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.
This training requirement can be met in several different ways:
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In a hospital setting.
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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)
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In general practice (an extended skills training post can only be undertaken once you have successfully completed GPT1, 2 and 3)
Extended skills training can take place in a:
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hospital based setting, eg obstetrics and gynaecology, geriatrics, accident & emergency, paediatrics, drug & alcohol, mental health, radiation oncology, dermatology or palliative care, etc.
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community general practice-based setting, eg 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, etc.
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community non-general practice-based setting, eg 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, etc.
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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 ME approval, submitting the ‘Extended skills placement approval form – registrar’ at least three months prior.
The total number of minimum weekly working hours for extended skills training is the same as for other general practice terms.
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If you're undertaking training full-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, patient consultation time undertaking general practice activities. Work periods of less than three consecutive hours, or of less than four calendar weeks in any one practice won't be considered. Hours worked beyond this full-time definition won't be considered.
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If you're undertaking training part time, 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 four calendar weeks in any one practice won't 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's 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.
TIP
You should think about your extended skills training requirements early to ensure you have enough time to get the appropriate approval.
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.