Rural Generalist training

The RG Fellowship is a qualification awarded by RACGP in addition to the vocational Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP). It aims to develop additional rural skills and broaden options for safe, accessible and comprehensive care for Australia’s rural, remote and very remote communities. The RG Fellowship cannot be undertaken as a stand-alone qualification.

You have up to six years to complete the requirements of the Rural Generalist Fellowship requirements.

Rural Generalists deliver primary care services, emergency medicine and additional skills like obstetrics, anaesthetics and mental health services to provide access to a broader range of specialist medical care in their communities.

The RG Fellowship recognises the extra requirements and skills of rural GPs and supports you to meet the diverse health needs of rural and remote communities.

To complete the requirements of the Rural Generalist Fellowship, you must satisfactorily complete:

• 12 months full-time equivalent (FTE) hospital term (can be postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) or above)
• 18 months FTE community-based GP term (minimum of 12-months FTE must be in a rural MMM3-7 location)
• 12 months FTE Additional Rural Skills Training (ARST)
• six-month core emergency medicine training
• (optional) six-month extended skills term in either a hospital, community GP or community non-GP setting
• A rural general practice community-focused project (optional unless specified in the ARST curriculum).

Yes you can. You can complete the RG Fellowship concurrently with the Fellowship of the RACGP from the start of your training or opt in to it at any point during your training. It can also be undertaken post-Fellowship.

It is recommended you plan to undertake the RG training requirements in an order that enables you to get the most out of your experience and fulfil the majority of the RG Fellowship requirements before sitting the Fellowship exams.

We’re the largest representative of rural GPs in Australia. With more than 21,000 members of the RACGP Rural Faculty, including more than 10,000 GPs living and working in rural areas we represent 4 out of 5 rural GPs. As an RACGP GP in Training, you’ll have access to this community and a strong network of support.

We’ve been training rural GPs for over 60 years. Our training adheres to high standards and provides a clear learning pathway encompassing general practice, hospital and additional skills to prepare you well for a career in primary care. 

RACGP’s Rural Generalist (RG) Fellowship offers you the opportunity to gain experience in hospital and community-based care settings so you’re well equipped to work across both. You will develop the depth and breadth of skills required for both settings.

We offer flexibility. If your situation changes down the track, you can opt in or out of RG training later without any penalty. If you decide to opt out of RG training, you will complete the Fellowship of the RACGP and will be able to work unsupervised anywhere in Australia. As an RACGP Rural Generalist you can choose to work in private practice, hospitals, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Australian Defence Force, retrieval medicine, Aboriginal Medical Services or even overseas in places like Antarctica.

Yes you can and there is no cost to transition for candidates that are currently completing the FARGP. Visit the RACGP website and complete the application form to transition to the RG Fellowship. Upon completion, you’ll be awarded the new Fellowship of the RACGP Rural Generalist and will be able to use the post-nominals FRACGP-RG in addition to FRACGP.

The AGPT Program provides a Rural Generalist Training Policy (AGPT RG) for candidates wishing to train towards becoming a Rural Generalist (RG).

150 training positions will be offered through RACGP nationally for the 2022 intake. AGPT RG candidates must select to train towards FRACGP combined with the RG Fellowship at the point of application.

We have developed a guidance document for opting in or out of the AGPT Rural Generalist policy that you can access on the RACGP website.

AGPT RG provides additional flexibility for registrars, including:

• Up to 6 years from the start of training to attain Fellowship of the RACGP and the RG Fellowship
• You can complete your ARST training in MMM-1 locations and / or with other RTOs if the placement required to complete your ARST is not available in the region in which you are training.
• You will be classified as an RG. This will allow you to access all benefits associated with the classification of RG as a specialty within General Practice, should the RACGP and ACRRM’s joint application to the Medical Board of Australia be successful.

If you are a new RACGP applicant:

• Indicate interest in pursuing Rural Generalist Training by selecting the option on the application form
• Select the rural pathway, and
• Be seeking to work towards Fellowship of the RACGP combined with the Rural Generalist Fellowship.

If you are already enrolled with RACGP:

• Opt in to Rural Generalist Training through the AGPT Program via the RACGP. To opt complete the online application form on the RACGP website.

Once an application is received the RACGP or the relevant Regional Training Organisation (RTO) will make contact and offer the applicant the opportunity to train under the AGPT Rural Generalist Policy.

• Read the AGPT Rural Generalist Policy
• Read the AGPT Rural Generalist Policy: Guidance for opting in or out

No, you do not need to be enrolled in a State/Territory Rural Generalist Program in order to complete the RACGP’s RG Fellowship or train under AGPT RG.

All AGPT registrars training on the AGPT Program prior to 2019 and who are enrolled in a State/Territory Rural Generalist Program will be given the opportunity to train under this policy.

Yes, you can opt into training as an RG later in your training journey.

This may be because you decide to undertake some Additional Rural Skills Training (ARST) as you see the need for these skills in the community in which you are training or it may be because you have chosen to move to a remote or rural area that supports, and benefits from, your training in RG.

You may opt into being classified as an RG from either pathway (general or rural).

Yes, if your circumstances change in the future, you may opt out of training as an RG and continue to train towards the Fellowship of the RACGP.

You will, however, need to remain on the rural pathway and continue to work in an MMM2-7 location.

For the  RG Fellowship, this includes:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health;
• Academic Practice;
• Adult Internal Medicine;
• Anaesthetics (DRGA);
• Child Health;
• Emergency Medicine;
• Mental Health;
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology (DRANZCOG/DRANZCOG Advanced);
• Palliative Care;
• Surgery.

Other posts can be considered by the RACGP Rural Censor on application as part of an individually designed program e.g. a composite poste with child health and mental health.

For more information on the RG Fellowship, visit www.racgp.org.au/rg

There is no registration fee for new applicants or current AGPT registrars.

The Additional Rural Skills Training (ARST) fee of $2,800 (GST free) will be charged right before you start your Additional Rural Skills Training post. The ARST fee is only payable for the six RACGP managed ARSTs. The ARST fees for anaesthetics, obstetrics and emergency medicine are administered by the relevant medical college (Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA), Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) or Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM)).