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Rural Procedural Grants Program / Rural Locum Education Assistance Program

The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing has contracted the RACGP and the ACRRM to jointly administer two training grant programs, the Rural Procedural Grants Program and the Rural Locum Education Assistance Program.

1. Rural Procedural Grants Program (RPGP)

1.a) Overview

The RPGP provides financial support to maintain and enhance the clinical skills of General Practitioners (GPs) and locums who deliver:

1. unsupervised anaesthetics, obstetrics and / or surgery in ACGC-RA 1*-5 locations (1* dependent on additional approval)


2. unsupervised emergency medicine in 24-hour triaging Accident and Emergency facilities located in ASGC-RA 2-5 locations.

This financial support is offered as a grant of $2000 per day for up to 10 days of training per financial year for procedural GPs and for up to 3 days of training per financial year for GPs providing hospital based emergency services.

If you deliver any of the above services in a rural or remote location, you may be eligible to participate in the program. However to receive these grants you must apply to register in the RPGP through either the RACGP or through the ACRRM prior to attending grant approved training.

1.b) To access this program

GPs need to complete a Rural Procedural Grants Program “Application to Register” form and provide documentation indicating they are a current unsupervised provider of anaesthetic, obstetric, surgical and / or emergency medicine in a hospital or other appropriately equipped facility .

Eligibility for the program is determined by the RACGP or the ACRRM. Download the Procedural Grants Program application form and guidelines.

Should you have difficulty downloading this document, 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 GPs 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 GPs.

Once an individual GP has been accepted into the program, he / she will be notified by the RACGP. Upon entry into the program, doctors can then claim payment for procedural and emergency medicine activities they subsequently attend that are a minimum of six hours in duration and are relevant to the discipline in which they have been registered in the program.

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

2. Rural Locum Education Assistance Program (LEAP)

2.a) Overview

The Rural LEAP is a new government initiative designed to improve the availability of locums in rural and remote Australia. It provides financial assistance to city 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 applicants will receive up to 3 days of emergency medicine training at $2000 per day.

2.b) To access the program

GPs working in major cities (ASGC-RA 1) may apply through 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 to Register” form, noting the type of training they intend to undertake and when they intend to fulfil their locum commitment. Download the Rural LEAP application form and guidelines.

Interested GPs who wish to register through the RACGP should fax their application form 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 GPs.

2.c) Arranging a locum

When you have completed your emergency medicine training, you may arrange your rural locums privately or apply for locum placements through the Rural GP Locum Program (RGPLP), which is administered byRural Health Workforce Australia, in partnership with the Rural Workforce Agencies or through private locum agencies.

The RGPLP will help locums find placements that meet their needs and will assist them with travel, accommodation and provider numbers. There is no fee attached to this service. To find out more go to www.ruralgplocum.org.au

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.

Last Modified: 8 November 2011
Authorised By: National rural Faculty