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frequently asked questions
training with ncgpt
NCGPT FAQs | 1
frequently asked questions about training with NCGPT
1. how do I apply for GP training - what is
the process and who runs it?
General Practice Education & Training
(GPET) is responsible for the national
selection process for GP registrars.
Prospective applicants need to carefully read
the 2015 Applicant Guide on the GPET
website at: 2015 AGPT Applicant Guide
At the end of the national selection process
GPET provides Regional Training Providers
with a list of names of candidates to consider.
The number of candidates on this list is about
10% greater than the places available. This
list is based on results obtained in the
National Assessment Centre scores achieved
by each applicant and the preferences that
applicants have indicated in their application.
NCGPT may then interview candidates and
makes decisions about offering places on our
program.
2. eligibility for GP training
Eligibility for entry into the Australian General
Practice Training program is influenced by
applicant’s citizenship status, where they
obtained their primary medical qualifications,
the status of their medical registration and an
applicant’s enrolment in any other specialist
vocational training program. The flowcharts
on the inside cover of the 2015 Applicant
Guide 2015 AGPT Applicant Guide can be
used to determine eligibility for the 2015
AGPT program.
3. should I take a General Pathway or a
Rural Pathway?
In 2015 NCGPT has 40 Rural Pathway places
and 8 General Pathway places available. The
only significant difference between Rural &
General Pathways is where you do your
training. Rural Pathway candidates must
undertake their training in a rural location, as
defined by the Government’s remoteness
areas (RA) classification system. Rural is
classified as RA2 and above. That’s pretty
much 95% of our region. The only area
NCGPT Rural Pathway candidates cannot be
placed is within a few kilometres of the
Queensland border e.g. Tweed Heads,
Kingscliff. General Pathway candidates are
allowed to work in the border city of Tweed
Heads which is classified as a “major city” in
the RA classifications. Registrars on the
General Pathway are also eligible to train in
rural or regional areas. Applicants who
nominate for the General Pathway with
NCGPT will generally be expected to locate
themselves and train in our northern practice
nodes.
Image: NCGPT Medical Educators
A registrar’s training pathway has no
implications on where they can later work as a
vocationally registered GP with specialist
(general practitioner) registration. The
duration of training is dependent on a
registrar’s choice of College vocational
training program (FRACGP/FACRRM), other
vocational training choices and relevant prior
experience, not their choice of pathway.
Both Rural and General Pathway candidates
can complete the requirements for Fellowship
of the Royal Australian College of General
Practice (FRACGP) in 3 years. However,
candidates wishing to pursue the Fellowship
of the Australian College of Rural and Remote
Medicine (FACRRM) do need to complete a
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fourth year of ‘Advanced Specialised
Training’.
The RACGP also offers an optional fourth
year leading to the Fellowship in Advanced
Rural General Practice (FARGP). The
additional and advanced rural training offered
by both Colleges is specifically aimed at those
wishing to prepare for the challenges
presented by rural and remote general
practice. NCGPT‘s education program
supports registrars to pursue all three of these
qualifications. For further information about
General versus Rural Pathway, please click
here.
4. what do I need to do to get Recognition
of Prior Learning (RPL) towards GP
training?
RPL is individually assessed and up to 52
weeks of RPL may be granted for hospital
based training completed in Australia post
general registration. Your RPL is assessed
upon acceptance into the AGPT program by
NCGPT based on your chosen curriculum –
RACGP or ACRRM.
Image: past NCGPT registrars
For RACGP - Please note it is unlikely that
RPL with time reduction will be allocated for
more than six months in the one discipline,
and ten week rotations are preferred. For
example, if you have completed nine months
of Emergency terms in Australia post general
registration, only 26 weeks of this is likely to
be considered towards your RPL. For
ACRRM: Please refer to the ACRRM website
for further information:
https://www.acrrm.org.au/
5. what hospital terms do I need to do
before starting in a General Practice?
The following hospital rotations are considered prerequisites for active GP training:
Medicine (10 – 12 weeks) Surgery (10 – 12 weeks) Accident & Emergency (10 – 12 weeks)
RACGP also requires 3 of the following:
Anaesthetics
O&G
Geriatrics
Psychiatry
Mental Health
PGPPP
Urology
Ophthalmology
Dermatology
Palliative Care
ENT
Orthopaedics
Rehabilitation
Infectious Disease
ICU
(Other terms will be considered on a case by case basis e.g. Relief)
ACRRM also requires:
Anaesthetics O&G
(Please refer to the ACRRM website for further information)
Paediatric Term Requirement
Additionally, appropriate paediatric experience is required. The prerequisite may be fulfilled by any of the following:
A full paediatric hospital term (10 – 12
weeks) or
A half paediatric term (minimum 6 weeks)
and a full ED term* (10 – 12 weeks)
2 full ED terms - only one may be
completed in PGY1 year
A full ED term and a full PGPPP term (10
– 12 weeks each) - only one may be
completed in PGY1 year
A full ED term or a full PGPPP term and
the Diploma of Child Health
*Eligible ED terms must show minimum 20% paediatric attendances. This must be supported by hospital administration reports or 2 weeks of patient logs
If further hospital training is required by the
registrar before starting their active GP
training, NCGPT will advise registrars on
NCGPT FAQs | 3
suitable terms but is unable to assist in
arranging employment. If you suspect that
you will need more hospital time, or would like
to undertake more when starting on the
training program, you should talk to us early.
6. what is the difference between RACGP
and ACRRM?
Both the RACGP and ACRRM pathways lead
to full vocational registration as a GP and give
practitioners the same Medicare entitlements
which enable them to work anywhere in
Australia.
