International recognition of the College, its Fellowship and Rural Generalism continues to grow across the professions, jurisdictions and academia.
Fellowship Recognition
As an Australian Medical Council accredited general practice qualification, Fellowship of ACRRM can provide a passport to work anywhere in the world.
Conferences
Our College and its leadership are active as hosts, co-hosts, participants and presenters in a range of international conferences and events important for Rural Generalist Medicine and rural health training and research.
Partnerships
The College is active in building partnerships toward the advancement of better services for rural people across the world especially through Rural Generalist Medicine.
Policy & Research
Through its international collaborations, the College has been part of the development and has formally endorsed a range of important international consensus statements.
FAQ's
The Fellowship of ACRRM (FACRRM) is Australian Medical Council (AMC) accredited within the specialty of general practice. Through this, the FACRRM qualification is in turn recognised by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This enables FACRRM holders to be recognised as Vocationally Registered General Practitioners (VR GPs) in Australia and to be eligible to provide services covered by the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS).
International recognition of qualifications processes are complex and vary from country to country. However in general for the purposes of official recognition by international authorities, as a nationally accredited Australian general practice qualification this should be recognised.
The two general practice colleges have equivalent recognition status with the Medical Board of Australia as general practice qualifications. International recognition of qualifications processes are complex and vary from country to country and change constantly however in general for the purposes of official recognition by international authorities, as both are nationally accreditation Australian general practice qualifications, both should be viewed in the same way.
ACRRM registrars and Fellows are highly valued as employees for international aid agencies such as MSF, World Vision, Saving the Children and others. Many ACRRM registrars and Fellows work with these agencies. The FACRRM has been identified as a model qualification for such employers as the United National Medical Service Division who provide medical services support in areas of international crisis.
ACRRM has a formal arrangement in place with the Royal New Zealand College of General Practice and the Division of Hospital Medicine New Zealand to enable ad endum gradum recognition for doctors who hold Fellowship of ACRRM (FACRRM). The FACRRM is recognised as having equivalence with the FRANZGP.
Fellowship Recognition
As an Australian Medical Council accredited general practice qualification, Fellowship of ACRRM can provide a passport to work anywhere in the world.
ACRRM Fellows can be found working across the globe in general practice clinics and hospitals and many less conventional settings. They are particularly highly demanded by organisations such as World Vision, the United Nations and Medicins San Frontieres who value the FACRRM broad Rural Generalist scope of practice. This unique skill set has supported our Fellows’ work in places as diverse as Antarctica, in crisis centres in Africa, throughout the South Pacific islands, and for NASA.
Fellowship of ACRRM can enable doctors to work as a specialist for the purpose of registration in many countries. For example, a College Fellow can apply to the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom to have their Fellowship recognised as a specialist qualification if they have gained this qualification through ACRRM’s training pathways. Such arrangements vary considerably across national jurisdictions and subject to continuous change.
Canada
The College of Family Physicians Canada (CFPC) and ACRRM MOU (2010) established reciprocity between the Certificate of Family Medicine Canada and the Fellowship of ACRRM.
For College Fellows the MOU facilitates recognition as a family medicine specialist when applying for registration to work as a family physician in Canada. View Details
New Zealand
Holders of the CFPC wishing to work in Australia may apply to the College for Fellowship ad eundum gradum. View Details
College Fellows looking to work in New Zealand may apply to either the Royal New Zealand College of General Practice or the Division of Hospital Medicine New Zealand for recognition ad eundum gradum.
Holders of the Fellowship of the RNZCGP who wish to work in Australia may apply to the College for Fellowship ad eundum gradum. View Details
For doctors who hold a Fellowship with the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine New Zealand (FDRHMNZ) application can be made under ACRRM's Specialist Pathway.
Conferences
Our College and its leadership are active as hosts, co-hosts, participants and presenters in a range of international conferences and events important for Rural Generalist Medicine and rural health training and research.
Showcase events have included:
- Hosting and co-hosting the World Rural Generalist Summits
- Hosting and engaging in the WONCA World Rural Health Conferences
Some other focus events for our College include the Ottawa Conferences and the Towards Health Equity Conferences.
Partnerships
The College is active in building partnerships toward the
advancement of better services for rural people across the world especially through Rural Generalist Medicine. The College has important partnerships across the globe including with Canada, the United States, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands,
Japan, Singapore, South Africa and Scotland.
Some key partnerships include:
WONCA Working Party for Rural Practice
The Working Party represents rural family doctors from across the globe, it is a subgroup of WONCA the World Association of Family Doctors. ACRRM has been a major contributor to this group from its inception and ACRRM past president, Assoc. Prof Bruce Chater is the group’s current Chair. The Working Party oversights the World Rural Health Conferences.
RG Program of Japan
The College has been pleased to support the development and operation of the Rural Generalist Program of Japan. This is based on the ACRRM Fellowship and curriculum and the College is pleased to continue to support the program through its educational resources and training partnerships.
Rocketship
Rocketship is an international health non-profit organisation, based in Australia, dedicated to improving health in Pacific island countries through stronger primary care. Rocketship stands for ‘Remote Opportunities for Clinical Knowledge, Education, Training and Support for Health In the Pacific’. ACRRM was founded by ACRRM Fellows and the College is pleased to actively support the group's work.
RG Summits Group
The College is part of a global group medical professional organisations dedicated to advancing Rural Generalism with representatives from Canada, the United States, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The group has oversighted
the program of three World Summits on Rural Generalism.
Policy & Research
Through its international collaborations, the College has been part of the development and has formally endorsed a range of important international consensus statements:
- Cairns Consensus statement on Rural Generalist Medicine 2014 (College endorsed, lead-authored)
- RG Summit Outcomes (College endorsed)
- The Gramado Statement 2014 on (College endorsed)
- The Melbourne Manifesto 2002 (College endorsed)
- Delhi Declaration: Health for all rural people 2018 (College endorsed)
- WONCA Rural Working Party Values Statement 2018 (College endorsed)
- Remote and Rural General Practice in Scotland (College co-authored)