Profile of a GP

Progressive capability profile

Clinician

Capabilities

Competencies
  Entry Foundation Consolidation Fellowship
Deliver culturally safe care Identify own cultural bias and cultural lens Explain how own cultural lens may impact consultations Work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners/workers and liaison officers, and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Integrate cultural perspectives, beliefs and impacts of historical events into provision of culturally safe care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  Respectfully identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and barriers to self-identification Demonstrate a culturally safe approach to consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Consider cultural beliefs, practices and preferences when referring individuals to other healthcare providers Integrate cultural perspectives and beliefs into provision of culturally safe care in all cross-cultural consultations
  Demonstrate cultural awareness in consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Demonstrate a culturally safe approach to all cross-cultural consultations    
  Provide opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners/workers and liaison officers to join the healthcare team      
  Use cultural awareness and respectful interest in all cross-cultural consultations      
Provide person-centred and comprehensive care, using a biopsychosocial approach Demonstrate holistic person-centred care, applying a biopsychosocial approach Identify and address a patient’s agenda and priorities Identify and address barriers to effective therapeutic relationships Acknowledge patients’ experiences and perspectives and integrate these into management plans
  Identify individuals who may require gender-concordant care   Identify psychological, social and cultural factors that may impact presentation and management of acute and chronic health conditions  
Manage consultations and communicate effectively with patients, families and carers Communicate effectively with patients, families and carers to take a history and explain common diagnoses and management Establish a therapeutic relationship in routine encounters using effective communication Structure consultations to optimise engagement, efficiency and time management Establish a therapeutic relationship and use situational awareness in patient encounters that are challenging
  Identify and address barriers to communication Match modality of communication to patient needs, health literacy and context Negotiate the agenda for the consultation, clarify expectations and verify understanding Proactively use resources to minimise communication barriers
  Demonstrate empathy and compassion and use language and nonverbal behaviour to establish rapport   Communicate effectively with and incorporate views of family, carers and substitute decision-makers appropriately to improve care Effectively prioritise and set reasonable expectations for the consultation.
        Use shared decision-making to align patient, family and carer values, goals and preferences to develop a personalised plan
        Explain relevant evidence to patients to support informed decisions
Collaborate and coordinate care (within healthcare teams and with other professional stakeholders) Work respectfully and communicate effectively with colleagues in healthcare teams   Document organised diagnostic and therapeutic reasoning in clinical notes to facilitate quality continuity of care Provide continuity and effectively collaborate with healthcare teams to lead and coordinate recommendations
  Identify barriers to healthcare and advocate to optimise access   Advocate for patients to access the care needed to optimise health outcomes  
      Provide timely and appropriate referrals  
      Use eHealth systems, such as clinical software, telehealth or other digital health technologies, appropriately to optimise patient care  
Identify and manage uncertainty and acute and undifferentiated presentations (across the lifespan and appropriate to context) Undertake assessments to identify red flags and acute common conditions Identify red flags and undertake safe initial management of serious health conditions. Request assistance with appropriate urgency Demonstrate a structured and rational approach to assessment to identify and initiate management of common urgent and emergent conditions Manage urgent and emergent situations and coordinate appropriate diagnostic strategies
  Formulate safe and evidence-based management plans, seeking timely help from colleagues Articulate and prioritise clinical questions and elicit patient preferences to guide evidence-based care Demonstrate high-level clinical problem-solving, with ability to prioritise clinical issues and identify appropriate diagnostic strategies Reappraise diagnoses over time to minimise clinical reasoning errors
  Obtain informed consent for common procedures and investigations Communicate effectively with patients and carers in emergency situations, including provision of adequate information to enable informed consent Safely undertake procedures appropriate to context and skill levels Appropriately manage patients with complex acute conditions
  Safely undertake procedures under appropriate supervision Identify situations where capacity to consent may be impaired and gain consent through appropriate process Interpret and synthesise complex clinical assessment and diagnostic information to reach high probability diagnoses Manage uncertainty and ongoing undifferentiated conditions
  Demonstrate safe prescribing for common presentations Prioritise patient comfort, alleviating pain and distress Organise appropriate follow-up  
  Outline the clinical presentations that indicate a need for acute resuscitation   Identify clinical deterioration and escalate care appropriately  
  Demonstrate contemporary practice of basic life support   Demonstrate principles of contemporary practice of advanced life support  
  Recognise common health issues that may impact public health   Manage uncertainty with appropriate safety-netting and use of time as a diagnostic aid  
      Appropriately notify and/or intervene regarding emerging public health risks  
Manage individuals with chronic and complex conditions, providing continuity of care (across the lifespan and appropriate to context) Demonstrate knowledge of management and complications of high prevalence chronic conditions Undertake early detection of chronic disease to reduce impacts Provide holistic and rational chronic disease management Deliver appropriate surveillance of chronic conditions and impacts of comorbidities
  Formulate basic management plans for common chronic conditions Access appropriate guidelines and assessment tools to develop and implement management plans Develop person-centred management plans with collaborative goals of care and self-management Adapt communication strategies and provide appropriate resources to optimise self-management
  Identify factors that impact variability in progression and presentation of chronic conditions Prescribe safely, including management of polypharmacy Identify impacts on individuals and their carers and provide support and education to optimise wellbeing and promote self care Provide continuity and establish appropriate models and goals of care with patients and their families
      Undertake rational, safe prescribing and medication monitoring  
Promote health and deliver preventive care (across the lifespan and appropriate to context) Identify individuals with risk factors for common preventable conditions and opportunities to promote wellness   Provide evidence-based health promotion and access to screening, using recall systems Integrate understanding of stages of change and harm minimisation into patient care
  Provide information to promote health, including lifestyle modification     Use a range of strategies and resources to provide health education about normal life stages

Health advocate and leader

Capabilities

Competencies
  Entry Foundation Consolidation Fellowship
Rationally and responsibly use the healthcare system Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and resource limitations of the Australian healthcare system   Demonstrate understanding of limitations and judicious use of healthcare resources Maintain knowledge of relevant government-funded programs and access appropriately
      Appraise and review use of government-funded programs to ensure compliance with guidelines Advocate for barriers to access to local community care to be addressed
      Demonstrate a rational and evidence-based approach to diagnostic and surveillance investigations  
Identify and address contributors to health inequity and advocate for care access Identify the priority population groups in Australia and the determinants that contribute to poorer health outcomes in these groups Facilitate screening and access to care for individuals from priority population groups Identify impact of social, cultural and environmental determinants on local community health and access to care Identify strategies to improve health equity in the local community
      Identify socioculturally appropriate health services to refer individuals from priority population groups to optimise health Identify and manage emerging public health risks in the local community
      Identify barriers to accessing care for the local community  

Ethical professional

Capabilities

Competencies
  Entry Foundation Consolidation Fellowship
Maintain legal and duty of care responsibilities Demonstrate respect for privacy and confidentiality and identify situations where legal responsibilities override these Identify duty of care responsibilities in various contexts Identify and implement duty of care responsibilities for individuals who are at risk or who are placing others at risk Counsel individuals and their families or carers impacted by notifications or reporting, about your responsibilities and their rights within legal frameworks
  Identify duty of care responsibilities in each consultation Identify presentations where there are legislative and/or duty of care requirements to act Consider benefits and harms of diagnostic and management options and counsel patients to support shared decision-making Assess and provide safe management of individuals who refuse or withdraw consent for treatment
  Maintain accurate and thorough clinical records to facilitate quality care Provide and/or access resources to support provision of accurate medico-legal documentation   Synthesise clinical information for accurate medico-legal reporting
Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct Implement key features of professional codes of conduct and ethics relevant to clinical practice Access support to manage threats to effective therapeutic relationships Identify and discuss ethical issues, considering multiple perspectives on solutions Access resources and support to resolve ethical issues
  Identify ethical issues and seek advice and support from colleagues to manage   Distinguish personal beliefs, potential conflicts of interest and biases to minimise impacts on patient safety and access to quality care Identify and ethically support colleagues in difficulty
  Identify resources available to assist health professionals who may be in difficulty   Identify threats to effective therapeutic relationships and boundaries and manage these ethically and professionally Mentor colleagues and develop skills in debriefing after distressing experiences
  Provide support to peers      
  Recognise and preserve therapeutic boundaries      
Use self-reflection to deliver quality care and to enhance and maintain self-care practices Practise ongoing self care and a positive health and wellbeing outlook Access mentoring and support from colleagues for emotional reactions to distressing events Distinguish and manage any disparities between behaviour and professional codes of conduct Regularly reflect on professionalism and ethical conduct and integrate into ongoing learning strategies
  Debrief and obtain support after challenging situations   Demonstrate awareness and critical reflection of personal values, beliefs, attitudes and power differentials in delivering safe care Implement an ongoing plan to overcome professional isolation
      Independently develop plans to optimise personal wellbeing  

Scholar and scientist

Capabilities

Competencies
  Entry Foundation Consolidation Fellowship
Engage in reflective practice and ongoing learning Engage in reflective practice and appraisal, demonstrating self-awareness Engage in reflective practice and appraise and engage in dialogue about own performance Evaluate quality of care delivered by self and peers against good practice exemplars, including development and maintenance of procedural skills Identify gaps in practice relevant to community needs and develop strategies to address these
  Distinguish learning needs and strategies to meet these Identify learning and own wellbeing needs and integrate feedback from colleagues and patients Participate in professional development Undertake regular reflective practice to improve cultural safety skills over time
  Identify professional limitations and seek help appropriately Access resources and support to address learning needs    
  Encourage feedback and demonstrate willingness to change in response Develop learning plans appropriate to practice context    
  Identify colleagues with whom to access mentoring and support      
Integrate best available scientific evidence, teaching and research into practice Demonstrate how to access and critically analyse clinical evidence Access and assess clinical guidelines to assist in clinical decision-making Interpret research findings through understanding of the fundamentals of clinical research methods Apply critical appraisal skills to research evidence to inform clinical practice
  Articulate clinical questions to guide evidence-based care   Integrate evidence-based and experiential knowledge to support diagnosis and management decisions Pose clinical questions that warrant being addressed with formal research
  Use hypothetical deductive reasoning to make diagnoses   Provide constructive feedback to colleagues on quality of clinical care  
      Provide mentoring and education to colleagues  
      Participate in research opportunities as available  
Display commitment to practice quality and safety Identify near misses, adverse events and critical incidents, and discuss with senior colleagues Identify near misses, adverse events and critical incidents, and discuss quality improvement strategies Analyse individual and system factors that contributed to near misses and critical incidents Participate in and/or lead review of critical incidents and near misses and support quality clinical governance in own practice
    Identify issues that can arise in ensuring safety of the general practice work environment as it applies to employees as well as patients Communicate with individuals and families about adverse events and counsel appropriately Use practice systems effectively to share responsibility for safe clinical care, such as through effective handover, follow-up, recalls and reminders
      Participate in and suggest new quality improvement initiatives Identify and lead quality improvement initiatives and/or participate in research to promote quality and safe practice
      Discuss the general practice environment and the essentials of business that influence practice viability Ensure the work environment is safe and supported
        Describe the management of a general practice as an ethical and legal business
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