About the Specialist Pathway
The Specialist Pathway leads to Specialist registration in general practice with the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and Fellowship of ACRRM (FACRRM).
Specialist IMGs (SIMGs) who have ACRRM-recognised overseas specialist qualifications as per the Codified List, in general practice or family medicine, may apply for assessment on the Specialist Pathway. This includes Canadian or New Zealand GP specialists under Ad Eundem Gradum (AEG).
The College assesses if the training and experience of an SIMG is comparable to that of a Fellow of ACRRM (FACRRM).
A FACRRM is a medical specialist who has been assessed as meeting the requisite standards for providing high-quality rural generalist medical practice. This involves:
1. Medical care of community needs
Provide and adapt expert primary, secondary, emergency and specialised medical care to community needs.
2. Medical care in isolation
Provide safe, effective medical care while working in geographic and professional isolation.
3. Work with culturally diverse groups
Work in partnership with Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander peoples and other culturally diverse groups.
4. Population approach
Apply a population approach to community needs.
Doctors on the ACRRM Specialist Pathway must work in a rural health service (MM4-7 location) approved by the College to enable rural generalist competencies to be assessed.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to apply for assessment on the Specialist Pathway, applicants must hold a specialist qualification on ACRRM's Codified List.
1. Codified list
Qualifications eligible to be assessed by ACRRM under the College's Specialist pathway.
2. Codified List Criteria
Criteria for eligible qualifications.
3. Minimum Clinical Care Requirement
Minimum of three years providing clinical care away from ready access to specialist medical, diagnostic and allied health services, since achieving their specialist qualification.
4. Assessment Criteria
SIMG's comparability is assessed against the competencies in the eight domains of rural and remote practice as described in the Rural Generalist Curriculum.
ACRRM Codified List
If you have hold one of the following qualifications you are eligible to apply to be assessed by ACRRM under the College's Specialist pathway.
Specialist Certificate in general practice/family medicine.
Post-1992 - Completion of the two-year family medicine residency training and CFPC certification examination - are eligible to apply for Fellowship Ad Eundem Gradum (AEG)
Pre-1992 - Completion of the rotating internship and CFPC certification examination – are only eligible to apply for Fellowship via Specialist Pathway
Specialist Certificate in Family Medicine.
Fellowship of the Hong Kong College of General Practitioners.
Members of the Irish College of General Practice (MICGP) that are graduates of ICGP through passing the MICGP examination.
Certificate of Specific Training for General Practice.
Fellowship of the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine New Zealand (FDRHMNZ).
Holders of Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP) and the Certificate of Completion of Training can are eligible to apply for Fellowship ad eundem gradum.
Certificate of Specific Training for General Medical Practice.
Fellowship of the College of Family Physicians Singapore.
Holders of Master of Family Medicine, South Africa.
Holders of Fellowship of the College of Family Physicians.
Certificate of Specific Training for General Practice.
Membership of the Royal College of General Practice (MRCGP) holding the Certificate of Completion of Training.
Membership of the Royal College of General Practice holding the Certificate of the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (MRCGP with JCPTGP).
Membership of the Royal College of General Practice holding the Certificate of Completion of Training from the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB).
Membership of the Royal College of General Practice via iMAP - As this is a newly developed pathway to MRCGP, until December 2014 ACRRM will be conducting a comparative analysis and evaluation of iMAP to assess equivalence to Australian training and assessment for the purposes of Specialist Pathway. While these activities are being conducted ACRRM will as part of the evaluation process accept applications from candidates who hold MRCGP via iMAP.
Holders of Certificate of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM).
List subject to change
Criteria for inclusion on the Codified List
The qualification has the following features:
- Comparable definition to the Australian definition of a general practitioner
- Accredited as a General Practice/Family Physician training program/qualification by medical board, medical council or relevant authority
- Leads to specialist medical registration in own country
- Recognised by other GP Colleges in other countries as a GP specialist qualification
The training program has the following features:
- A published curriculum
- Two or more years of supervised placements
- Accredited training sites and supervisors
- Uses a range of teaching and learning approaches
- Uses a range of appropriate validated assessment methods and standard setting processes to set the pass mark
Assessment Criteria
Competencies
SIMG's comparability is assessed against the competencies in the eight domains of rural and remote practice as described in the Rural Generalist Curriculum:
- Provide expert medical care in all rural contexts
- Provide primary care
- Provide secondary medical care
- Respond to medical emergencies
- Apply a population health approach
- Work with Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and other culturally diverse communities to improve health and wellbeing
- Practise medicine within an ethical, intellectual and professional framework
- Provide safe medical care while working in geographic and professional isolation
Requirements
SIMGs are deemed non-comparable to a FACRRM if they cannot demonstrate the following requirements:
- minimum of three (3) years providing clinical care away from ready access to specialist medical, diagnostic and allied health services, since achieving their specialist qualification
- achieving their qualification through completion of a supervised training program
- partial or substantial comparability in each of the eight domains
- extended practice relevant to community needs
- ongoing professional development that is comparable to MBA requirements
Find out more about the ACRRM Specialist Pathway in the Specialist Pathway Guide.
Fees
- All prices are subject to change.
- Information on refunds can be found in our Refund Policy.
- Fees listed are GST free for an IMG on the ACRRM Specialist Pathway and are non-refundable.
| Type | Description | Cost | Payable |
Specialist Pathway | |||
| Application fee | The application fee covers the cost of the application and the selection process. | $735 | Upon application |
| Paper based assessment fee | At commencement of the paper-based assessment stage. | $625 | Upon request |
| Structured Interview fee | At commencement of the interview stage. | $2,125 | Upon request |
| Medical Educator session fee | $1,420 | Prior to commencement of pathway. | |
Ongoing Fees | |||
| Support fee | Annual pathway fee ($2,720 annually) | $680 | Quarterly from commencement of pathway |
Other Assessment Fees | |||
| ACRRM Assessments | View the full list of assessments fees |
Application Process
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Step 1
- Check your eligibility against ACRRM's codified list
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Step 2Primary Source Verification
- Commence an application through the Australian Medical Council for verification of your qualifications and obtain an EPIC number.
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Step 3Apply to ACRRM for assessment
- Application (including Specialist Pathway Application Form) is to be uploaded in your My Documents panel within MyCollege.
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Step 4Application review
- Your application and supporting documents will be reviewed for completeness.
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Step 5Paper-based assessment
- Your completed application will be assessed to determine your suitability to proceed to interview.
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Step 6Structured interview
- If you are deemed suitable, you will be invited to attend a structured interview via video-conference.
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Step 7Assessment outcome
- If you are assessed as partially or substantially comparable to an Australian-trained Fellow of ACRRM, you will be eligible to commence the Specialist Pathway. If you are deemed not comparable you will need to consult the Medical Board of Australia for other registration options.