What’s great about General Practice?

General Practice provides a career in which you’ll face daily clinical challenges that allow you to use and develop a broad range of skills.  You have the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with your patients and provide continuity of care. And you’ll have the flexibility to make your career as varied as you want, specialising in areas of interest, practising as a procedural GP, or working in a range of clinical settings.

Of all the specialties, only General Practice allows you to access such a variety of patients and clinical presentations.  Each day in general practice is different and you’ll manage the care of patients of any age, many of whom will present to you with as-yet undiagnosed symptoms which will challenge your clinical training. 

If you find it hard to choose which area of medicine you want to specialise in, why not choose them all. Training as a GP with WAGPET will give you the skills, knowledge and expertise to allow you to establish a rewarding career in general practice.

Why train with WAGPET?

WAGPET is the only provider for general practice training in WA and one of the largest regional  training providers in Australia. We have over 90 Training Posts and can offer GP Registrars training placements in rural, remote and metropolitan locations as well as specialised training posts in Anaesthetics, Obstetrics, Emergency medicine, Palliative Care, Addiction Medicine and many more.

The WAGPET training program is fully regionalised across eight rural and three metropolitan regions which means that no matter where you train in WA, you will be supported by local Training Advisors and Registrar Liaison Officers. Local experienced GPs provide an education program that makes the most of what that region has to offer. 

As well as regional education programs, WAGPET provides a central education program for all GP Registrars. These central workshops allow GP Registrars to keep in contact with their peers training in other areas of the state and provide an excellent opportunity to share training experiences and develop a network of colleagues throughout WA. If you are working in a rural Training Practice WAGPET will cover the cost of travel and any accommodation required.

As a large training provider WAGPET has excellent resources to support you and each regional education node. You will have regular contact with an experienced Medical Educator to provide training advice and WAGPET Operations staff will assist you to meet your education requirements and preparation for training placements.

How to apply

Applications for the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) must be made using the on-line application form on the General Practice Education and Training (GPET) website.  Visit http://www.agpt.com.au/ApplyforAGPT/NewApplicants/ . Here you will find information on the application process and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Application for the 2010 intake of the AGPT program open on Friday 22 May and close at 9am AEST, Monday 22 June 2009.

GPET coordinates the national application process for AGPT and will advise WAGPET of applicants who have applied for a training place with us. We will then contact you to arrange an interview.

Are you eligible to apply?

Applicants for the AGPT must be Australian citizens or permanent residents and have unconditional registration with the Medical Board in their state. For overseas trained doctors, this means having completed parts 1 and 2 of the AMC Exam (or equivalent) and completion of 12 months supervised clinical training.

Overseas trained doctors subject to the Commonwealth Government’s 10 year moratorium are required to undertake all general practice training placements in a rural area (RRMA 3-7).

The GPET self-assessment guide flow chart can be found here.

The selection interview

Interviews will be held between 5th -15th August August 2009 and will be held at the WAGPET office, Technology Park in Bentley.  Candidates eligible for an interview will be contacted in late July to confirm the date and time.

Candidates will be interviewed using the Multi-Mini Interview (MMI) method.

In an MMI candidates will complete a circuit of nine, 10 minute mini-interview stations, rotating from station to station. The MMI is similar to an OSCE (objective structured clinical examination). At each station, the candidate is presented with a question or scenario. They then respond to the question before proceeding to the next station.

This is followed by a concensus session of interviewers to evaluate each candidate. The MMI process will take around 2 hours.

Preparing for the interview

Please refer to the AGPT Applicant Guide 2010 for detailed information about the interview process. Download the document here and refer to pages 33-37.

Starting GP training

If you are accepted into the AGPT you will be expected to be available to commence training at the start of the training year for which you applied. The WAGPET training year generally starts in mid-January and GP Registrars commence their hospital terms or general practice placements at that time.

While GP Registrars are normally not allowed to commence their training on leave, this may be granted under exceptional and unforseen circumstances. If this should arise for you, contact the WAGPET Operations Manager.

Can we help you?

If you have any questions about general practice training with WAGPET, please contact Kim Tait at WAGPET on (08) 9473 8200 or email kim.tait@wagpet.com.au

Register your interest

If you would like us to send you detailed information about General Practice and the GP training program please register your interest with WAGPET.  

Please note that this is not an application form and that all applications must be done on-line through GPET (www.agpt.com.au)