Overview
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is responsible for the implementation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme across Australia. At times, restrictions, conditions, limitations, reprimands, supervision requirements, tribunal outcomes, suspensions, undertakings and/or any other addenda may be placed on a doctor’s registration which affects their eligibility to train as a general practitioner (GP), to be admitted to Fellowship of the RACGP and, for existing Fellows, to be a supervisor.
Fellowship of the RACGP identifies a practitioner as being capable of providing safe, specialised and high-quality general practice care. It demonstrates to governments, the general practice profession and the community that a doctor is competent to practise safely and unsupervised in any Australian general practice setting.
Some medical registration addenda mean that a medical practitioner is ineligible to enter or continue in an RACGP-approved training program or be admitted to Fellowship.
Supervisors, examiners and medical educators are expected to provide excellent professional and clinical role modelling, as detailed in the RACGP Standards for general practice training; this includes having full and unrestricted medical registration as a specialist GP. Supervisors and medical educators who are engaged in supporting GP in Training (GPiT) in the care of patients must have full GP registration with clinical practice as part of their current scope of practice. Some medical registration addenda may mean a supervisor, examiner or medical educator may not be eligible to commence in,or continue in these roles. These can be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Supervisors, examiners or medical educators with addenda on their medical registration may seek advice from the RACGP.
If you have addenda on your medical registration and you’re a prospective RACGP member, prospective or current GP in Training, or a prospective or current supervisor, examiner or medical educator it’s important to know that you may not be able to progress to Fellowship or be a supervisor, examiner or medical educator while the addenda remain. If your medical registration changes at any time, you must notify us. If you don’t notify us you may be reported for academic misconduct (refer to the Academic Misconduct Policy). A change to your medical registration might include a restriction, condition, limitation, reprimand, supervision requirement, tribunal outcome, suspension, undertaking and/or other remark or change. Therefore, it’s important you notify us as soon as a concern is raised with AHPRA to allow us to provide you with the appropriate support and options. Supervisors and GPiT should notify of changes of medical registration via email to criticalincidents@racgp.org.au. Other groups should notify via email to racgp@racgp.org.au. The RACGP will refer to the AHPRA register of practitioners for registration details.
Addenda and their consequences
Depending on the addenda that your medical registration is subject to, there are various consequences (Table 1) if you wish to:
- train as a GP
- be admitted to Fellowship of the RACGP
- be a supervisor, examiner or medical educator.
Table 1. Summary of consequences of medical registration addenda for general practice training, Fellowship and supervision
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Addenda type
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Consequences
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Possibilities
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Supervised practice requirements
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Direct (Level 1) supervision:
- You are not eligible to:
- enrol or remain enrolled in the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program, Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS), Practice Experience Program (PEP) – Standard Stream, or the Fellowship Support Program (FSP)
- have any general practice experience gained while subject to level 1 supervision as assessed under the Assessment of General Practice Experience Policy
- sit RACGP Fellowship exams
- apply for completion of training
- apply for Fellowship
- apply to be or remain a supervisor, examiner and/or medical educator
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Direct (Level 1) supervision:
- You may:
- Enrol in the PEP – Specialist Stream, if level 1 supervision has been imposed solely because of your international medical graduate (IMG) status and you are otherwise eligible
- become a financial member of the RACGP
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Indirect 1 and 2 or remote (level 2, 3 or 4) supervision:
- You are not eligible to:
- apply to be or remain a supervisor, examiner and/or medical educator
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Indirect 1 and 2 or remote (level 2, 3 or 4) supervision:
- You may:
- apply for completion of training, if supervision has been imposed solely because of your IMG status
- apply for Fellowship of the RACGP, if supervision has been imposed solely because of your IMG status
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Limited scope of practice
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- You may not be eligible to:
- enrol or remain enrolled in an RACGP-approved program
- apply for completion of training
- apply for Fellowship
- apply to be or remain a supervisor, examiner and/or medical educator
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- You may:
- enrol in a Fellowship exam at the discretion of the RACGP
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Suspended medical registration
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- You are not eligible to:
- enrol or remain enrolled in an RACGP-approved program
- sit or enrol in an RACGP assessment
- apply to be or remain a supervisor, examiner and/or medical educator
Note: Per the RACGP constitution, membership terminates if the Member is suspended from practice by any medical or professional authority recognised by the Board. For further information please refer to the RACGP Constitution.
