Specialist Pathway Program (SPP)
The SPP is part of a nationally agreed assessment and registration process developed in conjunction with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (AHPRA), the Australian Medical Council (AMC), the Australian Department of Health and Ageing and the Royal Australian College of general Practitioners (the College) .
The SPP provides a pathway to Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) based on an assessment of their previous training and experience in general practice.
FRACGP gives doctors the right to deliver general practice unsupervised to the Australian community and access the higher rebates under Medicare, the national health insurance scheme.
Before you apply:
- Review the categories of qualifications listed below. This will indicate:
- whether or not you may be eligible to apply to the SPP
- the category you may be eligible for
- Complete the online self-assessment guide for indication of your potential category. Refer to https://www.racgp.org.au/selfassess
- Review the step-by-step guide relevant to your category for instructions on making an online application
Please note
All specialist IMGs now need to apply directly to the ECFMG’s Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC) for verification of their medical qualifications. Refer to http://www.ecfmgepic.org/physicians.html
Self-assessment is a guide only and the RACGP will make all final eligibility and categorisation decisions. If a new pathway to any of the qualifications listed is introduced this may affect your categorisation outcome. The RACGP may at any time vary the qualifications or categories listed.
Category 1 IMGs (FAEG)
If you have one of the below qualifications you may be categorised as a category 1 IMG and awarded Fellowship ad Eundem Gradum (FAEG).
Please note
Qualifications gained through "grandfathering" or reciprocal arrangements may not be accepted for FAEG and documentation of training and assessment will be requested.
UK doctors
The RACGP only accepts applications as category 1 for doctors who achieved their MRCGP qualification via examination, combined with the other qualification as listed below.
Candidates who achieved MRCGP via iMAP, or candidates who have iMAP but not one of the other qualifications will not be categorised as category 1.
| Qualification held | Category |
|---|
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners holding the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP) certificate via prescribed experience |
1 |
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners holding the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP) certificate via equivalent experience |
1 or 2, assessed on a case by case basis |
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners holding the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) issued by the Post Graduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) or the General Medical Council (GMC) |
1 |
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners holding the Certificate of Eligibility for GP registration (CEGPR) |
1 or 2, assessed on a case by case basis |
Other Category 1
| Canada |
Certificate in Family Medicine from College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) + Evidence of Canadian Qualifying Examinations Part 1 + 2 post 1992
Certificate in Family Medicine from College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) + Evidence of The Canadian Qualifying Examination Part 1 and Certification Examination in Family Medicine post 2013 |
| Ireland |
Graduate of ICGP through passing the MICGP Examination holding MICGP membership |
| New Zealand |
Fellowship of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP) via the General Practice Education Programme (GPEP) |
| Singapore |
Fellowship with the College of Family Physicians |
Category 2 IMGs
If you hold one of the qualifications below you are considered to be at the level of an Australian-trained advanced trainee in general practice however still require further training/supervised practice and assessment to be regarded as fully comparable.
IMGs with existing Australian medical registration will not meet the eligibility criteria for entry into category 2 of the SPP, however may be able to complete the RACGP Fellowship assessment requirements via the General Practice Experience Pathway.
Refer to www.racgp.org.au/becomingagp/imgaus/pep
UK doctors
Candidates who achieved MRCGP via iMAP, or candidates who have iMAP but not one of the other qualifications, will be categorised as category 2.
| Qualification held | Category |
|---|
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners holding the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP) certificate via equivalent experience |
1 or 2, assessed on a case by case basis |
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners holding the Certificate of Eligibility for GP registration (CEGPR) |
1 or 2, assessed on a case by case basis |
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners via iMAP holding the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP) certificate via prescribed OR equivalent experience |
2 |
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners via iMAP holding the CCT issued by the PMETB or the GMC |
2 |
| Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners |
2 |
| JCPTGP certificate via prescribed experience |
2 |
| JCPTGP certificate via equivalent experience |
2 |
| CCT issued by the PMETB or the GMC |
2 |
| CCT issued by the PMETB |
2 |
| CEGPR |
2 |
Other Category 2
| Belgium |
Specialist Certificate in General Practice / Family Medicine |
| Canada |
Certificate in Family Medicine from the College of Family Physicians of Canada |
| Denmark |
Specialist Certificate in Family Medicine |
| Netherlands |
Certificate of Specific Training for General Practice |
| New Zealand |
Fellowship of The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP) via Experiential Interim Pathway (EIP) |
| Norway |
Certificate of Specific Training for General Medical Practice |
| Singapore |
Master of Medicine in Family Medicine |
| South Africa |
Fellowship of the College of Family Physicians of South Africa |
| South Africa |
Registration as a Family Physician with the Health Professions Council of South Africa |
| South Africa |
Master of Family Medicine |
| South Africa |
Master of Prax Medicine |
| Sweden |
Certificate of Specific Training for General Practice |
| USA |
Certificate of the American Board of Family Medicine |
Category 3 IMGs
If you hold qualifications in general practice from the countries listed below you are considered to be at a level equivalent to an Australian basic trainee in general practice and as such require further training/supervised practice and assessment to be regarded as fully comparable.
IMGs with existing Australian medical registration will not meet the eligibility criteria for entry into category 3 of the SPP, however may be able to complete the RACGP Fellowship assessment requirements via the General Practice Experience Pathway.
Refer to www.racgp.org.au/becomingagp/imgaus/pep
Prerequisites to categorisation for category 3
- Achieve a pass in the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)
- Be assessed as having at least 4 years general practice experience
Austria
Croatia
Estonia
Finland
France (post 2007 VT)
Germany
Latvia
Malta (post 2007 VT)
Portugal
Spain
Turkey
MRCGP[INT]
Not comparable
If an applicant’s qualifications are determined to be not comparable to those of an Australian-trained general practitioner, the IMG is categorised as ‘not comparable’.
Applicants may be able to complete the RACGP Fellowship assessment requirements via the General Practice Experience Pathway. Refer to www.racgp.org.au/becomingagp/imgaus/pep
Specialist Pathway Fees - from 1 July 2017
| Category 1 | Fee |
|---|
| Application Fee for Categorisation Process |
$515 |
| Application processing fee for FAEG |
$635 |
| Total cost per applicant - Category 1 |
$1,150 |
| Category 2 | Fee |
|---|
| Application Fee for Categorisation Process |
$515 |
| FICPI |
$5,155 |
| RACGP Fellowship Examinations |
$8,720 |
| Total cost per applicant - Category 2 |
$14,390 |
| Category 3 | Fee |
|---|
| AKT Examination |
$2,190 |
| Application Fee for Categorisation Process |
$515 |
| Assessment of Overseas GP Experience |
$760 |
| FICPI |
$5,155 |
| RACGP Fellowship Examination |
$6,530 |
| Total cost per applicant - Category 3 |
$15,150 |
See all pathway policies