All GP Registrars will spend some of their training time in a rural placement. The WAGPET orientation program covers some of the unique aspects of Rural Medicine to help you prepare for your rural placement. The orientation focuses on emergency medicine and common procedural skills and also includes information on support organisations and subsidies available to help make the transition a smooth one.

Specialising in Rural GP

If you intend to complete all your placements in a rural location, you can choose to work towards additional rural qualifications.  This can be a Fellowship of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM), a Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice (FARGP), or both, as the requirements are not mutually exclusive.

From 2008, GP Registrars choose a training pathway (FACRRM, FRACGP/FARGP) when they accept their place in the GP training program. However it is possible to reconsider this choice and add additional training along the way.

Both the FACRRM and FARGP require 12 months of Advanced Rural Skills Posts (ARSP) training, often found to be amongst the most rewarding of terms as it allows the GP Registrar to develop special skills and knowledge. Such skills can also be developed outside the program, however, if incorporated as part of your GP training, there are the additional benefits of funding support and placement organisation. If you have completed your GP Registrar Training program less than five years ago, you may still be eligible to apply to GPET to undertake an ARSP and receive funding.

Common ARSPs include anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery, palliative care and Indigenous health.

Want to know more?

More information on the FACRRM training program is available on the ACRRM website.

For information about the Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice offered by the RACGP visit the website of the RACGP National Rural Faculty