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New RACGP program to support non-vocationally registered doctors gain Fellowship
More than 3000 non-vocationally registered GPs will be supported to attain Fellowship of the RACGP, following confirmation of funding in this year’s Federal Budget.
The RACGP’s Practice Experience Program is designed to support non-VR doctors who often prepare for Fellowship exams with minimal support, and often in isolated settings.
From 1 January next year, the RACGP will roll out its new Practice Experience Program (PEP) supporting non-vocationally registered (VR) doctors working in general practice with a purposeful education program in a bid to boost exam pass rates.
Many non-VR doctors are international medical graduates (IMGs) who are required to work for up to a decade in rural and remote areas around Australia, where there is a long-standing doctor shortage.
At present, many of these doctors are currently not eligible for the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program, and alternative support options are limited. As a result, many non-VR doctors prepare for Fellowship exams with minimal support, and often in isolated settings.
The PEP has been designed following the successful undertaking of a 2016 RACGP pilot program that showed increased support and education leads to a boost in exam results and increased levels of individual confidence among doctors.
In its recent Federal Budget announcement, the Government revealed it has agreed to fund the majority of the program, which will support more than 3000 non-VR GPs.
Dr Deepama Sumanasekera found the pilot program especially useful in helping her attain RACGP Fellowship.
‘It was great to have structure and direction in studying for the Fellowship exams,’ she told newsGP.
‘The online webinars are very helpful, especially because most IMGs are in rural or remote areas. I was doing it in [Queensland town] Dalby, and I didn’t have anyone to study with. I didn’t know anyone else doing the exam.’
Dr Carmen Abaffy also found the pilot program useful.
‘It was very helpful at the time – just being able to talk to someone,’ she told newsGP. ‘There are so many resources, but you can get lost in it unless you know where to go, unless you have a guide.’
Both doctors welcomed the news that the PEP will be rolled out for all non-VR IMGs.
Dr Deepama Sumanasekera found the interaction provided by online webinars especially helpful when participating in the RACGP pilot program in the lead-up to Fellowship exams.
RACGP General Manager of Education Services Dr Mark Rowe told newsGP the funding has been well received.
‘We recognised that small interventions were not working,’ he said. ‘By partnering with regional training organisations [RTOs] and with Government backing, the PEP will add significantly to improving the skills of our general practice workforce.
‘It is extremely daunting for an international doctor to come to Australia, often in professionally isolating environments, and expect them to not only work and study independently to meet Fellowship standards but to do so in the absence of any supportive education structure.
‘You can’t just bring international doctors into Australia and say, “it’s up to you to get through the exams”.
‘This is an initiative by the college to challenge current thinking and support as many non-VR doctors as possible to attain RACGP Fellowship.
‘The process of development has been solid and while it is designed to fit within funding and logistic constraints, it represents a long overdue addition to current training and education offerings.’
Current non-VR doctors working in general practice will be able to access the PEP without going through a selection process when the program begins from 1 January next year. A selection process is expected to begin by 2020.
The initial PEP intake is expected to be around 400 non-VR doctors, with the numbers increasing each year as support structures grow and recruitment of more medical educators takes place.
PEP Candidates will spend between six and 30 months in the program, depending on assessment of candidate qualifications, recency of practice, experience and current competence. It is envisaged that candidates will spend on average 12–18 months in the program before attempting Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP) examinations.
PEP participants will have access to a range of online modules and materials, in-practice assessment activities and contact and support from medical educators and mentors. The program is to be majority funded by the Federal Government, with a co-payment required from candidates. Final funding details are still pending.
Existing RTOs will partner the RACGP in the new initiative and take responsibility for delivery of the new PEP program.
The news comes after the Federal Government announced in 2017 that it would hand over responsibility for the AGPT Program to the RACGP and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACCRM) by 2022.
The RACGP Council has determined that as from January 2022 candidates will not be able to access Fellowship exams without having completed an RACGP education or training program.
RACGP Fellowship Pathways Project Coordinator Amy Willows ran the 2016 pilot study, in which 34 IMGs trialled the new program.
‘What we wanted to do with the pilot was to increase education and pastoral support to give the candidates the best possible support to get through exams,’ she told newsGP. ‘The success of that pilot has led to this much broader initiative.
‘It’s something that all of us who worked on the pilot are extremely pleased about.’
The RACGP is working towards one pathway to Fellowship under two programs – the Australian General Practice Training and the new PEP – with the eventual phasing out of the Specialist Pathway Program, General Practice Experience Pathway, and Practice Based Assessment Pathway.
More details, including applications for the program, will be available by 30 June. Email pathwayadmin@racgp.org.au for further information.
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