Advanced and additional skills training

Advanced/additional skills training (PGY5-6)

Rural Generalists (RG) are trained to have additional advanced clinical skills in one or more specialty areas. This allows them to work unsupervised in that specialty area in regional, rural and remote locations.

Advanced/additional skills training (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), Advanced Rural Skills Training (ARST) or Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) Advanced Specialised Training (AST)) may include anaesthetics, emergency medicine, obstetrics, paediatrics, palliative care, adult internal medicine, mental health or other areas relevant to meeting the health care needs of rural and remote communities.

Advanced training can also be undertaken in more general areas such as remote (polar) medicine, population health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and academic practice.

• This training is 12 months full time equivalent in a specialty of choice (part time or other flexible arrangements are possible; advice should be sought from RACGP or ACRRM on current policies).
• Reciprocal recognition or Joint College Accreditation of training exists for some speciality disciplines.
• Trainees can apply for these positions directly with the hospital or health service employer and should ensure they are accredited by RACGP or ACRRM.
• Trainees may undertake their Advanced/Additional Skills Training earlier in their RG pathway, subject to the Registered Training Organisation and College approval. Trainees still need to complete their required hospital and primary care training upon completion of that ARST/AST year.
• Fellowship of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) or the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners/Fellowship of Advanced Rural Practice (FRACGP/FARGP) is awarded on completion of all training time (core training and Advanced/Additional Skills Training) plus successful completion of all assessment tasks.

Examples of Advanced/Additional Skills positions generally available in Tasmania include:

• Specialist Palliative Care in the North West
• Mental Health in the North West
• Paediatrics
• Adult Internal Medicine
• Anaesthetics in the North West, North and South
• Emergency Medicine in the North West, North and South

Additional positions may be available by negotiation.

Lateral entry to the Rural Generalist Pathway

Rural GPs who wish to gain additional skills may apply for these positions and undertake further assessments to gain FRACGP/FARGP or FACRRM.

Doctors with RG equivalent experience and qualifications from other countries may be eligible for an Australian RG Fellowship and may be subject to additional training time or completion of further assessments (e.g. doctors from New Zealand with specialist general practice and rural medicine qualifications (Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners/The Division of Rural Hospital Medicine of New Zealand). Advice should be sought from ACRRM or RACGP on current policies and procedures. Each case is considered individually.