Practice Experience Program Specialist (PEP SP) Application Handbook

Comparability assessment

How do I apply for a comparability assessment?

Applying for a comparability assessment

How do I apply for a comparability assessment?

Applying for a comparability assessment is the first step of your application for PEP SP. You must access the PEP SP application platform and complete Part A – Comparability Assessment application.

We estimate it will take about 90 minutes to complete Part A. You may nominate an agency or a third-party to complete the application on your behalf.

You’ll need an RACGP ID number to start your application. If you don’t have one yet, you can register at no cost on the RACGP website.

Once you have started your online application, you can complete it in any order you want, save it and come back to it at any time. It will be accessible for six months from the day of payment.

If you have questions or require assistance with the application process, you can contact the RACGP by phone on 1800 472 247 or by email at educationsupport@racgp.org.au


Your application will not be processed until the comparability assessment application fee has been paid in full. The RACGP accepts payments via Visa, MasterCard, American Express and PayPal.

Tip

Do not complete Part B – Job Offer Approval Application and Part C – Right to Work application at this stage. You must wait until you have received your comparability assessment outcome.

Documentary evidence

In this section, we will look at the type of evidence you must submit with your comparability assessment application.

All information submitted in your application will be handled as per our Privacy Policy. The RACGP will take reasonable steps to verify the information provided. Submission of plagiarised, false or misleading information will be handled as per the Academic Misconduct Policy.

Important

If you are submitting documents that are in a language other than English, you must provide certified official English translations of these documents with your application in addition to the original version.
You must also make sure that all copies of documents submitted with your application have been verified as true copies of the original by an authorised witness. Please go to Statutory Declaration for more information.

If your name is inconsistent in any of the documentation provided in the application, you must provide official evidence supporting your name change. Evidence of name change must include your previous name and new name.

You must complete a CV using the template provided in the application form. Your CV must be completed and dated within the three months preceding the submission of your application. It must list all your clinical experience from graduation to current and include a written explanation for any gaps in clinical practice greater than three calendar months.

In addition to your CV, you must provide evidence of all the clinical posts you’ve held in the past 48 calendar months.

For each post, you must provide a letter of support from the practice where you worked. Each letter must:

  • be on practice letterhead,
  • be dated and signed by the Practice Principal (preferably), Senior Medical Director, CEO, Director, or Practice Manager, and
  • state the following:
    • the specific dates you were employed in the practice,
    • whether you worked full-time or part-time,
    • the average amount of hours worked each week,
    • the duration of your weekly sessions (eg Monday to Friday, 9am-12:30pm and 1:30pm-5pm), and
    • a detailed description of the duties you were required to perform.

The letter of support must give a detailed summary of the patients and presentations you treated while in the role. Vague statements such as "the duties included everything a general practitioner does" will not be accepted.

You will need to upload copies of:

  • your primary medical degree certificate,
  • your specialist general practice qualification certificate,
  • your certificate of completion of training (where relevant),
  • a confirmation letter from the body which awarded your specialist qualification, stating the pathway followed and the summative assessments undertaken to gain the specialist qualification (this letter is sometimes referred to as a Letter of Good Standing), and
  • a description of the theoretical and practical summative assessments undertaken as part of your specialist general practice qualification (100-300 words each). These descriptions can be drawn from official resources of the awarding body or can be written in your own words.

A list of the recognised summative assessments is available in Appendix 1. If you have completed assessments not listed in Appendix 1, you may provide evidence outlining why these assessments should be taken into consideration as part of the comparability assessment. This could include a letter of support from the specialist college outlining the assessment’s requirements and structure. Colleges should provide as much information as possible, preferably including sample exam questions, psychometrics, and public reports when available.

You will need to provide evidence of medical registration for all jurisdictions of practice since you obtained your specialist general practice qualification (with expiry dates if applicable).

You must also disclose to the RACGP details of any:

  • addenda on your medical registration, whether in Australia or overseas, and
  • regulatory authority activity, whether in Australia or overseas, that:
    • has led or may lead to a change in registration status, or
    • has led to an adverse finding or forms part of an ongoing investigation, and
  • other Notifiable Conduct.

If you fail to disclose this information, it will be handled as per the Academic Misconduct Policy.

You will need to provide evidence that you have completed 50 hours of CPD in the 12 months prior to applying for your comparability assessment.

The RACGP will only consider CPD activities substantiated robust evidence; this will be typically in the form of an official certificate or statement of completion issued by the body that delivered the activity.

All CPD evidence must clearly show:
  • the nature of the activity,
  • the date(s) the activity was undertaken, and
  • the number of hours completed per activity.

Important

Where a certificate or statement of completion shows CPD credits or points, but not the number of CPD hours completed, you must seek a statement from the issuing body that provides a conversion of credits or points into hours. The RACGP will not accept credits or points statements on their own.

To finish your application, you’ll need to complete the RACGP Statutory Declaration and sign it in the presence of an authorised witness.

For a list of authorised witnesses please visit the Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department website.

You’ll also need to get copies of the documents below verified by an authorised witness to confirm they are true copies of the originals:

  • medical registrations for all jurisdictions of practice, and
  • letters of support from your practices for the previous 48 months.
Once these documents have been verified, the authorised witness must list them in the space provided at the bottom of the RACGP Statutory Declaration.
 

Important

The date you sign the initial statutory declaration is considered as your official comparability assessment application date. This is important to remember since the application date will be used as a reference point when assessing certain comparability criteria, eg your recency, general practice experience or CPD.


Once you have completed your application and uploaded all the required documentation, you are ready to submit your application. You will not be able to amend your application once you have submitted it.

 
Checklist – documents to be provided with your comparability assessment application
Name change documentation (if applicable)
Your curriculum vitae
Letters of support for clinical posts you held in the past 48 calendar months
Your primary medical degree certificate
Your specialist medical degree certificate
A letter of good standing from the organisation that issued your specialist qualification
Evidence of medical registration for all jurisdictions of practice since you graduated
Evidence of 50 hours of CPD
Certified translations for documents in a language other than English
Signed statutory declaration
 

 
 

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