The standards
Standards for general practice training outlines the standards required in general practice education and training. It addresses the requirements expected of general practice training posts, GPs who take on the responsibility for the training of the Registrar within a training post (supervisors) and the training providers who deliver the training program.
The vision of ensuring safe, quality training for Australian GPs inspired and informed the development of this guide.
Outcomes-based framework
The training standards are outcomes-based and focus on the quality of the outcomes for registrars and patients rather than on the means by which these will be achieved. An outcomes-based framework avoids proscribing outputs or inputs unless they are fundamental to upholding the training standards overall. For instance, the time taken to complete training remains at three years and the requirements for hospital and general practice placements that comprise the training program remain unchanged. The delivery of the Curriculum for General Practice must also be delivered to prepare the registrar for both assessment requirements and for the profession of general practice.
The role of the training provider is to provide high quality, safe training for GPs. The role of the RACGP is to measure and monitor the attainment outcomes specified in the training standards, and the processes used to reach them without necessarily specifying what the processes are.
Standards and accreditation
The Standards for general practice training are a vital component of the accreditation of both the training provider and the RACGP itself. The training standards provide the framework not just for the delivery of the vocational training program but also focus on the quality of the processes used by the training provider and the RACGP. These processes ensure that the GPs who complete the training program can practice unsupervised anywhere in Australia and meet the highest standards of quality and safety expected by the Australian community.
The seamless linkage of AMC accreditation of the RACGP to the accreditation of the RTO through the RACGP RTO Accreditation process that in turn meets the training standards provides a simplified and unified process for all concerned. Information sought from the RTO to verify that the training standards have been met, in turn ensures that the RACGP remains accredited as the standard setter.