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The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) welcomes changes to the Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) which support skilled Rural Generalists (RGs) to work in regional, rural and remote communities where high-quality healthcare is most needed.
ACRRM President Dr Dan Halliday says the College has strongly advocated for better financial incentives which support and reward Rural Generalists and their scope of practice.
“ACRRM has led national and international advocacy efforts to build a national Rural Generalist workforce and these incentives will help to meet this goal.
“The WIP Rural Advanced Skills Guidelines, for services between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025, recognise Rural Generalists commitment to the communities in which they live and work.
“They are scaled to encourage service delivery in more regional/remote areas and are targeted at Rural Generalists and rural GPs working in emergency medicine settings or providing after hours coverage in locations where hospital emergency services are unavailable.
“They also incentivise RGs and rural GPs who have eligible advanced procedural or non-procedural advanced skills including, but not limited to First Nations Peoples’ health, mental health, obstetrics, surgery and anaesthetics.”
Dr Halliday adds that the WIP – Doctor Stream will encourage more non-vocationally registered doctors to consider specialisation in rural generalism.
“Recent data shows a growing interest by medical students to consider RG medicine as a career option, and the College has seen a substantial increase in ACRRM Fellowship Training Program applicants in the past year. Incentives such as this will further boost interest.
“The specialist RG model of practice has shown to be the best model to meet the healthcare needs of rural and remote communities.
“It recognises and supports the unique contexts and needs of rural and remote communities and the health professionals who serve them.
“We welcome these WIP initiatives and will continue to advocate for healthcare reforms that support the ACRRM vision to have the right doctors in the right places, with the right skills, providing high-quality healthcare for rural, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”
ENDS
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The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) welcomes changes to the Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) which support skilled Rural Generalists (RGs) to work in regional, rural and remote communities where high-quality healthcare is most needed.
ACRRM President Dr Dan Halliday says the College has strongly advocated for better financial incentives which support and reward Rural Generalists and their scope of practice.
“ACRRM has led national and international advocacy efforts to build a national Rural Generalist workforce and these incentives will help to meet this goal.
“The WIP Rural Advanced Skills Guidelines, for services between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025, recognise Rural Generalists commitment to the communities in which they live and work.
“They are scaled to encourage service delivery in more regional/remote areas and are targeted at Rural Generalists and rural GPs working in emergency medicine settings or providing after hours coverage in locations where hospital emergency services are unavailable.
“They also incentivise RGs and rural GPs who have eligible advanced procedural or non-procedural advanced skills including, but not limited to First Nations Peoples’ health, mental health, obstetrics, surgery and anaesthetics.”
Dr Halliday adds that the WIP – Doctor Stream will encourage more non-vocationally registered doctors to consider specialisation in rural generalism.
“Recent data shows a growing interest by medical students to consider RG medicine as a career option, and the College has seen a substantial increase in ACRRM Fellowship Training Program applicants in the past year. Incentives such as this will further boost interest.
“The specialist RG model of practice has shown to be the best model to meet the healthcare needs of rural and remote communities.
“It recognises and supports the unique contexts and needs of rural and remote communities and the health professionals who serve them.
“We welcome these WIP initiatives and will continue to advocate for healthcare reforms that support the ACRRM vision to have the right doctors in the right places, with the right skills, providing high-quality healthcare for rural, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”
ENDS