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- You are eligible to:
- to apply for and receive a General Practice Experience assessment, provided your registration was current when you gained the experience you would like to have assessed
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Other undertakings and additional requirements
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- You are not eligible to:
- apply to be or remain a supervisor, examiner and/or medical educator unless your undertakings or additional requirements address a diagnosed health condition
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- You may be eligible to:
- apply for a General Practice Experience assessment
- sit Fellowship exams
- apply for Fellowship
- remain a supervisor, examiner and/or medical educator provided your undertakings or additional requirements address a diagnosed health condition
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Other addenda
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- You are not eligible to:
- apply to be or remain a supervisor, examiner and/or medical educator unless your addenda address a diagnosed health condition
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- You may be eligible to:
- remain a supervisor, examiner and/or medical educator provided your other addenda address a diagnosed health condition
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The RACGP, its members and GPiT practise across all states and territories in Australia including co-regulatory jurisdictions. Where there is inconsistency in terminology relating to supervision levels, the addenda will be assessed for equivalency against the Supervised Practice Framework as published by the Medical Board of Australia. In addition to the consequences and possibilities outlined above, membership of the RACGP is governed by the RACGP Constitution. Members should refer to the RACGP Constitution for further consequences of addenda on their membership.
Glossary
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Addenda
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Includes, but is not limited to, restrictions, conditions, limitations, reprimands, supervision requirements, tribunal outcomes, suspensions, undertakings and/or any other addenda or changes to a practitioner’s medical registration.
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Completion of training
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The point at which the RACGP deems that the registrar has completed their training program requirements, as per the Training Program Requirements Policy.
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Comprehensive Australian general practice
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As defined in the Comprehensive Australian general practice guidance document.
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Education and training requirements
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The mandatory components of the GPiT’s RACGP-approved program as defined in the relevant GPiT handbook.
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Fellowship
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Admittance to either:
- Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP)
- FRACGP and Rural Generalist Fellowship (FRACGP-RG).
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Fellowship assessments
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Assessments run by the RACGP to assess a candidate’s competency for unsupervised general practice anywhere in Australia, including:
- Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)
- Key Feature Problem (KFP)
- Clinical Examination, which depending on the time of sitting, is the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE), Remote Clinical Exam (RCE) or Clinical Competency Exam (CCE)
- any other exam which may substitute for, or be a successor to, the exams listed above.
Advanced Rural Skills Training (ARST) assessments
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Financial RACGP member
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An RACGP member who has:
- met the membership category requirements
- had their complete membership application form accepted
- paid their membership fee in full
- has current financial membership
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General Practice Experience assessment
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A calculation of an applicant’s experience in general practice based on evidence provided by the applicant.
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GP in Training (GPiT)
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The medical practitioner enrolled in any RACGP-approved program before being admitted to Fellowship, of which there are two types:
- Registrars, who are currently enrolled in the:
- Australian General Practice Training program
- Fellowship Support Program
- or Remote Vocational Training Scheme
- Participants, who are currently enrolled in the:
- Practice Experience Program – Standard Stream
- Practice Experience Program – Specialist Stream Partially Comparable
- Practice Experience Program – Specialist Stream Substantially Comparable
- Practice Eligible cohort
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Member
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A member as defined in clause 110(a)(xx) of the RACGP Constitution, including Fellows, Members, Associates, GPs in Training, Honorary Fellows, Honorary Members and Affiliates.
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RACGP-approved program
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An education or training program approved by the RACGP as a suitable pathway 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.
Specified programs listed in Division 6 of the Health Insurance Regulations 2018 (Cwlth).
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RACGP assessments
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Assessments run by the RACGP including:
- National Entry Assessment
- Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)
- Key Feature Problem (KFP), and
- Clinical Examination, which depending on the time of sitting, is the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE), Remote Clinical Exam (RCE) or Clinical Competency Exam (CCE).
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Supervisor
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An accredited GP who is both a clinician and role model who takes responsibility for the education and training needs of to a GPiT/registrar while in the practice.
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