Fellowship Exams Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to define the Fellowship Exam eligibility requirements, the Candidacy period, and to outline exam withdrawals and how long results remain valid.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all Candidates enrolling in or attempting Fellowship Exams on the:

1. 1. Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program

   2. Fellowship Support Program (FSP)

   3. Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS)

2.2 This policy is to be read in conjunction with the:

1. 1. Fellowship examinations handbook,

   2. Assessments Special Arrangements Policy,

   3. Registrar Support and Educational Interventions Policy,

   4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GP in Training Fellowship Exam Support Policy and

   5. relevant registrar handbooks.

      1. If there is any inconsistency between this policy and the relevant handbook, the terms of this policy take precedence.

3. General principles

3.1 The Fellowship Exams assess competency for unsupervised Comprehensive Australian General Practice as a specialist general practitioner.

3.2 The RACGP believes participation in a training program with appropriate supervision and working in a comprehensive general practice setting is the most suitable way to prepare for the Fellowship Exams.

3.3 Sitting the Fellowship Exams within a set period (exam Candidacy) ensures Candidates have the best chance of success in the exams.

3.4 The RACGP seeks to provide equitable treatment to Candidates throughout the exam Candidacy and to support Candidate wellbeing throughout the exam preparation period given the high-stakes nature of the Fellowship Exams.

3.5 Approval of Suspensions of Candidacy and Sanctioned Exam Withdrawals are at the RACGP’s discretion.

3.6 Determinations of eligibility to sit Fellowship Exams are at the RACGP’s discretion.

4. Fellowship exam eligibility and enrolment requirements

4.1 To remain eligible to sit Fellowship Exams, Candidates must meet the Fellowship Exam eligibility and enrolment requirements up to and including on the day of the exam.

1. 1. If a Candidate becomes ineligible to sit any Fellowship Exam at any time after enrolment in that exam, they must immediately withdraw from the exam and notify the RACGP of the reasons for their exam withdrawal. Failure to do so will be handled per the Academic Misconduct Policy.

4.2 Candidates must meet the following requirements, before enrolling in any Fellowship exam:

1. 1. Satisfactory completion of the Education and Training Requirements for exam eligibility per the relevant registrar handbook, by the date of the Fellowship Exam.

   2. Satisfactory completion of Program Time for exam eligibility per the relevant registrar handbook, by the date of the first Fellowship exam.

      1. Candidates whose exam eligibility End of Term Date falls within the 31 days after the date of a written exam can request to sit the examination if supported by the Training Program Team.

   3. Current RACGP Financial Membership, from the Commencement of Training through the Fellowship Exam date.

   4. Current Australian medical registration, from the Commencement of Training through the Fellowship Exam date.

      1. Candidates with Addenda on their medical registration or any other regulatory activity may not be eligible for Fellowship Exams. Eligibility is determined per the Implications of restrictions, conditions and other addenda on medical registration guide.

      2. Candidates must promptly disclose to the RACGP in writing any

         1. Addenda on their medical registration, whether in Australia or overseas, and/or

            1. regulatory authority activity, whether in Australia or otherwise, that:

               1. has led or may lead to a change in registration status, or

               2. has led to an adverse finding for the Candidate, or

               3. forms part of an ongoing investigation, and/or

            2. other Notifiable Conduct.

      3. Failure to disclose this information will be handled per the Academic Misconduct Policy.

4.3 Candidates who meet the following criteria can enrol but must meet additional requirements before they can sit the Fellowship Exams.

1. 1. Registrars undertaking approved Remediation per the Registrar Support and Educational Interventions Policy.

      1. These Registrars can only sit the Fellowship Exams after completing the Remediation and the Training Program Team have given their approval.

   2. Registrars on an approved period of Parental Leave per the Program Leave Policy.

      1. Registrars on Parental Leave will need to submit a request to sit the Fellowship Exams and that request must be supported by the Training Program Team.

         1. Registrars on all other approved leave are not eligible to sit Fellowship Exams.

4.4 Candidates must hold a pass in the AKT and the KFP before sitting the CCE (clinical competency exam).

1. 1. The AKT and KFP can be done in any order.

   2. Candidates may enrol in all three Fellowship exams within the one semester.

      1. If a Candidate enrolled in the CCE and is unsuccessful in the AKT and/or KFP, they are automatically withdrawn from the CCE and refunded the full CCE enrolment fee.

4.5 The RACGP may request additional information from the Candidate to inform decisions about Fellowship exam eligibility. Candidates must comply with any requests for further information for this purpose..

