General practice training

General practice training

Depending on the training program you are enrolled in, you need to complete a minimum of 18 months FTE of general practice placements in an RACGP-accredited general practice training site under the guidance of an RACGP-accredited supervisor. You must complete at least 52 weeks of this training in an MMM 3–7 location either in one continuous block or in two six-month terms. You should be living and working in the rural community during your rural general practice placement.

If you have completed your general practice training component prior to beginning your rural generalist training but have not completed a minimum of 52 weeks in an MMM 3–7 location, you will need to complete additional training in a suitable training site to meet this requirement.

General practice placements should provide:

• exposure to a diverse range of patient presentations in terms of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and cultural and linguistic background
• adequate exposure to different general practice supervisors and management systems to satisfy the practice diversity requirements
• for rural general practice placements, one or more of the following opportunities in order to experience:
  • GPs providing emergency/trauma services at the local hospital or similar healthcare facility
  • GPs providing other procedural and/or non-procedural services at the local hospital or similar healthcare facility
  • limited local access to specialists, including hospitals with salaried medical specialists and inpatient–outpatient allied health services
  • GPs providing after-hours services based on community needs.

If you completed your general practice terms in MMM 3–7 locations before beginning rural generalist training, you may be eligible to apply for RPLE. Please check the rural general practice requirements.

Please note, if you plan to do your ARST post in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in a rural community, you may be eligible for RPLE for the rurality requirement of the 52 weeks of rural general practice training, but this will not reduce your general practice training time. You need to ensure that the requirements for both have been or will be met prior to commencing the RPLE application process.

Training obligations

The training program requirements underpin the operational policies for 2023. You can speak to your program team about additional training obligations that may apply in your region.