On Monday 15th August 2022, senior representatives from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) met in Melbourne with the GP Training Cultural Educators and Cultural Mentors Network (CECM Network) Governance group.
The meeting was a timely opportunity for both colleges to engage with leaders in the field of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health training and recognises their critical importance to the delivery of the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program and the colleges' long-term commitment to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The ACRRM and the RACGP recognise that all community members, in particular our disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, are deserving of care that is culturally appropriate, safe and high quality. Nationally, Cultural Educators and Cultural Mentors shape the capability of our next generation of General Practitioners and Rural Generalists to meet those needs through the unique cultural knowledge, experience and skills they share through the AGPT program.
To this end, the RACGP and ACRRM have committed to continuing the agreed current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Training Strategic Plan strategies for 2023. This will ensure employment opportunities for the team members integral to the delivery of these plans, under College Led GP Training from next year. Both colleges have also committed to finalising the employment model in the short term, after taking account of the views of the CECM Network. During 2023 work will be undertaken in collaboration with the CECM Network, key stakeholders, and community members to ensure the strategies included in the strategic plans for 2024 and beyond are best positioned to support:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health settings and communities
- A quality Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and health education program for all registrars
- Registrars and supervisors to have access to a cultural educator or cultural mentor
- Improved cultural awareness and safety within the GP training program
- Increase in the number of registrars training in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health training facilities
- Attracting and supporting more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors in the GP training program
The commitment of the colleges to cultural education and cultural mentoring recognises the pivotal role of this network to the AGPT program over many years, and their leadership in the delivery of quality Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Training.
The colleges will provide a further update to the sector at the upcoming Cultural Educator and Cultural Mentor conference in Maroochydore in early September.
