Important concepts

The following definitions of full-time and part-time work will apply while you work in your RACGP-approved practice:

Full-time general practice experience is defined as at least 38 hours distributed over a minimum of four days per week. A minimum of 27 hours must be in face-to-face, rostered, patient consultation time undertaking general practice activities. Work periods of less than three consecutive hours, or less than four calendar weeks in any one practice will not be considered. Hours worked beyond this fulltime definition will not be considered.
► A participant working full time is defined as 1.0 Full Time Equivalent (FTE).

Part-time general practice experience is defined as at least 14.5 hours distributed over a minimum of two days per week, of which at least 10.5 hours is face-to-face, rostered, patient consultation time, undertaking general practice activities. Work periods of less than three consecutive hours, or less than four calendar weeks in any one practice will not be considered.
► A part-time participant’s FTE status is calculated by dividing the participant’s scheduled weekly hours by the number of hours for an official weekly full-time load, e.g. a participant working 19 hours per week is a 0.5 FTE (= 19 ÷ 38).

The program time cap, or program maximum timeframe, is a requirement set by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) in their Standards: Specialist medical college assessment of specialist international medical graduates. It refers to the maximum amount of time you can remain on the program from the day you start work in your approved practice in Australia to the day you are admitted to FRACGP.

• If you are working in your practice on a full-time basis, your time cap is two calendar years (24 calendar months).
• If you are working in your practice on a part-time basis, your time cap is four calendar years (48 calendar months) pro-rata, i.e. it will be calculated proportionally to your FTE status. The lower the hours worked per week, the longer your maximum timeframe will be, up to a limit of 48 calendar months. 

The following table is for example purposes only; your exact program time cap will be communicated to you when you start the PEP SP.

The training program, also referred to as Part D, is the period that commences on the day you start work in your approved practice in Australia and during which you must complete the program’s educational activities and workplace-based assessments (WBAs).

Regardless of your full-time or part-time status, your training program will last six calendar months. If you are unable to complete the program within six calendar months, you may discuss an extension with your Medical Educator.

Once you have completed the training program, you can sit the Fellowship exams, ie the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), the Key Feature Problem (KFP), and the Clinical Competency Exam (CCE).

The period during which you can enrol and sit the Fellowship exams is referred to as your candidacy.

Candidacy is a generic term used across all RACGP-approved Fellowship programs to describe the 3-year period during which candidates must attempt and pass their Fellowship Exams once they have met the program’s mandatory requirements. A candidacy is typically made up of six exam semesters and starts in the semester in which you enrol in and sit your first Fellowship exam. All three Fellowship exams are delivered in each exam semester.

While the concept of candidacy applies to you as a participant in the PEP SP, it is important to note that it is overridden by the program time cap. This means that if you reach the time cap prior to passing all Fellowship Exams, you will have to exit the PEP SP without the possibility to sit more Fellowship exams under PEP SP. You may be eligible to suspend your candidacy at that point. If the suspension is approved, you will be able to use any remaining candidacy if you enrol in another RACGP-approved program.

Any exam you pass during your candidacy are valid for the duration of your candidacy, including periods of suspension.