Engage in professional development
Through an education research grant in 2020 and 2021 the RACGP supported the development of a national curriculum for general practice supervisors. The curriculum is suitable for supervisors across all general practice training and workforce programs, including those managed by the Medical Board of Australia. It supports supervisors to undertake professional development (PD) in the core knowledge and skills relevant to supervising a medical practitioner who doesn’t have Fellowship of either the RACGP or ACRRM.
A task-based syllabus is the foundation for a supervision course that will be implemented for new AGPT supervisors in 2023.
Professional development requirements
For current supervisors, the focus of professional development (PD) in 2023 will be to familiarise supervisors with the RACGP approach to GP training. Resources and education will assist supervisors with in-practice teaching, undertake registrar assessments, and complete reporting requirements. It’s just as important RACGP staff learn about you and your practice as it is that you become familiar with RACGP approaches and systems. Where possible, RACGP staff will visit your practice. Local supervisor ‘communities of practice’ meetings will be set up to allow supervisors to learn with and from their peers.
The RACGP will continue to offer and support a range of supervisor PD activities similar to those offered by RTOs. These will include online learning modules, webinars, and regional workshops. All currently accredited supervisors will have their previously completed PD recognised by RACGP. There will be no mandated minimum requirement of supervisor PD in 2023.
Foundations of GP supervision course
From 2023, GPs wishing to become supervisors will be required to complete the Foundations of GP supervision course to become an accredited supervisor.
The Foundations of GP supervision course consists of eight modules, delivered either as a blend of face-to-face workshops and online modules, or entirely online. The course will take one to two days to complete depending on which option you choose.
Prospective primary supervisors must complete the first seven modules before their registrar commences. The final module is designed to reinforce the learning of earlier modules and is completed six to 12 months after the registrar commences.
Prospective secondary supervisors will be required to complete three modules (modules 4, 6 and 7) prior to commencing their supervisory work.
All new supervisors will be required to have recently completed cultural awareness training, such as that available through gplearning.
Foundations of GP supervision course modules
- Introduction to being a GP supervisor
- The start of the supervision placement
- Consultation observation
- Day-to-day supervision
- Random case analysis
- In-practice teaching session summary
- Problem case discussion
- Consolidating initial learning
From 2023, all new supervisors will be required to have recently completed cultural awareness training. Supervisors will need to provide evidence of completion within the last 3 years (4–6 hours).
We believe face-to-face cultural awareness training is more valuable and is the preferred mode of delivery. Please contact your regional team for opportunities in your area. If, however, you’re unable to complete the training face to face, or there is nothing on offer in your region, you may be directed to online courses, including:
- RACGP gplearning – Introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness in general practice
- Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association – AIDA’s Cultural Safety Training
- Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association – Cultural Awareness – An Introduction to Cultural Safety
- Australian College of Emergency Medicine – Indigenous Health and Cultural Competency Program