Introduction
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) educational framework is a conceptual representation of the RACGP’s approach to general practice education. It brings together the components of RACGP education, represents their interrelationships, and covers the learning continuum of the Australian general practitioner. The framework is intended to guide RACGP educational development. It also provides an orientation for learners and educators engaged with our education.
Ongoing, high-quality education is essential for general practitioners (GPs), enabling them to provide primary healthcare that meets the needs of people living in Australia. The RACGP plays a leading role in general practice education.
General practice education has multiple interconnected parts. These need to be responsive to changing needs and priorities in a coherent way. This educational framework provides a structure that connects the parts of RACGP education and allows them to be delivered, developed, and revised in a coordinated approach.
The RACGP educational framework is a public document that is intended to:
- declare the RACGP’s values in relation to education.
- represent the interconnected nature of the components of RACGP education.
- provide a reference point and orientation for learners, educators and institutions with an interest or stake in RACGP education.
- enable coordinated delivery, revision, and evaluation of the RACGP educational guiding instruments.
- articulate the RACGP’s approach to education for regulatory bodies.
The framework is designed to be contemporary, dynamic, and aspirational. It includes the imperatives that RACGP education must address, the guiding principles and the educational structures that RACGP uses to guide and support education programs. The guiding principles are core to the framework. They were derived from internal and external educational imperatives. Key educational structures are the Progressive capability profile of the general practitioner, the RACGP curricula and the RACGP education policies and standards. We have called these three structures the ‘guiding instruments’.
The initial development of the RACGP educational framework involved consultation with multiple stakeholders: GPs in training and Fellows, universities and other education providers, training organisations, GP supervisors and medical educators, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, community representatives and RACGP management.
The framework and each of its guiding instruments has an embedded program of evaluation and revision to ensure all the components remain current and responsive to a changing social and educational environment.