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

NCGPT FAQs | 2

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

NCGPT FAQs | 4

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/

NCGPT FAQs | 5

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

e: info@ncgpt.org.au

a: po box 1497 Ballina NSW 2478