GPs are determined to ensure that all patients in rural and remote communities can access high-quality care from a GP who knows them, and their history.
It comes following the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) launching key rural health initiatives at the College's annual conference in Brisbane, GP25.
RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said that the College is securing the future of rural and remote general practice care.
"Rural and remote patients shouldn't be left behind, and the College is focused on ensuring that all communities can access high-quality care from a GP they know and trust," he said.
"We've recently partnered with the Rural Doctors Association of Australia on #DestinationRural to encourage more medical students and junior doctors to consider rural general practice through a supported rural placement. This includes offering 10 rural GP placement bursaries valued up to $1,000 per student.
"Enhancing the number of GPs training in the bush is a high priority for the College. We know that registrars who train outside of major cities are more likely to stay here as long-term GPs and care for these communities for many years to come.
"GPs are valued so highly by rural and remote communities across Australia. I recommend all future doctors strongly consider a career as a GP in a rural or remote town; it might well be one of the best decisions you ever make."
RACGP National Clinical Head of Rural Pathways Dr Karin Jodlowski-Tan said the College was doing everything possible to ensure rural and remote GPs are supported to have the skills they need.
"As the largest representative college of rural GPs, we're focused on ensuring all patients outside of major cities can access the highest quality of care," she said.
"At GP25, the College is launching GP Advanced Life Support Level 2 [GPALS2], a two-day face-to-face course designed to further boost the skills of GPs managing emergencies in rural and remote settings. This is vital, because many rural and remote communities don't have ready access to major hospitals, and GPs are the ones stepping in to save lives when emergencies strike.
"We've also sponsored 10 rural registrars to attend GP25 to support them and help them connect to GPs from across Australia. They will learn a lot from this experience and, in the years ahead, provide the best possible standard of care to patients in the rural and remote communities where they live and work."
RACGP Senior Medical Educator and Writer and Inala Indigenous Health Service worker, Dr Justin Coleman, delivered a keynote speech on what matters most in rural and remote general practice care. Dr Coleman stressed that it's vital to recognise the value of generalist skills in rural and remote communities.
"Outside of major cities, GPs must have such a diverse range of skills and expertise," he said.
"It's not the case that only 'super-doctors' thrive in rural and remote medical practices. My message to all future doctors is that if you approach the task with the right mindset, you too can thrive in these settings and make such a profound difference to the lives of so many people, including those with limited access to care.
"Blend in some curiosity, add a dash of really caring for your patients, and a healthy dose of pragmatism, and as far as I'm concerned – that's your secret sauce."
President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia Dr Sarah Chalmers attended GP25 and said that the RDAA was delighted to welcome the RACGP as a Gold Partner of RDAA.
"The RDAA and RACGP share many members who are deeply committed to caring for rural communities," she said.
"This partnership reflects our shared dedication to improving health outcomes for rural and remote Australians and builds on the strong and enduring relationship between our two organisations. RDAA is excited to join forces with the RACGP to support the next generation of rural GPs through the #DestinationRural campaign.
"General practice is at the heart of rural health care, and these bursaries will give students hands-on experience in rural clinics, helping them discover the diversity of general practice medicine in rural communities as well as the professional challenge and rewarding lifestyle that comes with it.
"Much of university training occurs in large tertiary or regional hospitals, so giving students the chance to see rural or remote practice firsthand provides a valuable opportunity to experience the variety, autonomy, and patient continuity that rural general practice offers." Recently, the College threw its support behind Rural Generalists (RG) being formally recognised as a specialist medical field within general practice in the Australian healthcare system. The College is now working with the Australian Medical Council to determine the finer points of how the RACGP RG Fellowship qualification can be accredited for this new subspecialty.
The conference is also featuring:
a workshop on empowering women in rural general practice care including leadership, advocacy and mentoring
a presentation on health equity and improving health literacy in the bush featuring RACGP Deputy Queensland Chair Dr Aileen Traves and rural and remote GP and author Dr Sonia Henry
a presentation on building the future of Rural Generalism featuring College Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements, National Clinical Head of Rural Pathways Dr Karin Jodlowski-Tan, RACGP Senior Medical Educator Dr Mike Hurley, RACGP Rural Censor Dr Ken Wanguhu, Chair Rural Doctors Workforce Agency South Australia Dr Mike Beckoff and FRACGP-RG Registrar Dr Charlotte Lovejoy.
For the first time, the RACGP will host the National Rural Generalist Pathway Jurisdictional Implementation Forum taking place on Thursday 13 November.
The full day forum includes the National Rural Health Commissioner Professor Jenny May AM and representatives from each of the Rural Generalist Coordination Units across the country as well as RACGP and The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACCRM).
It aims to progress the implementation of the National Rural Generalist Pathway. With the recent recognition of rural generalist medicine as a subspecialty of general practice and the Colleges now working towards accreditation of their respective rural generalist fellowships with the AMC, this is a timely meeting.
~
