Australian General Practice Training (AGPT)

The Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program is an Australian Government training program for doctors who want to specialise as general practitioners. Currently the AGPT program is delivered by a network of Regional Training Organisations (RTOs). James Cook University’s (JCU) GP training program is the RTO covering North Western Queensland.

Successful completion of the AGPT program qualifies registrars to gain fellowship with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), or both.

Both the ACRRM and RACGP fellowships lead to specialist general practitioner registration with the Medical Board of Australia and the ability to work independently anywhere in Australia.

JCU offers opportunities to work in some of North Western Queensland’s most unique and exciting locations in rural and remote settings such as Emerald, Longreach, Mount Isa, Roma and Thursday Island as well as large regional centres such as Cairns and the Sunshine Coast.

AGPT program structure

The AGPT program typically takes three to four years full-time to complete, depending on which fellowship pathway you select. RACGP requires three years full-time equivalent training and ACRRM requires four years full-time equivalent training. Registrars pursuing RACGP can also choose to undertake an optional fourth year in pursuit of a Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice (FARGP). JCU strongly encourages RACGP registrars to enrol in FARGP.

Full-time training on the AGPT program (1.0 FTE) consists of 38 hours per week of training, which includes practice time, administration and education.

Training pathways

Applicants to the AGPT program with RACGP elect to train on either the general or rural pathway. The pathway system ensures at least fifty per cent of training on the AGPT program is delivered in rural and remote areas, to meet community needs.

The AGPT Program uses the Modified Monash Model classification system. The Modified Monash Model is a new classification system that better categorises metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas according to both geographical remoteness and town size. The system was developed to recognise the challenges in attracting health workers to more remote and smaller communities. It replaces the Australian Standard Geographical Classification - Remoteness Areas (ASGC-RA 2006) system.

The general pathway and rural pathway classifications are now as follows:

• General pathway: Registrars on the general pathway may train anywhere across our region, in MM 1-7 locations. Overseas-trained doctors and foreign graduates of an accredited medical school who are subject to Section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the 10-year moratorium) are ineligible for the general pathway and must train on the rural pathway.
• Rural pathway: Registrars on the rural pathway must train in regional, rural and remote locations classified as MM 2-7 locations.

Applicants to the AGPT program with ACRRM train on the rural pathway. The training pathways do not affect the duration of training or where you can work once you have completed your training. JCU offers positions on both the general and rural pathways. Further details are provided on the placements page.

Further information

• For more information about the MMM categories or to search a particular location’s classification, please visit Health Workforce Locator.
• For more information on the AGPT training pathways or Section 19AB, please download the General Practice Training in Australia - The Guide
• Want to find out more? Sign up to receive the JCU GP Training Region Guide.