Australia's leading general practice training college, the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), has proudly welcomed 84 new specialist GPs at a Fellowship ceremony on Friday in Perth.
Fellowship of the RACGP recognises a doctor's qualification and expertise as a specialist GP. Achieving Fellowship represents the gold standard of general practice in Australia, typically following around 11 years of education, clinical training, rigorous assessment, and hands-on experience in primary care.
In addition to the newly recognised Fellows were three Rural Generalists – GPs who undertake additional rural skills training in fields vital to rural communities, such as emergency medicine and obstetrics.
RACGP Vice President and Western Australia Chair Dr Ramya Raman warmly welcomed the new Fellows.
"Congratulations, you all play a vital role in Australia's healthcare system," she said.
"New Fellows have put in years of study, endured the rigours of exams, and hands-on experience with the guidance and support of invaluable GP supervisors and medical educators, who perform such a vital role.
"The College is determined to boost rural and remote general practice care across Australia, including Western Australia, and many of today's new Fellows have a strong track record and passion for helping patients in rural communities. It's great news that 20 of the new Fellows are from rural areas and they have inspiring stories to tell.
"This includes Dr Megan Robertson, who completed the majority of her community GP training in regional Western Australia. She is motivated by a deep commitment to supporting rural and remote communities and embraced the challenges of remote general practice care. Not only that, Dr Robertson performed this work while being diagnosed with a serious health condition. She demonstrated tremendous resilience and remained unwavering in her pursuit of becoming a GP. Dr Robertson's story is a powerful testament to perseverance, dedication to rural medicine, and professional excellence.
"Dr Charl Du Plessis who attained Rural Generalist Fellowship, has worked as a solo GP covering the entire Northern Goldfields area, including Leonara and Laverton, and ran outreach clinics to Cosmo Newberry, a remote Aboriginal community. When COVID-19 struck, he made the call to stay in the community to help patients in need, and make sure that everyone was okay, including providing vital mental health support. This is one of the reasons why GPs are so highly regarded in the communities they serve – we're there in times of crisis."
Dr Raman said the future of Western Australian general practice care is bright.
"People across our great state rely on specialist GPs, and the College is stepping up so that all patients can access high-quality care from a GP who knows them, and their history," she said.
"We train 90% of the country's GPs and, as a practising GP, I know general practice is one of the most rewarding and gratifying paths in medicine. As a GP, you're immensely valued by people in your local community, and you build deep, meaningful and lasting relationships with patients. Some experienced GPs may even treat patients across two or three generations in the one family. No other specialty offers that kind of connection, and long-term relationship building.
"We know that people who have a usual GP live longer, healthier, and happier lives. Patients see us for a range of different health conditions and we're always there for the long haul, helping people year after year navigating challenges including mental health issues or recovering from natural disasters such as bushfires or floods.
"So, once again, congratulations to our new RACGP Fellows. I can't wait to see how you'll help your communities across Western Australia and shape the future of general practice care."
