ACRRM celebrates growing momentum in Rural Generalist Medicine
ACRRM is excited by evidence which shows Rural Generalist (RG) Medicine is growing momentum.
Rural generalism has jumped to the sixth highest career choice for Australian final-year medical students, according to the Medical Schools Outcomes Database (MSOD) 2024 National Data Report.
The report also shows the number of students considering a career in RG has risen to seven per cent, the highest percentage since recording of the discipline began. While traditional general practice has seen a decline, with a small dip to 10.5 percent, the combined data still sees general practice as the most preferred specialty of all specialties.
ACRRM President Dr Dan Halliday says the results are positive for the profession, and the healthcare of rural, remote and First Nations communities.
After a review of the 2024-25 Federal Budget, announced on Tuesday 14 May, the College views the outcomes as a non-event in terms of investments to advance healthcare for rural, remote and First Nations communities.
The College believes it lacks any commitment to address healthcare inequity and additional support for those at the coalface who provide a wide range of care to the communities in which we live and work.
While there are some relatively minor new investments, we are still waiting for a longer-term strategy which addresses the underlying systemic issues which are resulting in the ongoing workforce maldistribution and economic and other pressures on rural and remote general practice.
The College’s pre-budget submission put forward some practical and strong recommendations to support the profession and ultimately improve health outcomes and we will continue to work with the Federal Government to advocate for these and other supports for rural, remote and First Nations healthcare.
Budget Highlights:
ACRRM acknowledges the announced initiatives which include women’s health funding; additional support for mental health services; for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and also for Primary Health Networks and Rural Health Workforce Agencies to support communities where healthcare services are at risk of closure.
However, these are band-aid measures and they do not address the underlying issues or contribute to the longer-term sustainability of rural, remote and First Nations healthcare services.
We applaud the pre-budget announcement of a new trial allocating an additional 60 Rural Generalist and General Practitioner places on the new Single Employer Model (SEM) in South Australia.
We also welcome the pre-budget announcement of funding to establish the Northern Territory’s first stand-alone medical school in Darwin. This will contribute to a strong end-to-end medical training pathway which generates interest in a career in rural and remote medical practice.
Unfortunately, this news was not accompanied by an announcement that placement payments would be made available for medical students, following the recent announcement of these supports for nursing and teaching students to be implemented in July next year.
In spite of these lost opportunities, we remain committed to advancing the healthcare needs of rural, remote and First Nations communities and to advocating strongly for members and for the communities they serve.
The budget at a glance:
The full health budget papers and resources are available here.
Key announcements:
An additional 29 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.
A 12-month freeze on the maximum co-payment for everyone with a Medicare card and a longer freeze for pensioners and other Commonwealth concession cardholders.
Expansion of a range of mental health services, including a new national early intervention service; Medicare Medical Mental Health Centres; and PHN funding to support care coordination for patients with complex needs.
Funding to support an increased number of Medicare eligible MRI machines and additional rebates for nuclear medicine and some common medical tests
PHNS and Rural Health Workforce Agencies to support health services at risk of closure
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Partner with the leading national event for rural and remote healthcare workers across Australia.
Packages are now available for you to become part of the buildup for RMA24 in Garamilla (Darwin) 23 - 26 October.
Don't miss the opportunity to raise your profile and foster new relationships with a wide range of attendees from across Australia (and the world!) by signing up to be a partner or exhibitor at RMA24. Our portfolio of partnership options has something for everyone, regardless of business size or scope.
Applications open for the 2024 ACRRM President's Prize
The ACRRM President's Prize awards two promising medical students with an all-expenses paid trip to RMA24, including flights, transfers, three nights' accommodation, tickets to all social events and a meet and greet with the ACRRM President.
One (1) prize open to all students - excluding international students
One (1) prize open to all Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
Winners will be selected by the ACRRM President based on their responses to questions in the application form.
This prize is for medical student members of ACRRM.
