The program will help improve GPs’ research and critical thinking skills.
To excel in their roles, GPs and registrars need to filter, critically appraise, interpret and apply information effectively. The Australian General Practice Training program (AGPT) academic post program, is a 12-month part-time academic training post that helps GPs and registrars improve their teaching, research and critical thinking skills.
The program exposes participants to research and teaching in an academic environment, and encourages everyone to think about how to incorporate academic work into their careers.
The successful candidates will start the program from January–February 2022 to January–February 2023, while completing a 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) clinical term.
How does it work?
The AGPT post consists of a 12-month part-time (0.5 FTE) position that takes place within a university department of general practice or rural clinical school.
Academic posts are available on both RACGP Fellowship pathways:
- Fellowship of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP): academic post can be part of the core vocational training or an extended skills term or an elective;
- Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice (FARGP): academic post is considered an Advanced Rural Skills Training (ARST) term.
What do you actually do?
All academic posts commence at the start of the year and once you have established a collaboration with a university. Then, you will be assigned a research supervisor and a teaching supervisor, who will guide you through your research and teaching activities.
For the research aspect of this post, you have the option to complete your own research project or take part of an existing project. While conducting research you will also be expected to take teaching duties, which may involve giving lectures, small-group teaching, running tutorials, assessing students, developing curriculum and attending departmental meetings. You should expect to spend about approximately 60% of your time doing research (11.4 hours per week) and 40% teaching (7.6 hours per week).
In addition, you’ll also need to do a minimum of 14.5 hours of clinical work per week, including at least 10.5 hours of face-to-face patient consultation.
To help and support your work, you will receive input from general practice academics through workshops, webinars and an online learning-management system.
What do you get?
The program will give GPs and registrars valuable experience in research, teaching, project work skills and the ability to critically evaluate research relevant to general practice. With this post under your belt, you can expect to:
- contribute to the evidence on which general practice is based;
- gain experience in research and teaching;
- disseminate research in professional journals and at conferences;
- build the foundation for a career as a general practice academic or medical educator (ME).
The experience you gain will also prepare you to undertake any postgraduate programs, such as MSc or PhD in general practice or prepare you for a career in academic teaching.
Examples of previous research projects conducted through this program include:
- The effect of a new coaching model on anxiety, depression and burnout in general practice registrars’
- ‘Doctors in secondary schools: Experiences and perspectives of general practitioners involved’;
- ‘Exploring the effects of providing consent information to parents on intention to vaccinate at six weeks’;
- ‘The effect of models of primary care on the quality of referrals to specialists’;
- ‘Postpartum contraception – What are women’s expectations?’;
- ‘The experiences and impact of racism on Indigenous general practice trainees’;
- ‘Understanding the protective effect of influenza vaccination on subsequent acute myocardial infarction and stroke’;
- ‘Smoking, men and mental illness – Social determinants of health approach in a regional setting’;
- ‘Investigating the barriers and enablers to advance care planning for patients with dementia in general practice’;
- ‘Do as I say, not as I do – A survey to assess how well general practitioners follow their own lifestyle advice.
Basic information
To apply, follow this link:
https://racgpresearch.smartygrants.com.au/AcademicPostProgram2022
Applications close at midnight 5 July 2021.
For questions, call 03 8699 0418 during business hours or email gpedresearch@racgp.org.au.
The complete 2022 application guide is available here: