Recognition of Extended Skills

in Military Medicine and Veterans’ Health

apply now 
The RACGP > Faculties > RACGP Specific Interests > Recognition of Extended Skills > Military Medicine and Veterans’ Health

Introduction and overview

Australian general practitioners (GPs) are central to the provision of healthcare for more than 600,000 ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). GPs may also be required to provide health services to the approximately 60,000 permanent ADF members and 39,000 members in the reserve force, in civilian and military settings.

Recognition of Extended Skills for Fellows of the RACGP in Custodial health is for GPs who have extensive experience and work:

  • in a uniformed medical service (regardless of SERCAT)
  • as a civilian contractor in Defence clinical contexts
  • as a clinician in the Department of Defence, DVA or other government agency
  • in independent primary care, caring for veterans
  •  any combination of the above

In your application you will need to provide:

  • a summary of your work history
  • qualifications or educational activities with copies of certificates, diplomas, degrees etc
  • a reviewing performance activity within the current triennium
  • a measuring outcomes activity within the current triennium
  • a response to a short answer question/s
  • three case studies.

Please log your reviewing performance and measuring outcomes via your myCPD dashboard. You can choose to do any activity that you think relates to the extended skills outcomes

Document your participation in any one of the following and how it relates to the achievement of the extended skills outcomes:

  • Peer group learning
  • Evidence-based medicine journal club
  • Random case analysis
  • Clinical supervision
  • Clinical meetings
  • Other (for example: describe how you keep up to date with new research and reflect on the impact this has on your practice)

Audits or PDSA

Audit of compliance with the Annual Veteran Health Check (AVHC).

Audit of concordance between Medical Employment Classification – Defence (MEC‑D) recommendations and the final determinations made by the confirming authority and Medical Employment Classification and Reporting System (MECARS) Medical Officers.

Audit and reflection on five Injury or Illness While on Base or Service (IWBS) cases, focusing on:

  1. What went well
  2. What could have been improved
  3. How you prepared for the assessments

Audit related to the management of cardiovascular conditions (CVC).

Audit related to military‑specific screening, such as:

  1. Domestic violence
  2. Alcohol and other drug use
  3. Liver disease

Design your own context‑specific audit or PDSA activity, using the CPD guidance document and approved template.

Self-assessment checklist

You will complete a self-assessment checklist at the beginning of your application to rate your confidence against the extended skills outcomes.

If you choose to continue your application a fee will be payable.

If you have identified some gaps in your skills, you can discontinue the application process and come back in the future. We recommend you start a new application so that you can complete the self-assessment again.