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Rural Procedural Grants Program / Rural Locum Education Assistance Program

1. Rural Procedural Grants Program (RPGP)

1.a) Overview

Through its Strengthening Medicare initiatives, the Department of Health and Ageing continues to offer rural and remote procedural and emergency medicine general practitioners financial assistance to access skills maintenance and upskilling activities in their respective disciplines. GPs providing services in rural and remote areas but residing primarily in urban areas (eg locums, RFDS doctors) may be eligible for participation in the Program.

Grants are being offered to general practitioners and locums who practise unsupervised obstetrics, anaesthetics, surgery and / or emergency medicine in rural and remote locations.

The financial support is offered as a grant of $2000 per day for up to 10 days a year for procedural GPs in RRMA 2-7 and for up to 3 days a year for emergency medicine GPs in RRMA 3-7. You must be registered in the grants program prior to attending grant approved upskilling.

RRMA 2 applicants will need to demonstrate they a) have unsupervised clinical privileges in obstetrics, anaesthetics or surgery, b) satisfy professional standards imposed by the hospital or Area Health Service and c) provide routine obstetric, anaesthetic or surgical cover including being regularly part of an on-call roster. All applications received from RRMA 2 proceduralists will be reviewed by the ACRRM/RACGP Collaboration overseeing the Rural Procedural Grants Program for approval.

1.b) To access this program

General practitioners need to complete a Training for Rural and Remote Procedural GPs Program “Application to Register” form and provide documentation indicating they have Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) credentialing with a hospital or other appropriately equipped facility. Credentialing must be in one of the following areas: obstetrics, anaesthesia, surgery or emergency medicine.

Eligibility for the program is determined by the RACGP or ACRRM. An application form and guidelines can be downloaded here.

Should you have difficulty downloading these documents please contact Pauline Curtis on pauline.curtis@racgp.org.au or 1800 636 764 and she will email or fax these documents to you.

1.c) The RACGP will do the rest

Interested General Practitioners who wish to register through the RACGP should fax their application form and relevant documentation to Pauline on 08 8267 8359. The RACGP will process applications and will forward registration details of successful applicants to Medicare Australia who will maintain the register of eligible General Practitioners.

Once individual General Practitioners have been accepted into the program, they will be notified by the RACGP. Upon entry into the program, doctors can then claim payment for procedural and emergency medicine activities that are a minimum of six hours in duration and held over one or more days.

Eligible educational activity may include supervised clinical attachments (forms available below), workshops and scientific conferences. The RACGP and ACRRM, in consultation with relevant external agencies, assess the eligibility of educational activities for inclusion in the Program. GPs are encouraged to contact the RACGP or ACRRM prior to registering for educational activities to confirm whether they are eligible for program support.

2. Rural Locum Education Assistance Program

2.a) Overview

The Department of Health and Ageing has contracted the RACGP and the ACRRM to pilot the Rural Locum Education Assistance Program (LEAP) in 2009/2010.

Grants are available to urban general practitioners (GPs) who undertake emergency medicine training and commit to a four week (20 working days) rural GP locum placement within a two year period. Successful applications will receive up to 3 days of emergency medicine training at $2000 per day.

2.b) To access the program

Urban GPs must apply to either the RACGP or the ACRRM. Due to the limited number of places available, applications will be assessed on a first in first serviced basis.

Applicants need to complete a Rural LEAP Application form “Application to Register”, noting the type of training they intend to undertake and when and where they intend to fulfil their locum commitment. An application form and guidelines can be downloaded here.

Interested General Practitioners who wish to register through the RACGP should fax their application form and relevant documentation to Pauline on 08 8267 8359. The RACGP will process applications and will forward registration details of successful applicants to Medicare Australia who will maintain the register of eligible General Practitioners.

For more information about the RPGP or the LEAP contact

Pauline Curtis
Tel: FREECALL 1800 636 764; 08 8267 8351
Fax: (08) 8267 8359
Email: pauline.curtis@racgp.org.au

Or follow the links below.

Publication Date: 29 January 2010
Authorised By: National rural Faculty