Liaison Dr Rod Omond. They offer an opportunity to ask any questions you may have regarding supervision or the FSP. Attendance is not compulsory. Sessions are spread across different days of the week to enable attendance, look out for an email invite to the next session.
- Next scheduled session: Thursday 19 October 5.30 pm AEDT
Supervisors going on leave?

If the nominated supervisor/s are going on leave for more than 2 weeks, a Change in circumstance form needs to be completed by them or their registrar via the FSP portal to notify us of their leave and what supervision arrangements are in place for their registrar whilst they're away.

Adverse events & Critical incidents

Reporting an adverse event or critical incident is a requirement for all accredited training sites and requires an Adverse event and critical incident report form. Please refer to the critical incident and adverse event management guidance document for guidance on how to identify and report such incidents.