Competencies arranged by Role

Clinician


Progressive capability profile of the specialist general practitioner

Last revised: 11 Aug 2025

The specialist GP as a clinician


This role encompasses the clinical role of a specialist general practitioner. It acknowledges the distinct person-centred approach of a specialist general practitioner to the full range of presentations across all ages and all populations and how they help patients whilst also addressing health promotion and public health.

 

Milestone competencies

Capability

Theme

Entry

Foundation

Consolidation

Fellowship

Provide person-centred and comprehensive care, using a biopsychosocial approach 

Person-centred approach

Discuss whole person-centred culturally appropriate care, and its interface with the biopsychosocial approach

Identify psychological, social and cultural factors that impact the patient and the opportunities for person-centred care

Acknowledge and respect patients’ experiences and perspectives and integrate these into care

Accommodate patients’ experiences and perspectives and integrate these into the ongoing provision of whole person care

Comprehensive care with continuity

Identify opportunities for, and potential benefits of, comprehensive care and continuity of care

Provide care considerate of the patient’s physical, mental and social health and facilitate continuity of care when possible

Provide comprehensive care for a wide range of conditions and utilise the opportunities of continuity of care

Provide comprehensive care with appropriate continuity

Strengths based approaches with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Respect and support the self-identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and identify specific cultural and health needs required to deliver whole-person care.
 

Recognise the cultural strengths and values of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to support the delivery of person-centred care.

Integrate the cultural strengths, needs, and appropriate resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to enable the delivery of person-centred care.

Uphold the principle of self-determination by empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples to have a voice in their healthcare decisions, fostering culturally safe, person-centred approaches that promote autonomy and equitable health outcomes.

Trauma-informed

Understand the health and wellbeing impacts of trauma, including intergenerational trauma and the effect on the therapeutic relationship

Demonstrate an understanding of the health and wellbeing impacts of trauma, and describe the principles of trauma-informed care in practice

Start applying trauma-informed care principles into clinical practice by creating a safe, supportive environment, actively listening to patients, and recognising the impact of trauma on their health

Integrate trauma-informed care principles and adapt approaches through reflective practice, ensuring interventions promote healing, resilience, and trust in the therapeutic relationship.

Conduct consultations to effectively facilitate care 

Consultation management

Elicit the patient’s agenda and have a structured approach to consultations

Demonstrate a structured approach to consultations including agenda negotiation, setting reasonable expectations for what is achievable, and planning follow up

Demonstrate a structured approach to consultations including negotiating and prioritising agendas and health issues to optimise the consultation potential

Utilises structured consultations with effective agenda prioritisation and time management, encompassing a holistic approach

Apply expert medical knowledge and skills in assessing and diagnosing conditions

Clinical information gathering

Obtain relevant history, examination and investigations to inform diagnosis and care

Obtain relevant history, perform a focused examination and rationally select investigations relevant to the general practice context to inform care

Efficiently obtain relevant history, perform a focused examination and considering the general practice context, the appropriate investigations to inform care

While considering the patient and context obtain relevant history, examination and investigations to inform care
  

Diagnostic reasoning

Use hypothetico-deductive reasoning to make diagnoses

Interpret and synthesise complex clinical assessment and diagnostic information to reach high probability diagnoses

Demonstrate proficiency in clinical problem solving with the ability to adapt reasoning based on emerging information and priorities
 

 

Interpret, synthesise and prioritise clinical data in clinical reasoning, and reappraisal over time to integrate new information and modify diagnostic reasoning

Manage the full range of presentations including providing first contact access

Urgent, emergent, time sensitive care

Assess presentations for red flags, identify when acute management is required and provide basic life support when needed

Identify clinical deterioration, escalate care and manage appropriately within the general practice context

Have a structured, rational approach to assessment that prospectively assesses deterioration risk to anticipate and manage urgent and emergent conditions, including provision of advanced life support

Manage urgent, emergent, and complex acute situations in line with contemporary practice in the general practice environment

Management planning

Formulate safe and evidence-informed management plans, seeking timely help from colleagues

Develop management plans that are considerate of patient preferences and evidence, identifying opportunities for patient self-care and management

Develop management and follow up procedures, referral, appropriate review and safety netting.

Develop holistic, rational, patient-centred management plans that are evidence-informed, implementable and revised as needed

Prescribing

Prescribe safely for common presentations

Prescribe safely and lawfully, including management of polypharmacy

Undertake rational, safe prescribing and medication monitoring

Undertake rational, safe prescribing, deprescribing, and medication monitoring

Procedures

Safely undertake procedures under appropriate supervision

Safely undertake procedures in general practice context with appropriate supervision

Safely undertake procedures appropriate to context and skill levels

Maintain currency in safely undertaking procedures relevant to the context of practice

Manage uncertainty and assess undifferentiated presentations 

Management of uncertainty

Recognise that uncertainty is a factor to be addressed in diagnosis and management

Address uncertainty and complexity in clinical encounters in a safe manner

Manage uncertainty and complexity with appropriate safety-netting and use of time as a diagnostic aid

Manage uncertainty, complexity and ongoing undifferentiated presentations

Assessment and management of undifferentiated presentations

With support, assess and manage presentations and seek assistance as required

Assess and manage a range of conditions, including first contact undifferentiated presentations, and seek assistance when needed

Assess and manage a wide range of presentations with appropriate safety-netting

Assess and manage the full range of presentations including safety-netting and empowering patient self-efficacy

Promote health and deliver preventive care

Promoting health and wellbeing

Identify individuals with risk factors for common preventable conditions and opportunities to encourage health promoting behaviour and actions

Identify and prioritise preventive care opportunities in consultations including opportunistic preventive actions and education

Integrate understanding of stages of change and harm minimisation into evidence informed personalised preventive care

Provide evidence-informed personalised preventive care and support relevant to the patient’s context, including access to screening and systems for recall

Health education and health literacy

Identify opportunities to provide patients or carers with health information including about normal life stages

Proactively provide some opportunistic health education about potential future health needs

Anticipate potential health knowledge needs and prospectively provide relevant information

Use a range of strategies and resources to provide appropriately detailed health education relevant to the patient context

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Identify and understand the health patterns for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and recognise relevant opportunities for health promotion.

Understand the importance of specific preventative health screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and apply it in clinical practice.

Integrate preventative healthcare with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by understanding the importance of self-determination and community-led approaches.

Incorporates strengths-based approaches into health promotion activities by recognising and building on the cultural, social, and community strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Public health

Recognise common health issues that may impact public health and any reportable disease requirements

Identify public health risks seen in general practice and manage appropriately within the consultation

Appropriately notify and/or intervene regarding public health risks

Identify and manage emerging public health risks in the local community

 

 
 

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