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Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice

Background
Who to Contact

Background to the Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice

The Fellowship Royal Australian College of General Practitioners certifies competence to deliver unsupervised general practice services in any general practice setting in Australia urban, regional, rural, remote or very remote. It also offers international recognition.

If you have an interest in rural and procedural practice, you can also work towards a second RACGP Fellowship: the Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice (FARGP).

The FARGP is offered by the National Rural Faculty on behalf of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and recognises advanced rural skills and additional training that may be undertaken by GPs in preparation for practice in rural and remote Australia .

The FARGP is designed for GP registrars enrolled in vocational training and for experienced general practitioners who wish to undertake a recognized educational program to further develop their knowledge and skills in rural general practice.

The FARGP provides an educational program to complement and reinforce training or experience in rural general practice. It is closely integrated with the RACGP Curriculum for General Practice and Advanced Rural Skills Training curricula.

The FARGP award is an appropriate qualification to be used for providing incentives to recruit and reward doctors who continue to work in rural general practice. It is also a suitable qualification for recognition by hospitals for the purpose of visiting medical officer rights.

Educational Requirements

The FARGP consists of the following educational requirements:

1. identification of learning needs
2. development of a learning plan of educational activities (which can include the pre/co-requisite 12 months in rural general practice and 12 months in ARST)
3. maintenance and submission of FARGP Portfolio
4. regular consultation with an educational advisor/educational mentor
5. completion of 12 months Advanced rural Skills Training (gp registrars)
6. FARGP Portfolio:
   • 2 Core Modules
     • Working in Rural General Practice
     • Emergency Medicine
       
   • 160 hours of Elective Educational Activities
     e.g. workshops, seminars, clinical audit, clinical attachment, online learning activities
     
   • The FARGP is based on a continuous assessment framework
   • Assessment is based on the development and maintenance of a FARGP Portfolio

Who can undertake this Fellowship?

To be eligible for the award of the Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice, candidates must have completed specified training or general practice experience. These requirements can be met either as a pre-requisite (prior to entry to this award) or as a co-requisite (completed while enrolled in this award). All candidates must be RACGP financial members.

For Registrars, there is a co-requisite of a minimum of 12 months of their training in accredited rural training posts, award of the FRACGP, plus 12 months in an accredited advanced rural skills training post.

For practising FRACGP GPs, there is a prerequisite or co-requisite of 12 months experience in rural general practice and 12 months in a post deemed to be equivalent to an advanced rural skills training post. The pre-requisite/co-requisite requirements can be met by a mix of time in training and/or as a practising general practitioner. This mix can be dovetailed into the Quality Assurance and Continuing Professional Development (QA&CPD) program.

Advanced Rural Skills Training (ARST)

An important pre-requisite or co-requisite for the award of the Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice is the completion of advanced rural skills training or experience in a placement equivalent to an ARST post.

Advanced Rural Skills Training must be taken in an RACGP accredited Post.

ARST posts are available in:

• Anaesthetics
• Obstetrics
• Surgery
• Aboriginal Health
• Mental Health
• Paediatrics
• Emergency Medicine
• Adult Internal Medicine
• Small Town General Practice
• Individually designed program, e.g. Palliative care, Musculoskeletal/sports medicine. Individual ARSTs must be approved by the National Rural Faculty.

Who to Contact

Di Schaefer - National Rural Education Manager
Email: di.schaefer@racgp.org.au Phone: 1800 636 764

June Field - Rural Education Administration Officer
Email: june.field@racgp.org.au Phone: 1800 636 764

Publication Date: 13 November 2009
Authorised By: National Rural Faculty