The College is excited to welcome the Commonwealth Government’s 10-year National Medical Workforce Strategy and particularly its incorporation of Rural Generalists into the national workforce framework.
Several years in the making, the Strategy was released this week by the Medical Workforce Reform Advisory Committee, of which ACRRM is a member. Over this time, ACRRM has been heavily involved in the Strategy's development, working through the Advisory Committee and also through a series of submissions and consultations to help shape and inform it.
While there is always compromise, the College welcomes the Strategy as a mechanism to reset national planning and policy delivery to appropriately support healthcare for rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
- A key outcome of the strategy is its integration of the Rural Generalist workforce into the planning framework including the Collingrove definition of Rural Generalists and an identified action priority to progress the National Rural Generalist Pathway
- The Strategy emphasises the urgent need to address the workforce maldistribution away from rural communities
- It also emphasises the need to focus on generalism and address the growing trend toward a subspecialist dominated workforce
- The Strategy includes special recognition of the ACRRM model, including its unique selection process which selects for rural competency and its programmatic assessment model which is recognised as an exemplar for other medical colleges, to give their Fellows confidence to work in rural areas.
ACRRM will be included on the Strategy’s implementation teams and will continue to advocate to keep the delivery on point with rural needs.
While the Strategy offers long-term benefits the College is well aware of the urgency of the rural health workforce crisis and will continue to advocate for immediate action as well as long-term strategic improvements.
View the National Medical Workforce Strategy 2021 - 2031.