5. Exam candidacy

5.1 Candidacy is the overall time window that each Candidate has to sit and pass all the Fellowship Exams (AKT, KFP, CCE).

1. 1. Candidacy is six consecutive Exam Semesters, over three years.

   2. Candidacy commences when the Candidate enrols and sits their first Fellowship Exam after semester 1 of 2019.

      1. If the Candidate fails to sit the first exam due to an Unsanctioned Exam Withdrawal, the exam will still be deemed to be the beginning of their Candidacy.

5.2 Candidacy will continue independent of any program withdrawals or any program transfers, per the Training Transfer Policy, unless advised otherwise by the RACGP.

5.3 If the Candidate does not pass all three Fellowship Exams by the end of their Candidacy, the Candidate is ineligible for Fellowship and will be involuntarily withdrawn from the Training Program per the Withdrawal Policy.

6. Exam passes

6.1 Any Fellowship Exam passed during Candidacy remains valid for the duration of the Candidacy.

7. Suspension of candidacy

7.1 Each Candidate may apply for one Standard Suspension of Candidacy, pausing their Candidacy for one semester.

1. 1. Candidates cannot sit Fellowship Exams during this semester.

   2. Candidates may apply for their Standard Suspension of Candidacy at any time during their Candidacy until they have sat an exam in their final Exam Semester.

      1. Candidates who do not sit an exam that they have enrolled in and do not have a Sanctioned Exam Withdrawal for that exam, cannot apply for a Standard Suspension of Candidacy for that semester.

7.2 The RACGP will grant a Non-standard Suspension of Candidacy for

1. 1. Candidates who transfer for the first time to another Training Program, for the purpose of completing the Education and Training Requirements for exam eligibility:

      1. until the Candidate has met the exam eligibility requirements per the relevant handbook or until withdrawn from the program per the applicable withdrawal policy​.

   2. Candidates undertaking approved Remediation for the AGPT Program or the FSP Program.

   3. Candidates on approved leave from an RACGP Program where the circumstances that led to requiring the leave have impacted the Candidate’s ability to prepare for or sit the exam.

7.3 A Suspension of Candidacy cannot be applied for or granted for a Candidate

1. 1. if they sat at least one exam in every semester of their exam Candidacy, or

   2. whose Candidacy has ended.

8. Exam withdrawals and refunds

8.1 Candidates may apply to be withdrawn from an exam. The RACGP may request additional information from the Candidate to inform this decision. Candidates must comply with any requests for further information for this purpose.

1. 1. If the application is approved, this is a Sanctioned Exam Withdrawal.

      1. The granting of a Sanctioned Exam Withdrawal for an exam does not guarantee a refund of the enrolment fee.

      2. If a candidate withdraws from an exam at least 20 business days before the scheduled exam date, they are entitled to a refund of the enrolment fee minus the exam withdrawal fee.

   2. Any withdrawal from an exam that isn’t approved by the RACGP in writing is considered an Unsanctioned Exam Withdrawal.

8.2 Exam enrolments, including the enrolment fee, cannot be transferred to future exams or to another applicant.

9. Pre-2019 exam results

9.1 Existing exam pass results will remain valid per the Assessments and Examinations Candidate Handbook that was applicable at the time of the first pass.

1. 1. A Suspension of Candidacy does not extend the three-calendar year validity of an exam pass obtained prior to 1 January 2019.

   2. If the Candidate enters an RACGP-Approved Program, previous exam passes are valid but paused until the requirements of the new program are met and then will be extended by the length of the Candidate’s Program Time.

      1. A second entry into a training program does not further extend the exam pass.

   3. If an exam pass that predates 1 January 2019 expires within the Candidate’s three-year period of Candidacy after the 2019.1 Exam Semester, the Candidate must re-sit and pass the expired exam within their Candidacy to be eligible for Fellowship.

9.2 Exam attempts before 1 January 2019 do not count as part of the exam Candidacy or the total number of exam semesters in the Candidacy.

10. Disputes, reconsiderations and appeals

10.1 Candidates who believe the RACGP has made an incorrect decision in relation to the Fellowship Exams can apply for reconsideration per the Dispute, Reconsideration and Appeals Policy.

11. 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.

