About
RACGP educational architecture and the position of the Profile
The profile sits within the RACGP Educational Framework which describes the guiding principles and educational imperatives that inform the approach to education and training. The guiding principles are a statement of the values, priorities, and educational philosophy of the RACGP. The Framework articulates the components of RACGP education and their interconnections to enable coordinated delivery, revision and evaluation. This allows the RACGP to deliver well trained general practitioners (GPs) who can serve the Australian community.
The Progressive capability profile of the specialist general practitioner is one of the RACGP’s guiding instruments under the RACGP Educational Framework. It interacts with the other guiding instruments of the RACGP curriculum and syllabus, the Standards for general practice training and the educational policies.
The RACGP curriculum and syllabus for Australian general practice details the competencies and content expertise required to be awarded a Fellowship of the RACGP.
The RACGP Standards for General Practice Training and the educational policies outline the requirements, expectations and outcomes related to education and training. They work together to ensure high-quality, effective education and safe clinical practice.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural and Health Training Framework is key to embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, ways of thinking and approaches to learning into all RACGP education and training.
The RACGP Assessment Framework (currently under development) provides structure and guidance for systems of assessment at the RACGP.
Purpose
The purpose of the Profile is to translate the principles and imperatives of the Educational Framework into the global outcomes of general practice education and training. The Profile aims to be an illustration of the growing competencies for those contemplating or engaging in a career as an Australian general practitioner (GP). It details the progressive expansion of competencies required from first term in general practice with supervision, through to the attainment of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Fellowship and the certification for independent practice as a specialist GP in Australia.
Capabilities and competencies
In the Profile, the term ‘capability’ is used to describe the high-level abilities and qualities required of a GP. It is based on the concept of capability presented in the Australian Medical Council (AMC) consultation paper, Competence-based medical education.1 Capabilities are ‘The ability to use competencies in new, uncertain, complex and changing circumstances, to formulate and solve problems in familiar and unfamiliar settings and adapt, change and/or improve performance’.2, 3, 4 A capability requires drawing on a broad range of competencies to perform a complex task. Discrete competencies are conceptually more contained and are amenable to teaching and assessment.
By showing the progression of competencies through the milestones of training, the Profile provides an anchor for assessments to measure against. It provides a series of professional benchmarks, which can be used to guide return to practice after extended absence or supervision requirements. The capabilities articulate the Statement of Fellowship Outcomes. The Fellowship competencies demonstrate the breadth and depth of these for a specialist general practitioner.
In comparison, the purpose of the curriculum is to provide direction for medical educators and supervisors for the delivery of education and training. The curriculum and syllabus will follow the same roles as the Profile but provide further granulation of the skills, knowledge and attributes required of specialist GPs. It describes more singular outcomes that are easier to deliver and measure. Together, the curriculum and syllabus, inform learners of the core and contextual areas of focus for training and assessment.