National Bowel Cancer Screening Program eligibility update
As part of the 2024-25 Budget, the Australian Government announced that from 1 July 2024 people aged 45 to 49 will be eligible to screen with the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. Eligible people will be able to join the Program by requesting their first bowel screening kit at www.ncsr.gov.au/boweltest or by calling the National Cancer Screening Register Contact Centre on 1800 627 701. Doctors can also provide the kit via the Program’s alternative access to kits model.
There is no change to current program practice for eligible people aged 50 to 74 who will continue to automatically receive a bowel cancer screening kit in the mail every 2 years. This approach was taken after carefully considering the implications for the broader health system, including the costs and flow-on effects.
The World Association of Family Doctors (WONCA) is celebrating World Family Doctor Day this weekend on Sunday 19 May with the theme “Healthy Planet, Healthy People”, highlighting the link between the health of our planet and the health of our people.
WONCA has developed an excellent toolkit to help you get involved in World Family Doctor Day including: Social media banners, Zoom backgrounds and more.
You can read more about the College’s work in Climate and Health on our website. Please contact policy@acrrm.org.au at any time if you would like to provide feedback on a particular issue or consultation.
Amendments to the Rural Procedural Grants Program
We are pleased to announce several important updates to the Rural Procedural Grant Program (RPGP) effective from May 7 2024. These changes were made possible thanks to strong advocacy by the College with the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) and are as follows:
Permanent Inclusion of online activities The temporary addendum allowing online activities to be claimed has now been made permanent. This means you can continue to submit claims for eligible online educational activities. Claims for online education will continue to be capped at $1000 per day.
Overseas education is now eligible for RPGP You are now able to claim for overseas activities. Overseas activities must receive pre-approval from ACRRM and must not be available in Australia.
Please visit the RPGP webpage for more information.
National Supervisor Webinar Next Week: ACRRM Training and Assessment Requirements
The next ACRRM National Supervisor webinar, 'ACRRM training and assessment requirements: update for supervisors', will take place on Thursday 23 May at 7.00pm AEST.
This national webinar is the second in the 2024 supervisor series and will give you further information about the ACRRM Fellowship program assessment requirements and ways you can incorporate assessment preparation into your day-to-day teaching.
You will also have the opportunity to network with colleagues, earn CPD hours and meet with your regional Supervisor Liaison Officer to discuss any issues or questions you may have.
GPSA Annual National Survey: ENGAGE 2024 - Building a better future together
Calling all ACRRM supervisors - have you completed GPSA's annual survey?
Use your voice and expertise to help make GP supervision rewarding and sustainable into the future. This survey is open to everyone involved in GP training - supervisors, GPs, practice managers, practice nurses, and others who support learners in general practice.
Today, ACRRM was onsite in Mildura filming content for the redevelopment of our Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (PHEC) course.
Dr Claire Arundell, Dr Tim Leeuwenburg, Dr John Hall and Sean Mutchmor provided on screen talent for the micro-learning videos which focus on clinical procedures that add value in the pre-hospital setting.
NSW / ACT Face-to-Face Workshop
This week, NSW and ACT registrars attended a face-to-face workshop where they enjoyed two days of clinical skills training, and networking with their peers and regional training team.
Webinar: Maximising Practice Efficiency with Provider Connect Australia
Wednesday 22 May at 7:00pm - 8:00pm AEST
Join ACRRM for a 60-minute webinar that introduces PCA, a new national service designed to streamline the management of your organisation’s health service information and provider details.
Discover how signing up to PCA can save your organisation time, and reduce the burden of manually updating numerous directories.
Webinar: My Health Record – New Medical Conditions View and Aged Care Transfer Summary
Wednesday 12 June at 7:00pm - 8:00pm AEST
In 2024 a new medical conditions view will be released in My Health Record necessitating good quality data. Following this, residential aged care homes are getting ready to upload residential aged care transfer summaries when patients transfer to other healthcare settings such as a hospitals.