The Fellowship of RACGP (FRACGP)
accommodates both the rural and general
pathways and takes a minimum of 3 years.
The Fellowship of ACRRM (FACRRM)
was designed to meet the needs of
practitioners training and practising in rural
and remote Australia, though FACRRM
offers an approved pathway to vocational
registration and unrestricted general
practice anywhere in Australia. FACRRM
training takes a minimum of 4 years.
The RACGP’s Fellowship of Advanced Rural
General Practice (FARGP) provides registrars
the option to extend training for a further year
by doing an Advanced Rural Skills Training
Term (ARST), which is equivalent to the
Advance Specialised Training (AST) year in a
FACRRM.
assessments for FRACGP and FACRRM
qualifications
FRACGP candidates must complete a set
of written and practical exams (AKT, KFP
and OSCE) in their final year of training.
ACRRM has a variety of formative,
summative and clinical assessments
throughout training including StAMPS,
MCQ, MSF and MiniCEX procedural
logbook.
The cost of undertaking exams/
assessments is similar regardless of which
College is chosen.
Further information about assessment for
each College is available on their websites:
http://www.racgp.org.au/becomingagp/stud
ents/vocational-training-pathway/
https://www.acrrm.org.au/assessment
It is possible for registrars to undertake
training both College pathways
simultaneously as long as they fulfil the
requirements of both programs; however
NCGPT would advise registrars to discuss
this option with a medical educator prior to
making a decision. It has been NCGPT’s
experience that registrars pursuing dual
pathways find that it can be stressful and
expensive.
7. does NCGPT accept 457 Visa Holders onto
our training program?
North Coast GP Training is not able to
sponsor 457 Visa holders and we do not
provide letters of support for 457 Visa holders.
To be eligible for the NCGPT program
applicants must be an Australia citizen or
have permanent residency. Further
information about applying for permanent
residency is available from The Department of
Immigration and Border Protection at
http://www.immi.gov.au/Live/Pages/australian-
permanent-resident-information.aspx
Image: NCGPT Registrar Liaison Officer, Dr David Chessor
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8. how does NCGPT allocate registrars to
regions and practices?
NCGPT has grouped our training practices
into 4 practice nodes for training allocation
purposes. The 4 training allocation nodes are
based around the major population centres in
the region: Tweed Heads, Ballina, Coffs
Harbour, and Port Macquarie. Before the start
of each training year NCGPT will establish
intake numbers for each training allocation
node based on existing numbers of registrars
in each node and the anticipated training
practice capacity within the node. New
registrars will be offered a place in one of
these practice nodes based on their
nominated preferences where possible.
In the event that we are not able to
accommodate all first preferences a
secondary allocation process will be
employed based on a weighting derived from
a combination of each registrar’s: 1)
established community ties, 2) medical
education undertaken in the area and 3)
GPET’s national assessment centre score.
Once a registrar has been allocated to a
training node it is expected that they will be
able to complete their training in that node.
Registrars are required to move practices at
least once during their training.
A copy of NCGPT’s policy on this is on our
website at Registrar Practice Allocation Policy
Allocation to practices: At NCGPT,
registrars do not organise their own training
terms, although they may indicate their
preferences. In order to maximise our
registrars’ educational experience, NCGPT’s
medical educators allocate or “match”
registrars to appropriate training practices
each term.
9. can I train part time?
NCGPT will consider supporting part-time
training where registrars are able to
demonstrate valid and appropriate reasons for
needing to train part time. For educational
reasons NCGPT does not support part-time
training of less than 2 days per week in
clinical practice. All requests for part-time
training arrangements must be discussed with
and approved by NCGPT’s Director of
Training.
10. what is the Rural Generalist Program
and how can I apply for this program?
A Rural Generalist is a medical practitioner
with the extended range of advanced skills
and knowledge required to provide primary
care to a rural community whilst being
credentialed at the local health service to
provide procedural / advanced skills in
selected areas.
The NSW Rural Generalist Training program
is a supported career pathway resulting in
qualifications that enable working as a
Medical Practitioner in a General Practice
setting and in a hospital providing secondary
medical care in a rural town in NSW. Primary
care training and an advanced skill (at present
either O&G, or anaesthetics, or a combination
of O&G and emergency medicine) is
required with training co-ordinated individually
from entry to completion of the program,
attaining Fellowship of either RACGP or
ACRRM.
Applicants for the Rural Generalist Program
must:
demonstrate an interest in rural
communities and rural clinical practice
intend to provide procedural services in a
rural community
be registered with the Medical Board of
Australia
be enrolled in General Practice
Education Training (FACRRM or
FRACGP & FARGP)
NB: An interest in advanced skills training in
anaesthetics, or obstetrics, or obstetrics and
emergency medicine is a requirement of the
position.
Rural Generalist positions will be advertised
as part of NSW HETI’s annual JMO
recruitment campaign.
Further information about the program is on
the NSW Health Education & Training
Institute’s (HETI) website at
http://www.heti.nsw.gov.au/rural-and-
remote/rural-generalist-training/
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11. what can NCGPT offer me as a training provider?
A contemporary, high quality, award winning medical education program
Highly personalised training programs
Strong and ongoing registrar support
A clear emphasis on registrar wellbeing
Based on the pristine North Coast of NSW, NCGPT's region boasts beautiful natural
environments, a rich quality of life and the ability to set your work/life balance to suit your
individual needs.
Please check out our website for details about who we are and what we offer.
Image: NCGPT CEO, Director of Training & Medical Educators
Contact:
w: http://www.ncgpt.org.au/
t: 02 66815711
a: po box 1497 Ballina NSW 2478