Specialist Recognition Program Partially Comparable Requirements for Fellowship


Policy
Last updated 1 August 2023

1. Specialist Recognition Program Partially Comparable Requirements for Fellowship Policy

1.1 Policy number: CO-E-0041.0

1.2 Category: Education

1.3 Approval date: May 2018

1.4 Revision due date: May 2021

1.5 Unit responsible: Education Services

2. Policy declaration

Partially Comparable participants enrolled in the Specialist Recognition Program must meet the requirements detailed in this policy to be awarded Fellowship of the RACGP.

3. Objectives and scope

3.1 Objectives

This policy aims to describe the requirements that Partially Comparable participants enrolled on the Specialist Recognition Program must meet in order to obtain Fellowship of the RACGP.

3.2 Scope

  1. This policy applies to all SIMGs wishing to pursue Fellowship of the RACGP via the Specialist Recognition Program (SRP), and who have been assessed as Partially Comparable under the Comparability Assessment.
  2. This policy and associated policies will supersede the existing Specialist Pathway Program (SPP) policies as from 3 September 2018 and Comparability Assessments will be conducted from this time. Participants enrolled in the existing SPP before 31 August 2018 will continue their candidacy under the policies of the SPP.

4. Definitions

For the purposes of this policy:

  1. Comparable/comparability means the extent to which an SIMG’s recency, continuity of practice, continual professional development, assessment, training, qualifications and clinical experience is assessed as equivalent to an Australian-trained specialist general practitioner at the point of Fellowship.
    1. Partially Comparable means participants assessed as suitable to undertake a defined scope of practice in a supervised capacity and reach comparability within 24 months’ full time equivalent practice.
  2. Comprehensive Australian general practice means:
    1. Continuity of care that is person centred, comprehensive and coordinated; focusing on the whole person, and all presenting symptoms
    2. Health promotion and illness prevention services that are based on patient need and the best available evidence
    3. The diagnosis, treatment and management of the full range of undifferentiated conditions in a diverse range of individuals, families and communities not limited by practice intention or business focus
    4. Community-based general practice undertaken in Australia.
  3. Full time general practice experience comprises a 38-hour minimum working week, over a minimum of four days per week, of which a minimum of 27 hours must be in face-to-face, rostered, patient consultation time undertaking general practice activities. Work periods of less than three consecutive hours, or of less than one month in any one practice, will not be considered. Hours worked beyond this definition of full time will not be considered.
  4. Part time general practice experience is calculated pro-rata against the definition of full time general practice experience. Part time general practice must comprise a 14.5-hour minimum working week, over a minimum of two days per week, of which a minimum of 10.5 hours must be in face-to-face, rostered, patient consultation time undertaking general practice activities. Work periods of less than three consecutive hours, or of less than one month in any one practice, will not be considered.
  5. MBA means Medical Board of Australia
  6. MSF means multi source feedback and consists of two components – a colleague feedback assessment tool and a self assessmentt tool; (collectively known as Colleague Feedback Evaluation Tool (CFET) and a patient assessment tool (Doctors' Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire or DISQ))
  7. SIMG means Specialist International Medical Graduate.
  8. Specialist Pathway Program (SPP) means the SPP referred to throughout this and associated policies and documentation. This is the pathway superseded by the Specialist Recognition Program on 3 September 2018, and which categorised SIMGs as Category 1, 2 or 3.
  9. Specialist Recognition Program (SRP) means the Specialist Recognition Program referred to throughout this and associated policies and documentation. This program superseded the SPP on 3 September 2018, and which assesses SIMGs as Substantially, Partially or Not Comparable.
  10. Supervision/supervised practice means principles of supervision and supervised practice will be based upon the prescribed Medical Board of Australia Guidelines – Supervised Practice of International Medical Graduates.
  11. WBA means Work Place Based Assessment. It provides a framework for evaluating a dotors' performance and progress in those areas of practice best assessed in the context of the workplace. The aim is to support development, providing feedback on progress and identifying areas of difficulty. The emphasis is on assessment for learning and no assessments lead to pass/fail decisions. The WBA may include MSF, self-reflection tasks and supervisor reports.

5. Requirements for Fellowship

5.1 Education requirements

Participants must complete:

  1. Satisfactorily complete a workplace based assessment (WBA), including completion of an RACGP approved Multi Source Feedback (MSF) report after commencing work in Australia.
  2. Repeat the Work Place Based Assessment, unless it was satisfactorily completed on the first attempt.
  3. A Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) course within the 12 calendar months prior to applying for Fellowship. The requirements are detailed in RACGP’s Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Advanced Life Support Courses Guidance Document.
  4. Training in the early management of trauma and advanced life support (ALS) completed within the four years prior to applying for Fellowship. The requirements are detailed in RACGP’s Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Advanced Life Support Courses Guidance Document.

5.2 Experience requirements

Participants must complete at least six months' FTE comprehensive general practice, as approved in advance by the RACGP, under supervision during their candidature in the Specialist Recognition Program. Participants may work part-time, but must meet the published part-time requirements in clause 4.

5.3 Assessment requirements

Participants:

  1. must pass RACGP's 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 the Clinical Competency Exam (CCE) within four calendar years of the date of Program commencement.
  2. must pass the AKT and KFP as a prerequisite to undertaking the Clinical Examination.
  3. Are subject to restrictions on exam attempts in accord with the Fellowship Exam Attempts Policy.

5.4 Professional and ethical requirements

The RACGP reserves the right to withhold awarding an applicant Fellowship of the RACGP, if the RACGP reasonably considers the relevant applicant:

  1. would be at risk of breaching clause 27 of RACGP’s Constitution
  2. is generally unsuitable to hold Fellowship of the RACGP as detailed in RACGP’s Fit and Proper Fellow Policy

5.5 Administrative requirements

Participants must:

  1. Hold current Australian medical registration from the date of commencing work in Australian general practice and throughout their candidature. Participants must promptly disclose all details of any:
    1. Restrictions on or changes to their medical registration; and
    2. Regulatory authority activity, whether in Australia or otherwise, that
      • Has led to or may led to a restriction on practice; or
      • Had led to an adverse finding for the medical practitioner, or forms part of an ongoing investigation.
      Participants with restrictions on their medical registration or any other regulatory activity may not be granted Fellowship of the RACGP. Failure to disclose 5.5.a.i or ii will be handled as per the Academic Misconduct Policy.
  2. Be a financial RACGP member from the time of joining the Specialist Recognition Program and throughout their candidature.
  3. Apply for Fellowship within one year of successful completion of all of the requirements of the Program.
  4. Achieve Fellowship within 24 months' FTE of commencing employment, with a maximum time on the Program of four calendar years.
  5. Participants who fail to meet the requirements of the Specialist Recognition Program or who fail to maintain adequate progression may be terminated from the Program.

6. Related policies, documents and legislation

All policies and guidance documents related to the Specialist Recognition Program are available on our policy page.

7. Administrative procedures

7.1 Access to published policy

This policy will be available via the RACGP website as detailed in clause 6.

7.2 Promulgation of published policy

Relevant staff members, internal and external stakeholders including international medical colleges, existing SRP and SPP participants, and prospective Specialist Recognition Pathway applicants will be provided communications explaining the function and role of this policy.

7.3 Review of this policy

This policy will have a review cycle of three years.


Enquiries

 1800 626 901

 racgpeducation@racgp.org.au

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