I am wanting to apply for the PEP

The Practice Experience Program (PEP), is a self-directed education program designed to support non-vocationally registered (non-VR) doctors on their journey to RACGP Fellowship.

The PEP aims to provide targeted educational support for non-VR doctors (primarily international medical graduates (IMGs) to help them deliver quality general practice care to their patients.

From January 2022 it will be compulsory that all RACGP Fellowship exam candidates to complete either the Australian General Practice Training program (AGPT) or the PEP in order to be eligible to obtain FRACGP.

The PEP is a RACGP initiative that will be delivered in partnership with Training Organisations (TOs).

There are four intakes for the PEP program in 2020 (January, April, July and October), please see About the PEP or the Pathway to Fellowship (application information) for specific details. Please note participants starting the PEP in 2020 will need to undertake the PEPEA.

Yes. The PEP is a Commonwealth supported program funded under the Stronger Rural Health Strategy. Please note you will need to meet eligibility requirements to be considered for the program and that meeting these requirements does not guarantee you a place in the PEP.

Yes. The PEP is a Commonwealth supported program funded under the Stronger Rural Health Program. Please note you will need to meet eligibility requirements to be considered for the program and that meeting these requirements does not guarantee you a place in the PEP.

You do not need to be an Australian citizen to apply for the PEP. Please note you will need to meet eligibility requirements to be considered for the program and that meeting these requirements does not guarantee you a place in the PEP.

The PEP is Commonwealth Government supported, which will result in a reduced cost to participants. The co-payment amount that each participant will be required to pay will be $2,000 per six-month term. Please be advised if you withdraw from the program after having been formally accepted (in writing via a Program Agreement and subject to invoice payment) you will not be eligible for government funding should you wish to join the program in another intake.

Participants are also required to pay a one-off fee for the Practice Experience Program Entry Assessment (PEPEA). This fee is $725.

Please contact pepadmin@racgp.org.au for further details.

Yes, all applicants and participants must meet the following requirements:

1. Appear on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Register of Practitioners as a medical practitioner by the date of commencement of the first term of PEP; and
2. Hold registration under the general, limited (area of need) or provisional registration categories.
3. Hold registration without any registration conditions, undertakings, or notations that limit scope of practice as determined by PEP Medical Educators (PEP MEs), by the date of commencement of the first term of PEP.

No, doctors on limited area of need or provisional categories of medical registration may be eligible for PEP, as long as practice location requirements, to allow access to a Medicare Provider number under PEP, are met.

You will carry your exam passes with you into the PEP, in line with clause 6 of the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy. Existing pass results obtained before 2019.1 remain valid in accord with the exam candidate handbook that was in place at the time of the first pass – usually three years. If you enter the PEP, exam expiry will be frozen for the duration of your program; you will then have the remainder of the three years after you complete your program to pass any remaining exam segments.

If you have no passes before entering PEP, you will have three years from the point of becoming eligible to pass all three segments, in line with clause 5.1.ii of the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy.

Please note that you are not able to enrol in any exams until you have completed your program time satisfactorily.

Yes, you can. Provided you meet the PEP eligibility requirements, holding exam passes does not affect whether you can enter the PEP.

All candidates who already hold exam passes will carry them into the PEP Standard Stream. Exams passed before 2019.1 remain valid in accord with the exam candidate handbook that was in place at the time of the first pass – usually three years. After three years, those passes will expire and you will begin a new exam candidacy under the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy.

For those who have passed exam segments after 2019.1, your exam candidacy will be paused while you are in PEP and your passes will remain valid for the rest of your candidacy; if you enter the PEP, exam expiry will be frozen for the duration of your program; you will then have the remainder of the three years after you complete your program to pass any remaining exam segments.

If you have no passes before entering PEP, you will have three years from the point of your first exam attempt to pass all three segments, in line with clause 5.1.ii of the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy.

In line with the PEP Exam Eligibility Policy, participants may not sit Fellowship examinations whilst still in the PEP Standard Stream. Participants may enrol in examinations prior to completion of Program time, but must have completed allocated Program time by the time that they sit the exams.