‘It’s about knowing that you’re not alone’

Australia’s newest GPs have come together to learn the skills needed to help build a successful career in general practice. 
 
Put together by the RACGP’s West Australian New Fellows Committee, the 2025 Early Career GP Conference was held this month in Perth, on Whadjuk Noongar Country.
 
The conference is designed to bring together New Fellows and GPs on a training pathway towards Fellowship to network, learn, and hear from veterans of the industry.
 
Themed ‘building our futures’ in 2025, the event focused on teaching early-career GPs about their finances, career sustainability, continuing professional development, and how best to use technology in general practice. 
 
RACGP WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman told newsGP the conference is especially important as New Fellows can often feel siloed in their new roles or confused by red tape.
 
‘When you go through the training program in general practice, as with any other specialty, everyone focuses on their exams and getting through exams,’ she said.
 
‘Then, when they do finish their exams, all of a sudden, there’s a whole new world of trying to understand how billings work, or how to manage finances, and then considering which practice to go to.
 
‘At that point, New Fellows are probably considering, “how do I get into that?”.’
 
The conference included in-person presentations from several RACGP leaders, including a Q&A with RACGP President Dr Michael Wright and Dr Raman.
 
RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements spoke about ‘managing uncertainty and developing grit as a rural GP’, while Dr Sean Stevens addressed ‘ways to make technology work for you’.
 
Other topics included how to tailor your practice to suit the needs of you and your patients, ‘10 things I wish I’d known as a New Fellow’, the life of a practice manager, patient advocacy and education, and a New Fellows committee discussion panel.
 
Dr Raman thanked members of the New Fellows Committee for their ‘enthusiasm and work that’s gone on behind the scenes’, deeming the conference a ‘real success’.
 
‘It’s important for New Fellows to have the opportunity to speak about potential issues and it’s about knowing that you’re not alone,’ she said.
 
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early career GPs New Fellows Western Australia