Practice Experience Program – Standard Stream Post-Education Progression

1. Purpose

1.1 The purpose of this policy is to describe the requirements of participants in the Post-education Phase of the PEP Standard Stream (PEP Standard) to maintain access to a PEP 3GA Medicare provider number.

1.2 The PEP Standard has been developed to provide non-vocationally recognised doctors with a route to Fellowship grounded in individualised learning and workplace-based assessment.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all participants of the PEP Standard following completion of the program’s Educational Phase, and covers requirements relating to progression, leave from the program, extension to and withdrawal of a provider number. 

2.2 This policy is to be read in conjunction with the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy and Practice Experience Program – Code of Conduct

2.3 This policy replaces the previous Practice Experience Program – Standard Stream Post-Education Progression Policy and will come into effect as of Monday 19 September 2022.

3. General principles

3.1 The RACGP issues continuing provider number access to PEP participants for a period of up to three years (the Post-education Phase) immediately following satisfactory completion of the program’s educational requirements in accordance with the Practice Experience Program – Standard Stream Satisfactory Completion Framework.

1. 1. The RACGP expects participants to become exam eligible in accordance with the General Practice Experience - Exam Eligibility Policy  within this three-year period.
      1. To monitor exam eligibility, all participants must obtain a current general practice experience outcome during the six months before satisfactory completion of the PEP Standard. Participants who do not receive a Valid Outcome signifying their exam eligibility must obtain a subsequent outcome when their experience requirements have been met.
   2. Participants must commence their exam candidacy as soon as the RACGP confirms they are eligible.
   3. If the RACGP suspended a participant’s exam candidacy while on the PEP Standard, the timeframe for expiry of Fellowship exam results will recommence once the educational component of the PEP Standard is complete or when the candidate becomes eligible to recommence exam attempts (whichever is the sooner) as detailed in the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy.

3.2 Extensions to the post-education period are available to participants under the circumstances outlined in clause 5.1 The RACGP offers these extensions on the grounds that a participant can demonstrate genuine and consistent effort towards achieving Fellowship, in line with the Provider number continuation requirements.

3.3 The RACGP will not extend a provider number where a participant has exhausted their period of exam candidacy under the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy.

3.4 The RACGP reserves the right to withdraw a participant’s provider number at any time during the Post-education Phase in line with the terms of clause 5.1.

3.5 Participants are responsible for maintaining minimum Part-time working hours (a 14.5-hour minimum working week, over a minimum of two days per week, of which a minimum of 10.5 hours must be face-to-face) for the duration of the Post-education Phase to maintain access to a provider number.

3.6 Access to a provider number is not an exam eligibility requirement.

3.7 The participant must be a current financial RACGP member from Commencement of Training until they have either been admitted to Fellowship or they have exhausted their Fellowship Exam Candidacy.

3.8 All participants in the Post-PEP phase of their program must comply with post-education fee payments.

3.9 Participants must hold current Australian medical registration at all times while on the PEP program including the post-education period. Participants must promptly disclose any:

1. 1. Addenda on their AHPRA Medical Registration, and
   2. regulatory authority activity, whether in Australia or otherwise, that:
      1. has led or may lead to an Addenda on their AHPRA medical registration
      2. has led to an adverse finding for the participant or forms part of an ongoing investigation,
      3. any other Notifiable Conduct.
   3. The RACGP will manage failure to disclose the information listed in clause 3.9 as per the Academic Misconduct Policy.

4. Leave

4.1 Participants in the PEP Standard may take leave from employment during the Post-education Phase of the program. Participants are responsible for ensuring that they continue to work towards exam eligibility and the requirements for Fellowship regardless of leave taken.

4.2 Participants are responsible for understanding the implications of periods of leave on their exam candidacy under the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy.

4.3 Participants must inform the RACGP when leave beyond permitted workplace leave entitlements is taken by completing a Change in Circumstances form via the PEP portal. Participants who do not inform the RACGP of leave may not be entitled to extension of their provider number.

4.4 Participants must not undertake paid work using their PEP provider number during periods of leave. Failure to abide by this clause will be handled as per the Academic Misconduct Policy, Services Australia (Medicare) and/or the Medical Board of Australia (MBA).

4.5 The RACGP will take periods of leave into consideration when determining the outcome of requests for extension to provider number access, as per clause 5.1.

5. Extensions

5.1 Extensions to provider number access may be available under the following circumstances:

1. 1. Legislative or extenuating and unforeseen circumstances leave
      The RACGP may give a participant who has taken prospectively approved Legislative or Extenuating and Unforeseen Circumstances Leave at any time during the educational or Post-education Phases of the PEP an extension equivalent to the length of leave (up to three years) to complete exam requirements, without submission of additional evidence.
   2. Exam candidacy suspension
      The RACGP may give a participant who has taken the six month suspension of exam candidacy, during the Post-education Phase of the program, as permitted under the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy, an equivalent six month extension in order to complete exam requirements, without submission of additional evidence.
   3. Other professional or personal factors affecting exam candidacy
      The RACGP may give a participant who has experienced other factors impacting their ability to complete exam requirements an extension of up to three years to complete these requirements, dependent upon submission of evidence demonstrating a genuine and consistent effort towards achieving Fellowship, in line with the Practice Experience Program – Provider number continuation requirements..
   4. Extension awaiting Fellowship
      The RACGP may give a participant who has completed all requirements for Fellowship, including all three Fellowship exams, an extension of up to three months from the date of publication of Clinical Examination results, if they:
      1. are in the process of submitting an application for Fellowship; or
      2. are awaiting confirmation of Fellowship.

