Tasmania's rural and remote communities have poorer health outcomes and health care access than our urban communities. There is a medical workforce mal-distribution with fewer doctors in rural and remote areas. Rural Generalists provide a broad scope of clinical practice, in both primary care and hospital services, to address the needs of their communities.

Have we missed you or someone you know?    Please let us know rural.pathways@health.tas.gov.au

Have we missed you or someone you know?    Please let us know rural.pathways@health.tas.gov.au

The Tasmanian Rural Generalist Pathway (TRGP) consists of a number of interconnected pathways throughout the Tasmanian system.

Please refer to the TRGP Training Pathway Summary

For more detail about each portion of the pathway, contact the following organisations:

The University of Tasmania - School of Medicine has a Rural Application Process and a Rural Application Process Funding Scheme Grant

There is also an Aboriginal Entry Application Process at the University of Tasmania School of Medicine.

The University of Tasmania Rural Clinical School: provides support to medical students from the North West region at selection, opportunity to visit during Years 1-3 of medical school, and the option to stay and train in the North West in Years 4-5 of medical school. Throughout Year 4, students attend general practice every Tuesday. Year 5 students undertake a five week attachment at a remote medical practice.

The University of Tasmania Launceston Clinical School: provides support to medical students from the northern region at selection, opportunity to visit during Years 1-3 of medical school, and the option to stay and train in the north in Years 4-5 of medical school. This includes rotations to general practice in places like Campbell Town, Deloraine, George Town, Longford, Oatlands, Scottsdale, St Helens, St Marys and Swansea as well as Launceston-based practices.

The Tasmanian Health Service (THS): provides guaranteed internships for all University of Tasmania domestic graduates. These can be in any region of Tasmania. All interns receive the rotations required for general registration, including medicine, surgery and emergency. In addition, all three regions offer rural primary care intern placements (King Island, Queenstown, Huonville, Scottsdale, St Helens). These are managed in collaboration with Ochre Health who were the recipients of the Rural Junior Doctor Training Innovation Fund.

After intern year, RMOs may elect to undertake a two year dedicated TRGP RMO rotation in the north-west that assures you receive the rotations you require for your general practice training. There is also a dedicated TRGP anaesthetic rotation at the LGH, and a dedicated TRGP paediatric rotation at the RHH. There are also opportunities to complete a 13 week GP RMO rotation at either Scottsdale in the north, or Devonport in the north west.

Once a GP Registrar, a number of additional skills posts are available at the THS including emergency, anaesthetics, paediatrics, mental health and more. For a full list of currently accredited additional skills posts in both the hospital and community, please see the GPTT web page.

The Centre of Antarctic Remote and Maritime Medicine also provide a unique opportunity to work and train in Polar Medicine with the Australian Antarctic Division in Tasmania.

General Practice Training Tasmania: train GP registrars on the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program. These registrars may train to either the ACRRM or RACGP requirements. This is a federal government funded training program and operates on a statewide basis.

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine: have AGPT, Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS) and Independent Pathway trainees in Tasmania.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners: have AGPT trainees in Tasmania.

A special note for International doctors looking to move to Tasmania to work in general practice. The Rural Workforce Agency in Tasmania, HRPlus is your best first contact. They can assist you in identifying the possible pathways to becoming a rural generalist in Tasmania, including through the Practice Experience Program (PEP).

If you aren’t sure where to start, you can contact: rural.pathways@health.tas.gov.au, Dr Peter Arvier, Director, Rural Pathways peter.arvier@health.tas.gov.au or Sharee Taylor, Rural Pathways Project Support Officer sharee.taylor@health.tas.gov.au

Tasmanian Rural Generalist Scholarship 2019 - Building Medical Workforce Capacity in Rural and Remote Tasmania for further information refer to the TRG Scholarships Guidelines and Forms or  email: rural.pathways@health.tas.gov.au

GPTT has scholarships for GPTT registrars with applications to be done in advance of the completed course. These are open twice a year, around May and November. For more information see the GPTT website.

Rural Doctors Association of Tasmania (RDAT).  RDAT is the Tasmanian branch of the national Rural Doctors Association of Australia that advocates for and on behalf of rural doctors around the country at all levels of politics, jurisdictional governance and health organisations. Further information and application forms can be found on the RDAT website

Postgraduate Medical Education Council of Tasmania (PMCT)

The Rural & Regional Medical Training Hub at the University of Tasmania is funded by the Commonwealth Government to support and expand postgraduate medical training opportunities in rural Tasmania.  If you require further information please email the Training Hub.

Centre for Antarctic, Remote and Maritime Medicine (CARMM)

Rural Procedural Grants Program

For procedural GPs practicing in surgery, anaesthetics or obstetrics in ASGC-RA 1-5 areas; and GPs practicing emergency medicine in ASGC-RA 2-5 areas

$2000 per day for up to 10 days for procedural GPs, and up to 3 days for emergency medicine GPs.

The Tasmanian Rural Generalist Pathway is governed by the Rural Generalist Coordinating Council (RGCC).

Members details are:

To contact the RGCC please email:  sharee.taylor@health.tas.gov.au (Secretariat)

(These components are funded by the Australian Government through the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Health services in Tasmania).