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Supervisor professional development


Review your GP supervisor professional development and learn about the requirements for new supervisors.

Supervisor professional development


Review your GP supervisor professional development and learn about the requirements for new supervisors.

Education > Supervisors and practice managers > Supervisor Professional Development
Last updated 20 March 2025

Supervisor Professional Development



 

Supervisor professional development (SPD) is the term given to activities that develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to teach and supervise registrars. Being a GP supervisor is a specific interest for a GP just as women's health or palliative care can be a specific interest. This is why SPD hours are also accepted as contributing to a GP’s annual requirement of 50 hours of CPD.

The SPD expectations for existing accredited supervisors and for new supervisors in the AGPT program are summarised below with more detail available in Supervisor professional development (PDF).


Professional development for existing accredited supervisors

The RACGP promotes a culture of lifelong learning and encourages supervisors to undertake professional development activities that support their ongoing development as a supervisor. The RACGP does not stipulate a minimum number of hours for supervisor professional development but over a 3-year accreditation supervisors must undertake some professional development.

The RACGP pays a stipend to the practice to support supervisor professional development. The amount paid represents the anticipated number of supervisor professional development hours supervisors in the training post will undertake. The RACGP anticipates that practices with a greater number of registrars (other than those in extension awaiting fellowship terms) will complete more supervisor professional development activities.

 
Number of eligible registrars at the training site Estimated supervisor professional development hours per semester (total for all supervisors at the site) Supervisor professional development stipend payment to the training site per semester
1 3 $500
2 6 $1000
3 9 $1500
4 or more 12 $2000
 

How each of the individual accredited supervisors within the training post contribute to the total number of hours is at the discretion of the practice but should reflect the learning needs of the supervisors. Activities accepted as SPD are determined in the regions and are recorded in the supervisor portfolio of the Training Management System.

The stipend payment is intended to support the ability for supervisors and training sites to demonstrate their commitment to supervisor professional development through attendance at RACGP delivered events. While failure to attend eligible events may result in the stipend payment being paused, this will not impact training site or supervisor accreditation so long as the supervisor and/or training site are able to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to supervisor professional development in other ways at the time of reaccreditation.

Supervisors in MMM3-7 locations will be able to apply for reimbursement of their travel expenses for attending face to face supervisor workshops.

The RACGP has identified training sites in priority areas of workforce need that have difficulty in obtaining a registrar. Supervisors in these training sites, called ‘incentivised placement practices’, are eligible for payment for attendance, travel and accommodation costs for RACGP approved SPD events even when their practice does not have a registrar. The list of incentivised placements are available at racgp.org.au/education/gp-training/gps-in-training/placement-incentives. Payment will be made to the practice after a supervisor from the practice attends a SPD event.

New Supervisors



 

New supervisors in both the AGPT and FSP programs are required to complete the Foundations of GP Supervision Program modules. These will be delivered by a combination of online learning, webinar, or workshop attendance. The first 7 modules are completed prior to full accreditation. Module 8 is an optional module that will allow supervisors to further develop skills learnt in modules 1-7.

Upon receipt of an application to become a new supervisor, RACGP regional teams will organise enrolment in the Foundations program. As there are regional differences in how the Foundations Program is delivered, supervisors should not commence any of the modules on gplearning until they have been advised by their RACGP regional team to do so. 

AGPT supervisors are eligible for payment for their hours spent completing the Foundations Program. Payment for completion of the modules (up to 10 hours for modules 1-7 and 2 hours for module 8 at $150 per hour) will be made directly to the supervisor.


Training support

General Practitioner Training Support Line:
1800 472 247
agpt.support@racgp.org.au

GP training contacts
AGPT training departments contact list