6. Withdrawal

6.1 The RACGP reserves the right to withdraw a participant’s provider number at any time during the Post-education Phase, under circumstances including but not limited to:

1. 1. Loss of medical registration;
   2. Inappropriate use of a PEP provider number, including but not limited to use while on approved leave;
   3. Failure to pay RACGP membership fees;
   4. Failure to comply with CPD (Continuing Professional Development) requirements; and
   5. Failure to comply with the Practice Experience Program Code of Conduct.

7 Amendment of this Policy

The Censor-in-Chief (CiC) may, without the consent of the RACGP Board, make Minor, Moderate and Consequential Amendments to this policy at any time.

If the CiC makes amendments, they must advise the RACGP Board of those amendments as soon as practicable.

The RACGP Board may make amendments to this policy at any time.

8. Responsibilities

8.1 Censor-in-Chief	Approving Minor Amendments Approving Moderate Amendments Approving Consequential Amendments
8.2 RACGP Board	Approving Major Amendments
8.3 RACGP	Provider number access, managing leave, extension and withdrawal requests or requirements, monitoring progression through the post-education progression phase and enforcing the clauses outlined in this policy.
8.4 Participants	Complying with all clauses outlined in this policy

9. Glossary

9.1 Addenda	Includes, but is not limited to, restrictions, conditions, limitations, reprimands, supervision requirements, tribunal outcomes, suspensions, undertakings and/or any other remarks or changes on a Registrar’s medical registration. Refer to AHPRA’s website for more information.
9.2 AHPRA Medical Registration	Registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), which allows the registrant to practise medicine. Refer to AHPRA’s website for more information.
9.3 Consequential Amendment	An amendment that requires urgent implementation as a necessary result of an amendment to another policy or process.
9.4 Educational Phase	The program time during which participants complete learning units and workplace-based assessment requirements.
9.5 Unforeseen Circumstances	Circumstances which were unforeseen, outside the participant’s control and which can be shown to have a direct and significant impact on the participant’s ability to complete the PEP exam candidacy requirements, including: ill-health (other than minor illnesses) with valid certificates; carer’s leave with valid certificates; bereavement; acute adverse life circumstances; hospitalisation; Australian Defence Force deployment leave; Loss of employment, medical registration or provider number; or Other circumstances involving significant changes to a participant’s circumstances For more information regarding leave for extenuating and unforeseen circumstances leave, please see the Practice Experience Program – Extenuating and Unforeseen Circumstances Guidance Document.
9.6 Legislative Leave	Includes both Parental, sick and carers leave granted pursuant to the participant’s workplace entitlements under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), and any other form of leave as permitted under the National Employment Standards. Leave taken which meets the definition above where the participant is a contractor or otherwise not covered by the NES.
9.7 Major Amendment	An amendment that materially changes the operation of the policy but is not otherwise a Minor or Moderate Amendment (ie a change to one major clause or policy review).
9.8 Minor Amendment	An amendment to style, to correct grammatical mistakes, change overall formatting, make updates that do not materially change meaning, or any other amendment, which in the opinion of the Censor-in-Chief, does not materially alter the operation of the policy.
9.9 Moderate Amendment	An amendment that materially changes the operation of a policy by a limited amount (ie a change to one minor clause, or changes that have a limited impact on the outcome of the policy).
9.10 Notifiable Conduct	Notifiable conduct holds the same definition as the AHPRA Guidelines for mandatory notifications about registered health practitioners.
9.11 Part time	Part-time general practice experience is calculated pro-rata against the definition of full-time general practice experience. Part-time general practice must comprise a 14.5-hour minimum working week, over a minimum of two days per week, of which a minimum of 10.5 hours must be in face-to-face, rostered, patient consultation time undertaking general practice activities. Work periods of less than three consecutive hours, or of less than one month in any one practice, will not be considered.
9.12 Post-education Phase	The three years following the educational phase of the PEP in which participants must fulfil Fellowship requirements, including accruing sufficient general practice experience as assessed under the Assessment of General Practice Experience Policy and for completion of Fellowship exams.
9.13 Valid Outcome	An outcome of a general practice experience assessment which has an expiry date in the future, has not been superseded by a more recent general practice experience assessment outcome, has not been rendered void for other reasons such as academic misconduct and confirms the experience eligibility requirements have been met.

10. Related Documents, Legislation and Policies

10.1 Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy

10.2 Practice Experience Program – Code of Conduct

10.3 Practice Experience Program – Standard Stream Satisfactory Completion Framework Guidance Document

10.4 Practice Experience Program – Provider number continuation requirements

10.5 Academic Misconduct Policy

10.6 National Employment Standards

10.7 Practice Experience Program – Extenuating and Unforeseen Circumstances Guidance Document

11. Policy Review and Currency

This policy will be reviewed every three years from the last approval date, or when there is a significant change in the intent of the policy. This policy remains valid and applicable notwithstanding if it is overdue for review.