National Rural Generalist Pathway

In December 2018, the former National Rural Health Commissioner advised the Australian Government on the development of a National Rural Generalist Pathway. In response to the advice, the 2019-20 Budget committed $62.2 million to create the National Pathway. This is a dedicated medical training pathway to attract, retain and support rural generalist doctors.

Rural generalists are an important part of our regional, rural and remote health workforce. They broaden the range of locally available medical services for rural Australians. This helps these communities to access the right care, in the right place, at the right time, as close to home as possible. Growing our rural generalist workforce will reduce hospital admissions, reduce the use of locum services and limit the need for patient travel.

The National Pathway recognises the extra requirements and skills of rural generalists and supports them to meet the diverse health needs of regional, rural and remote communities.

Three core elements are funded to support the National Pathway:

• Supporting the GP Colleges to seek specialty recognition of Rural Generalist Medicine
• Establishment or expansion of rural generalist coordination units in each state and the Northern Territory
• Expansion of the existing Rural Junior Doctor Training Innovation Fund to support up to 200 new rural primary care settings rotations annually for junior doctors aspiring to be rural generalists.

More information on the National Pathway can be found on the Australian Department of Health website