The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the appointment of senior leaders to support its Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program delivery in 2023.
Since entering a milestone contract with the Department of Health in early September, the RACGP has been recruiting the people required to deliver its profession-led AGPT program across Australia from 1st February 2023.
RACGP Chief GP Training Officer Ms Georgina van de Water joined the RACGP in February 2022, and previously led GP Synergy in New South Wales and Australia's Capital Territory.
Ms van de Water said she knows from 14 years leadership experience in the sector that regional training organisations have provided a great service to GP training, and the RACGP's new appointments will enable the college to build on that success.
"Our new national and regional leadership appointments come with extensive experience in managing general practice education, to meet the current and future needs of the profession and managing the systems that support trainers and GPs in training," she said.
One of the RACGP's key priorities is ensuring a smooth transition for GPs in training, supervisors and practices, and minimising disruption. To this end, the College is recruiting local and regional staff who know the local operations, training practices and participants in each state and territory, and can ensure a seamless transition.
To date, almost 700 staff have been recruited directly from existing regional training organisations nationally. The full list of appointments can be viewed online here.
Ms van de Water said the RACGP's approach to GP training has been designed to be flexible for GPs and tailored to communities' specific needs.
"GP training is critical to the next generation of GPs, who will go on to play a fundamental role in our health system and care for communities across the country into the future," she said.
"We're putting people on the ground in local communities, firmly focused on providing high-quality training solutions right across the country, from our capital cities and regional towns to the most remote rural areas.
"We continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure a transition with as little disruption to the delivery of GP training as possible, including the Department of Health, peak bodies representing GP supervisors and registrars, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, rural workforce agencies and clinical schools, primary health networks, state health organisations, local hospitals and community health services."
The RACGP is advertising a range of educators and support staff opportunities. Those interested can apply at: https://www.racgp.org.au/the-racgp/careers/career-opportunities
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