Australia's leading GP training college, the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) welcomed 215 new fellows as specialist general practitioners at a Fellowship ceremony in Victoria on Sunday 15 September.
Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP) reflects a doctor's qualification and expertise as a specialist GP, following around 11 years of education, training, rigorous assessment, and experience in primary care.
The new GPs recognised at the ceremony at Pullman on the Park East Melbourne included three rural generalists, GPs who complete extra Additional Rural Skills Training in fields needed in rural practice, like anaesthesia and obstetrics .
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins congratulated the new GPs and emphasised the importance of GPs to health.
"Australia needs specialist GPs more than ever. As the peak GP body responsible for training 90% of Australia's general practitioners, the RACGP is delivering," Dr Higgins said.
"Our 215 new Fellows in Victoria are at the start of a fantastic career. I congratulate them and wish them all the best in their practices in communities across the state. General practice is as rewarding as it is challenging. It has flexibility, variety, stimulation, and long-term, meaningful relationships with patients. No other specialisation has this combination.
"Having a GP is better than any wonder-drug. The evidence shows that people who have a GP live longer, healthier, and happier lives. We don't just care for our patients when they're sick, we help them stay healthy over decades of care."
RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz joined Dr Higgins in congratulating the new fellows.
"Congratulations to all our new Fellows – this ceremony is the culmination of years of work, study, reflection, mentorship by GP training supervisors, and rigorous exams to gain Fellowship as specialist GPs," she said.
"As GPs, we're experts in undifferentiated diagnoses, in taking a description of symptoms that may be invisible even to our eyes, a physical examination, the results of tests, and the views of specialists in other fields, and in coming to a diagnosis from any number of possible conditions.
"It's a moment to be proud of what you've achieved. Everyone here has been working as a GP under expert supervision, but in gaining Fellowship, you are being recognised for your own expertise as the first point of connection someone with symptoms of a challenging chronic health condition has with a care team that will keep them as healthy.
"We're the first doctor most patient speak to about their mental health, and we're the ones who make sure they're recovering well after an unexpected trip to the emergency room, the ones patients speak to as they're planning to start a family, and the doctor who helps a patient stay healthy and adjust to change as they grow older.
"We are the heart and eyes of the medical system, and we are essential and invaluable."
At the ceremony, Dr Krystal Green and Dr Karolina Novak received Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) awards for Semester 2 2023 and Semester 1 2024, recognising they achieved the highest marks in their fellowship exams as GPs living and practicing in rural Victoria. Dr James Townsend, who has since moved to Victoria, received the RACGP Queensland Duke and Marian Sullivan Memorial Award for Semester 2 2023 for his clinical exam.
Dr Chris Longman OAM, a longtime GP in Melbourne's west, provided the Fellowship Oration. She previously led training practice accreditation and support in the west of Victoria and has an interest in doctors' health.
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