The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) National Rural Faculty has today proudly launched its updated Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice (FARGP).
Over the past 12 months, the FARGP has undergone a major review – the first since its inception in 2006.
Dr Kathy Kirkpatrick, RACGP National Rural Faculty Chair, said the College is excited to announce that from today the FARGP will be available to both general practice registrars and practising GPs as an interactive online program via the Colleges gplearning platform.
The FARGP is the qualification awarded by the RACGP beyond the vocational Fellowship. The FARGP recognises advanced rural skills training undertaken by GPs to develop extended general practice skills and broaden options for safe, accessible and comprehensive care for Australia’s rural, remote and very remote communities.
Dr Kirkpatrick said, the new FARGP offered an engaging and relevant educational program to meet the needs of GPs working in rural and remote areas.
“Rather than taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach, the revised FARGP focuses on building the specific areas of knowledge and skills sets required by individual GPs to meet the needs of their local community,” Dr Kirkpatrick said.
“The new FARGP is based on contemporary thinking in adult learning. The focus is on self-determined learning and reflective practice, placing the learner at the centre of the process.”
The new program can be completed at any stage of the general practice journey, with recognition of prior learning (RPL) a key element of the revised program for practising GPs.
The RPL process enables prior knowledge and skills to be matched against the clearly defined criteria upon which the FARGP is built. This transparent process respects and recognises the existing proficiencies of GPs practising in rural, remote and very remote areas.
“Obtaining a rural general practice qualification is a great opportunity to develop advanced skills and depth of knowledge in this particular field and have that knowledge recognised,” Dr Kirkpatrick said.
Important requirements of the new FARGP include:
- Learning plan and reflection
Completion of a learning plan and reflection, enabling candidates to focus on areas of strength and identify areas they would like to develop further
- Working in rural general practice
Completion of a 6 month community-based project and literature review
- Emergency medicine
Completion of at least 2 relevant advanced Emergency Management courses relevant to general practice
- Advanced Rural Skills Training (12 months)
12 months (full time equivalent) of advanced rural skills training in an accredited training post
For more information on the new FARGP, contact the RACGP National Rural Faculty on 1800 636 764, visit www.racgp.org.au/education/fellowship/fellowship-in-advanced-rural-general-practice or email fargp@racgp.org.au.