Practice Experience Program has launched to support non-VR doctors

The RACGP has begun the rollout of its Practice Experience Program (PEP), designed to provide increased educational support and boost exam results for more than 3000 non-vocationally registered (VR) doctors throughout Australia.
 
‘The ultimate aim of the program is to ensure the most skilled and appropriate doctors enter the general practice profession, so patients in Australia receive top-quality healthcare every time they visit a specialist GP,’ RACGP Chief Executive Dr Zena Burgess told newsGP. 
 
‘We also note that many doctors working in general practice seeking to gain Fellowship with the RACGP outside of the AGPT [Australian General Practice Training Program] do so with very limited educational support. 
 
‘PEP aims to rectify this.’
 
The PEP originated as a successful RACGP pilot program in 2016, and is designed as a self-directed education program to be run in partnership between the RACGP and regional training organisations (RTOs). The pilot effectively boosted exam pass rates for its participants, and last year federal funding was confirmed for a full-scale roll out of the program as part of the return of Australian general practice training to the RACGP.
 
‘The RACGP’s education team has done a wonderful job getting the program up and ready in a very short amount of time,’ Dr Burgess said.
 
The PEP’s initial intake for 2019 is 400 doctors, with plans for numbers to grow each year as the program expands.
 
‘This is an initiative by the college to challenge current thinking and support as many non-VR doctors as possible to attain RACGP Fellowship,’ RACGP General Manager of Education Services Dr Mark Rowe told newsGP last year.
 
‘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.’
 
Dr Burgess is pleased the RACGP is able to offer support for international medical graduates (IMGs) who may otherwise find it difficult to complete the Fellowship pathway outside of the AGPT.
 
‘IMGs are a vital part of the Australian general practice, so it is important we support them in their learning and progression towards Fellowship with the RACGP,’ she said.
 
To be eligible for the PEP, applicants must:

• hold current Australian medical registration
• have a job or a job offer delivering general practice services in Australia
• hold a valid general practice experience assessment with at least one year of assessed Australian general practice experience (full-time equivalent). 

fellowship GP training PEP Practice Experience Program