New RG specialist registrations now open

Applications are now open for specialist registration in Rural Generalist Medicine, with the RACGP welcoming it as a significant milestone.
 
Following Rural Generalist Medicine being recognised as a field of ‘specialty practice’ within the specialty of general practice, the Medical Board of Australia has commenced specialist registration processes for GPs with eligible qualifications.
 
This means existing FRACGP-RG award holders can now apply to have specialist registration in Rural Generalist Medicine recorded by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
 
RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said the new registration category recognises the advanced skills and broad scope of practice Rural Generalists (RGs) bring to communities across Australia.
 
‘The commencement of specialist registration applications is an important part of recognising the expertise, training and contribution of RGs to Australia’s healthcare system,’ he said.
 
‘It will help strengthen the rural medical workforce, support the recognition of Rural Generalist Medicine as a career pathway, and improve access to high-quality care for people living outside our major cities.’
 
Associate Professor Clements encouraged practitioners to familiarise themselves with the eligibility requirements and AHPRA guidance materials before lodging an application.
 
‘Specialist registration is not automatic, and eligibility is determined by the Medical Board of Australia and administered by AHPRA,’ he said.
 
‘We encourage all doctors who believe they may be eligible to review the published requirements and commence the application process as early as possible.’
 
Associate Professor Clements told newsGP it is a ‘relief to reach the point where members can finally go onto the website and start the process’.
 
‘Having said that, I think one of the common questions we get is, “well, what does this mean for me as an RG if I do get registered, and what does it mean for me as a GP if I’m not an RG?”,’ he said.
 
‘The college has always been very clear that our rural GPs are a cornerstone of our rural communities, and we support them. And we also support those who want to take on additional training time and additional skills, and then have that recognised as RG.’
 
The title Specialist Rural Generalist will also become a protected title under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law from 29 March 2027. After that date, only practitioners who hold specialist registration in Rural Generalist Medicine will be able to use the title ‘Rural Generalist’.
 
The RACGP Rural Faculty is working on ways to support doctors that wish to work towards that endpoint, Associate Professor Clements said.
 
‘What’s happening now is that the 800 or so of those who already hold the FRACGP-RG can now apply to AHPRA and have that put on their specialist registration,’ he said.
 
‘What we’re very interested in doing is supporting those members who are working like an RG but just haven’t gone through that process or are interested in training towards that endpoint and want to know from us what can they do, what additional training time or additional skills they would need to accumulate to be able to be eligible.
 
‘People should consider applying and while there is no desperate rush, we’d love to hear from members that want some additional support to get that recognition.’
 
Associate Professor Clements added that while there were no immediate changes expected in entitlements, some state-based roles might require RG recognition in the near future.
 
‘What we are likely to see at the beginning of next year is that people applying for new roles within a state-based health service – so people applying for hospital roles in particular next year and maybe even before then – would be expected to show RG recognition on their AHPRA registration in order to achieve the higher RG pay scales that most of the state and territory governments use,’ he said.
 
‘Whereas right now, the state and territory governments have been happy accepting the certificate from the college, we expect that by next year, it’ll be a requirement that if people are applying for a new job somewhere, that they have the RG showing on their AHPRA registration.
 
‘We have had reassurance from state government advisers that people that are already working as an RG in a state hospital contract should not expect a change in their pay. But if that person was to apply to another state or to move to another area, it might be expected that they do have that recognised.’
 
Associate Professor Clements also addressed talk around future RGs rebates, saying ‘there is no plan for an RG sitting next to a rural GP to get a different rebate for a standard consultation’.
 
‘That’s certainly not where we’re headed,’ he said.
 
‘There has been some chatter about different Medicare rebates, different entitlements for prescribing medications or MRI rebates – all of those things are really important conversations, and they are occurring.
 
‘But we’re probably years away from seeing an outcome where somebody who holds that additional recognition as RG is going to affect a different outcome for their patient, or achieve a different rebate.
 
‘What we’re talking about is in future it may be that a paediatric advanced skills holder conducting a comprehensive paediatric developmental assessment may be able to apply for the patient paediatrician’s rebate, but only when they’re in a rural area.’
 
Further information on eligibility requirements and application processes is available on the AHPRA website and the Medical Board of Australia.
 
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ACRRM AHPRA Australian Medical Council Medical Board of Australia regional and remote rural generalism