The development of the RACGP Profile of the GP is a priority, given the current Competency Profile is limited to describing the profile of the Australian GP at the point of Fellowship. For the new Profile of the GP to take its place in the RACGP educational framework, considerable developmental work is required.
It is recommended that this development be undertaken as a substantial project with a project manager, a work group, an advisory group and a governance structure with reporting lines.
The work group requires significant medical education and clinical general practice expertise.
Development of the Profile of the GP must also align closely with development of the RACGP Curriculum. In particular, there must be alignment in layout and the way competencies, outcomes, outcome indicators and scope of practice are categorised.
There is a wide range of stakeholders to be considered and consulted, and important regulatory requirements with which to align. The first task is to identify these. A preliminary, but not exhaustive, list of significant stakeholders to be consulted includes:
- community representatives, including individuals from the rural and remote context
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- representatives from minority populations, including
- culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities
- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/gender diverse, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) communities
- migrant and refugee groups
- RACGP Board, faculties, councils and committees
- general practice training organisations
- other education providers, in particular universities, to ensure
- alignment with graduate outcomes
- future academic extension and engagement by GPs
- GPs in training and post-Fellowship GPs
- GP advocacy groups, such as General Practice Registrars Australia and General Practice Supervisors Australia
- international medical graduates and Australian doctors changing career paths.
A preliminary, but not exhaustive, list of regulatory institutions, frameworks and documents that the Profile of the GP needs to align with includes:
- Australian Government health priorities5
- Department of Health General Practice Training Outcomes Framework
- Australian qualifications framework43
- Australian curriculum framework for junior doctors 201244
- MBA Code of Conduct 201410
- Australian Medical Council Standards for assessment and accreditation of specialist medical programs and professional development programs 201540
- MBA ‘Registration standard: Continuing professional development’39
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency38
- relevant joint consultative committees
- RACGP strategic plan 2020–22.8