Presented by: Marwa Osman, Digital Health Educator, Australian Digital Health Agency.
Webinar: Cost of living crisis and dermatology - how much does skincare really cost?
Thursday 27 June 7:00pm AEST
Explore the costs of dermatological topicals (over-the-counter and prescription) and strategies for making care more accessible and affordable to patients.
The College is seeking FACRRMs to fill vacancies on the ACRRM Education Council
The Education Council provides oversight of education and training standards on behalf of the College Board in areas related to curriculum, training, assessment and certification, while ensuring these remain in alignment with the College mission and strategic directions.
This group considers reports, recommendations and issues raised by reporting College committees with advice regarding policy and proposals to the ACRRM Board.
The Education Council meets up to six times per year with meetings conducted via zoom in the evenings. For more information, read the Education Council Terms of Reference.
Click below to apply for this role and complete your details including relevant experience and a copy of your CV. Applications will close Sunday 2 June.
If you have any questions or require more information, please contact Andrena Doyle on a.doyle@acrrm.org.au or 1800 223 226.
Membership invitation to the Tripartite Committee of Rural Generalist Anaesthesia (TC-RGA)
The TC-RGA is a collaboration between ACRRM, the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA), and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). The TC-RGA governs the Advanced Certificate of Rural Generalist Anaesthesia (AC-RGA) by overseeing its development and ensuring a consistent curriculum, a standardised set of assessment methods and a minimum level of anaesthesia competence as set against prescribed educational standards. The AC-RGA (formerly known as DipRGA) was successfully launched in February 2023.
We are seeking expressions of interest from a recent JCCA/RGA graduate to become a member of the TC-RGA to assist the delivery and ongoing governance of the AC-RGA. Membership is on a voluntary basis and is not remunerated.
For more information about this position and the application process please visit the ACRRM External Representation page. Applications close 31 May 2024.
Represent the College on QUM's Expert Working Group, focussing on antidepressants in older people
The Quality Use of Medicine Alliance is seeking a GP working in a rural and/or remote setting, to join an Expert Working Group, focussing on antidepressants in older people.
The Quality Use of Medicine Alliance is a consortium of eight health professional, research and consumer organisations, with funding from the Australian Government’s Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology (QUDTP) Program. Through these grants, free educational activities and resources are being developed for a national audience of health professionals and consumers to promote the quality use of medicine and support consumer health literacy.
The Expert Working Group will shape the scope and direction of the antidepressants education program. The group will meet via teleconference for two three-hour workshops between mid-July and late August 2024. Attendance will be renumerated via sitting fees.
If you are interested, please submit a brief expression of interest outlining your experience and interest in this area, to Sue Brown at info@qumconnect.com.au by Friday 7 June.
Represent the College on the ACEM National Program Steering Committee
The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) is responsible for the training of emergency physicians, and for the advancement of professional standards in emergency medicine in Australia and New Zealand.
The National Program is an initiative funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) and facilitated by ACEM. The development and delivery of activities associated with the National Program is overseen by the NPSC, a committee of the ACEM Board.
Such activities include the Specialist Training Program (STP) and a range of associated projects designed for the improvement of training in emergency medicine across Australia. This includes expanded settings outside traditional metropolitan teaching hospitals to improve the quality and distribution of the future emergency medicine workforce, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas.
ACEM has invited the College to nominate an appropriate representative to be a valued member of, and contributor to the National Program Steering Committee (NPSC), who oversee the governance and ongoing success of the National Program.
If you are interested in representing the College on the NSPC, please submit a statement of interest briefly outlining your experience to policy@acrrm.org.au by Friday 31 May 2024. Please include a short outline of any relevant information, background, and qualifications.
ACRRM acknowledges Australian Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation. We respect the Traditional Owners of lands across Australia in which our members and staff work and live, and pay respect to their Elders past, present and future.