Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training project

ReCEnT

Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training project

ReCEnT

Education > GP training > ReCEnT
Last updated 22 February 2024

What is ReCEnT?
The Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) project is a flagship general practice education and training project.

Funded by the Department of Health, the project began as a pilot in 2009 by the former regional training provider General Practice Training – Valley to Coast. ReCEnT has grown quickly, and by 2025 GP registrars in all Australian States and Territories will be participating in the project.

The ReCEnT project is the first of its kind to document Australian GP registrars’ educational and clinical experiences over time by measuring:

  • what registrars do, the types of patients and conditions they see and their clinical and education actions during the consultation
  • how registrars’ practice changes during their training

Why is ReCEnT important?
Information generated by ReCEnT is invaluable to registrars, supervisors and practice managers. Understanding registrars’ experiences allows reflection and insight into areas of practice they may need to change or improve.

Data collected through the project is analysed by the ReCEnT team at RACGP and their collaborators to provide insights into clinical and educational practice.

This information is shared with:

  • GP registrars
  • GP supervisors
  • medical educators
  • a national and international audience via publications and presentations

Why is ReCEnT important?
Information generated by ReCEnT is invaluable to registrars, supervisors and practice managers. Understanding registrars’ experiences allows reflection and insight into areas of practice they may need to change or improve.

Data collected through the project is analysed by the ReCEnT team at RACGP and their collaborators to provide insights into clinical and educational practice.

This information is shared with:

  • GP registrars
  • GP supervisors
  • medical educators
  • a national and international audience via publications and presentations

How does ReCEnT work?
The project requires GP registrars to:

  • complete online encounter forms on which they record details of 60 consecutive consultations
  • Repeat the process in each of their three general practice terms

GP registrars are provided with a Registrar Feedback Report that compares their data to the larger group of registrars and, in some cases, national GP data.

Registrars are strongly advised to discuss their feedback report with their supervisors.

When a training practice has had at least five registrar-terms in ReCEnT, the supervisor and practice manager will receive an Annual Practice Report.

What are the benefits of ReCEnT for registrars?

The patients and conditions that GP registrars see can be highly variable between training practices, and from one registrar to another.

To promote reflective practice, approximately two weeks after completing the encounter forms, GP registrars receive their Registrar Feedback Report. The report compares their practice with that of their peers in the following areas:

  • patient demographics
  • diagnoses
  • test ordering practice
  • prescribing
  • continuity of care
  • duration of consultation
  • seeking of information

This information helps registrars identify what patient exposure they might be missing to help them make
informed decisions about future placements and learning opportunities, as well as targeting their preparation for exams.

What are the benefits of ReCEnT for supervisors and practices?

The Annual Practice Report provides supervisors and practices with information based on their registrars’ clinical encounters.

The information collected from GP registrars’ consultations is compared to aggregated registrar data from all practices collecting ReCEnT data, and national GP clinical activity data.

The Annual Practice Report enables supervisors and practices to see registrars’ clinical exposure and aspects of their clinical and educational experiences.

In addition to gaining specific insights about their registrars’ clinical experiences, supervisors and practices can also glean information about the general attributes of their practice.

What are the benefits of ReCEnT for supervisors and practices?

The Annual Practice Report provides supervisors and practices with information based on their registrars’ clinical encounters.

The information collected from GP registrars’ consultations is compared to aggregated registrar data from all practices collecting ReCEnT data, and national GP clinical activity data.

The Annual Practice Report enables supervisors and practices to see registrars’ clinical exposure and aspects of their clinical and educational experiences.

In addition to gaining specific insights about their registrars’ clinical experiences, supervisors and practices can also glean information about the general attributes of their practice.

ReCEnT at a glance


The project has ethics approval from the RACGP National Research and Evaluation Ethics Committee. All circulation, collection and storage of data is managed in accordance with the project’s ethics approval.

ReCEnT Resources

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