12. Responsibilities

12.1 Censor-in-Chief	Approving minor amendments Approving moderate amendments Approving consequential amendments Approving non-standard suspensions of candidacy
12.2 Candidate	Tracking their candidacy period Enrolling and sitting assessments within their candidacy Applying for a single standard suspension if required.
12.3 RACGP	Determining if the candidate has satisfactorily completed the exam eligibility requirements Recording the start and end date of the candidate's candidacy and making this available to the candidate
12.4 RACGP Board	Approving major amendments
12.5 RVTS Team	Determining if the candidate has met the exam eligibility requirements

13. Glossary

13.1 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.gov.au for more information.
13.2 Candidacy	The three-year period, separate to training program time, during which a registrar can attempt Fellowship exams..
13.3 Candidate	The medical practitioner who has enrolled to sit RACGP Fellowship Exams.
13.4 Commencement of Training	The first day on which the registrar begins their RACGP-approved program.
13.5 Comprehensive Australian General Practice	As defined in the Comprehensive Australian general practice guide.
13.6 Consequential Amendment	An amendment that requires urgent implementation as a necessary result of an amendment to another policy or process.
13.7 Education and Training Requirements	The mandatory components of the registrar’s RACGP-approved program as defined in the relevant registrar handbook and applicable RACGP policies.
13.8 End of Term Date	The original cohort end date for GPT2 (for AGPT registrars) or the educational component (for FSP registrars).
13.9 Exam Semester	The original cohort end date for GPT2 (for AGPT registrars) or the educational component (for FSP registrars).
13.10 Fellowship	Admittance to either: Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP), or FRACGP and Rural Generalist Fellowship (FRACGP-RG).
13.11 Fellowship Exams	The exams run by the RACGP to assess the candidate’s competency for unsupervised general practice anywhere in Australia, including: Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), Key Feature Problem (KFP), and Clinical Competency Exam (CCE).
13.12 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).
13.13 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.
13.14 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).
13.15 Non-standard Suspension	A suspension of an exam semester granted by the RACGP and determined on a case-by-case basis (eg for the first program transfer, etc).
13.16 Notifiable Conduct	As per the Medical Board of Australia's Guidelines for Mandatory notifications about registered health practitioners.
13.17 Parental Leave	Approved time off work or a training program to care for a child (a newborn, recently adopted child, or long-term foster child) or for pregnancy loss occurring after 20 weeks of gestation.
13.18 Program Time	The length of time required to complete an RACGP-approved program per the Training Program Requirements Policy.
13.19 RACGP-Approved Program	An education or training program approved by the RACGP as a suitable avenue to Fellowship, including the: Australian General Practice Training Program, Remote Vocational Training Scheme, Fellowship Support Program, Practice Experience Program – Standard Stream Practice Experience Program – Specialist Stream Partially Comparable Practice Experience Program – Specialist Stream Substantially Comparable These Training Programs are approved specified programs listed in Division 6 of the Health Insurance Regulations 2018 (Cwlth).
13.20 RACGP Financial Member	An RACGP member who has: met the membership category requirements, had their complete membership application form accepted, and paid their current membership fee in full.
13.21 Registrar	A medical practitioner enrolled in the: Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program,  Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS), or Fellowship Support Program (FSP).
13.22 Remediation	An approved additional term of AGPT or FSP program time in which the registrar receives further support in order to address performance concerns.
13.23 Sanctioned Exam Withdrawal	Withdrawal from an RACGP assessment that has been approved in writing by the RACGP.
13.24 Standard Suspension	A single suspension of an exam semester granted automatically and available to any candidate once during their candidacy.
13.25 Suspension of Candidacy	An exam semester in which the candidate is not required or permitted to attempt Fellowship exams.
13.26 Training Program	Either the: Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program,  Fellowship Support Program (FSP), or Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS),
13.27 Training Program Team	Staff with local knowledge and relationships who support registrars from the time they enter a training program through to Fellowship. AGPT: the training coordinator, medical educator, cultural mentor and administrator. FSP: the program officer, medical educator and nominated supervisor. RVTS: the registrar training support team.
13.28 Unsanctioned Exam Withdrawal	Withdrawal from an RACGP assessment that is not approved in writing by the RACGP.

14. Related documents, legislation and policies

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GP in Training Fellowship Exam Support Policy.

• Academic Misconduct Policy

• AGPT Registrar Training Handbook

• Application for Special Consideration for Financial Hardship

• Assessments Special Arrangements Policy

• Dispute, Reconsideration and Appeals Policy

• Exam enrolment webpage

• FSP Registrar Handbook

• Fellowship examinations handbook

• Implications of restrictions, conditions and other addenda on medical registration guide

• PEP SP - Withdrawal Policy

• Program Leave Policy

• Registrar Support and Educational Interventions Policy

• RVTS Program Handbook

• RVTS Withdrawal from Training Policy

• Training Transfer Policy,

• Withdrawal Policy

15. Policy review and currency

This policy will be reviewed every three calendar 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.