Extended skills training

Extended skills training

You’re required to complete one term (six months FTE) of extended skills training. This training term gives you an opportunity to either extend your skills in community general practice or pursue an area of interest relevant to general practice, for example, accident & emergency, paediatrics, drug & alcohol, mental health, palliative care, sports medicine, sexual health or skin cancer medicine. You can also consolidate your advanced rural skills if you’re on the rural pathway or undertake an approved academic post in this term.

It’s your responsibility to make arrangements with an RACGP-accredited training site to undertake your extended skills training. Your program team will provide information about accredited extended skills training posts in your areas of interest.

This training requirement can be met in several different ways:

• In a hospital setting.
• In non-general practice settings (eg sexual health clinic). Depending on the post, you may be granted approval after successfully completing at least GPT1, and in some instances, GPT2 or 3.
• In general practice; an extended skills training post can only be undertaken once you have successfully completed GPT1, 2 and 3.

Examples of where extended skills training take place include:

• Hospital based setting - Obstetrics and gynaecology, geriatrics, accident & emergency, paediatrics, drug & alcohol, mental health, surgical terms, endocrinology, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, oncology, radiation oncology, dermatology or palliative care.
• Community general practice-based setting - Dermatology, aged care, women’s health, sexual health, drug and alcohol, clinical teaching, undergraduate medical education, men’s health, population health, multi-cultural health, refugee health, sports medicine, travel medicine, minor surgery, skin clinic, diabetes management or preventive health.
• Community non-general practice-based setting - HIV medicine, sexual health, drug and alcohol health, skin clinics, evacuation medicine, alpine medicine, rehabilitation medicine, family planning, custodial medicine, medical education, youth mental health or forensic medicine
• Approved academic post and medical education settings (undertaken concurrently with part-time comprehensive general practice).

You can undertake your extended skills training at one training site or a number of different sites. If you choose to work in a combination of sites, you can do this either sequentially or concurrently. But each training site must be accredited by the RACGP and you must have prospective medical educator approval via the Extended skills placement approval form - registrar.

The total number of minimum weekly working hours for extended skills training is the same as for other general practice terms.

• If you are undertaking training full-time time you must undertake a full-time term over at least four days per week within a 38-hour working week, with a minimum of 27 hours in face-to-face, rostered, patience consultation time undertaking general practice activities. Work periods of less than 3 consecutive hours, or of less than 4 calendar weeks in any one practice will not be considered. Hours worked beyond this full-time definition will not be considered.
• If you are undertaking training part-time term, you must undertake a part-time term over a minimum of two days per week within a minimum 14.5-hour working week, of which at least 10.5 hours is face-to-face, rostered, patient consultation time, undertaking general practice activities. Work periods of less than three consecutive hours, or of less than 4 calendar weeks in any one practice will not be considered.

If you choose to extend your skills in a non-general practice setting (including non-clinical settings), you can work less than 14.5 hours per week (but at least 3.5 hours per week), provided it is done concurrently with another clinical post/s. Combined, these posts must include a minimum of 10.5 hours per week of clinical, rostered, face-to-face patient contact time.

If you choose to partially extend your skills in a non-clinical setting, at least 50 per cent of the total hours (FTE) you work must be extending your skills in another clinical setting. You cannot use a concurrent GPT1, 2 or 3 term to fulfill this 50 per cent requirement. Only undertaking non-clinical extended skills training in an academic post or Registrar Liaison Officer can be concurrent with GPT1, 2 or 3.

You may be eligible to apply for recognition of prior learning and experience (RPLE) for the extended skills training component of the program. For more information about eligibility, refer to Am I eligible to apply? 

Extended skills training for ADF registrars

If you’re an ADF registrar, you may undertake up to six months of extended skills training related to your military training, provided this is approved by the RACGP in accordance with the RACGP Standards for general practice training.

Overseas deployments

You can apply to do your extended skills training as an overseas deployment if you have completed GPT1 and GPT2 in Australia. Applications should be made in advance of an overseas deployment, where possible. The relevant censor will assess such applications on an individual basis.

Your application must provide the following evidence:

• the nominated post can take registrars
• there is appropriate onsite supervision
• the post has opportunities for relevant learning, appropriate patient demographics, and a commitment to teaching and to review your teaching plan
• the post is safe for you, determined by assessment of your living arrangements and health service infrastructure
• an adequate teaching plan
• your supervisor’s current resume and onsite supervisor details and agreement, as required.