Accreditation

Accreditation

All training sites and supervisors need to be formally accredited against the Standards for general practice training, which are set and administered by RACGP. Accreditation of training sites and supervisors focuses on quality; it includes regular reporting and monitoring and quality improvement requirements.

You can refer to the Accreditation standards for training sites and supervisors: Guide to implementation for specific information.

Benefits of being a training site and supervisor

There are many benefits of becoming a training site, which include:

• enhancing your practice’s reputation as a high-quality medical facility delivering training to GPs in training
• developing collaborative relationships with other organisations (such as universities and hospitals) involved in teaching junior doctors and registrars, aiding in the training pipeline
• bringing fresh ideas and energy into your practice, which may lead to improved processes, systems and care
• contributing to the training of future GPs.

Supervisors and the supervisory team provide on the job teaching, mentoring, supervision and support to registrars through a work-based learning model, which involves teamwork, coaching, mentoring and computer-based learning. It can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

Benefits to accredited supervisors include:

• the opportunity to learn new skills through professional development activities such as learning modules and supervisor workshops
• connecting with a community of supervisors
• receiving clinical support from registrars in the practice
• a teaching allowance to remunerate supervisors for protected teaching time. 

Whilst registrars are on a training program, they do make up an important component of the general practice workforce.

Eligibility for accreditation as a training site

To be eligible to apply for accreditation, a training site needs to: 

• hold current accreditation against the RACGP Standards for general practices
• be able to support a registrar and provide a safe clinical learning environment
• provide adequate patient numbers with a variety of demographics to ensure registrars experience sufficient depth and breadth of general practice. Refer to the Comprehensive Australian general practice guide for more information.
• provide a safe and effective learning environment for registrars to meet their learning needs, including but not limited to fair and equitable hours and rosters, stipulated leave and periods of time as requested by the registrar to attend seminars/workshops, small group education sessions for WBAs as organised by the RACGP.
• provide a suitably equipped, dedicated patient consultation room, which includes:
  • computer and internet access with suitable communication software to allow the registrar to participate in education activities
  • access to a telephone and fax machine
  • equipment to access and update patient records, including health screening and recall systems
  • access to online resources to support clinical decision making
  • contact details for alternative avenues of support and information. 

On-site supervision is the expected model of supervision. Supervision requires the supervisor to be on-site for a minimum of 80% in GPT 1 and 2, and a minimum of 50% in GPT 3, 4 and consolidation. Alternate models of supervision will require assessment and require approval by the RACGP FSP training program and will be on a limited case-by-case basis.

In the FSP, training sites and supervisors that aren’t already accredited will be required to become accredited within six months after the registrar has been accepted onto the program.

It’s essential for practice managers and supervisors to understand that having a registrar start the program at the practice does not guarantee accreditation. They must be fully aware of the required standards and demonstrate a commitment to achieving them.

If a training site or supervisor is unable to meet the accreditation standards, the registrar may be required to transfer to another training site to continue their training. In turn, the registrar will no longer be able to provide services under the RACGP issued Medicare provider number.

FSP location restrictions

All general practices are classified, based on their location, according to the Modified Monash Model (MMM), which defines whether a location is metropolitan, regional, rural, remote or very remote. The model measures remoteness and population size on a scale of Modified Monash (MM) categories MM1 to MM7. For more information, please refer to the Health Workforce Locator.

The FSP is a rural training program and only accepts registrars who are working in MM2 to MM7 locations unless the registrar is subject to extenuating and unforeseen circumstances.

Please note that the General Practice Fellowship Program Placement Guidelines are revised regularly, in addition to revisions to the Commonwealth Government's distribution priority areas (DPA) and MM classifications. FSP registrars' training site location must remain in an approved location as per the guidelines for the entirety of the program. A change in training site location may be necessary if the DPAs or MM classifications change.

Eligibility for accreditation as a supervisor

Each training site is required to have an accredited on-site (unless otherwise approved) supervisor who is responsible for providing clinical and educational support to the registrar as well as assessing clinical safety and competence. They are responsible for coordinating the supervisory team at the training site to fulfill this responsibility.

Supervisor

An accredited supervisor should be an excellent professional and clinical role model. The supervisor needs to meet the following criteria to be able to supervise a registrar on the FSP:

• recognised as a specialist GP by Ahpra
• appears on the Ahpra register of practitioners with a status of 'registered'. A supervisor's registration must be without any addenda. This includes, but is not limited to, restrictions, conditions, limitations, reprimands, supervision requirements, tribunal outcomes, suspensions, undertakings and/or any other remarks or changes on medical registration.
• can accommodate a registrar, based on their daily workload, and supervise on-site. This includes meeting the needs of the registrar regarding their level of competency.
• four years of experience in comprehensive general practice, with two of those years as a specialist GP (i.e. after achieving Fellowship and/or after achieving specialist registration)
• currently working in comprehensive general practice
• willing to complete the requirements to become an accredited supervisor, as well as partake in supervision professional development and quality improvement for reaccreditations.

As part of the accreditation process, a supervisor must complete:

• an interview with the medical educator (ME)
• learning modules for new supervisors
• cultural awareness and cultural safety training.