The Curriculum
What is The Generalist Pathway?
The Far West Rural Generalist Pathway, The Generalist Pathway, supports junior medical officers with targeted training and development to become a Rural Generalist, or to go on to any other medical field.
The Generalist Pathway is a highly respected, selective, and flexible pathway that offers Australia’s most passionate and dedicated medical students the opportunity to explore a wide variety of clinical training and develop the advanced skill set required to support the health needs of rural and remote communities.
The curriculum incorporates the RACGP Curriculum and the ACRRM Primary Curriculum. The curriculum is designed to accommodate the practical educational issues posed by remoteness, by providing well supported remote supervision. It is specifically tailored to the needs of rural and remote medical practice. It is a four-year program which encompasses the following key areas related specifically to remote practice.
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.
Far West is categorised as MM3, Areas categorised ASGS-RA 2 and ASGS-RA 3 that are not in MM 2 and are in, or within 15km road distance, of a town with a population between 15,000 and 50,000
Incentives and support for GP’s in Modified Monash 3 locations.
Overview
The LHD covers a geographical area of 194,949 square kilometres and includes the traditional lands of the Barkandji/Paakantji, Wilyakali, Muthi Muthi and Nyampa. It uniquely shares borders with three states (South Australia, Victoria and Queensland) and is closer to Melbourne and Adelaide than Sydney (1,100km away). Consequently, the LHD has very strong healthcare links with South Australia and Victoria.
Figure 2.1: Map of Far Western NSW
Far Western NSW mainly consists of open plains and is dominated by pastoral grazing and mining to the north, where irrigation is absent. It is bisected by the Darling River through Wilcannia, Menindee and then to Wentworth.
The LHD is the most sparsely populated LHD in NSW with 62% of its over 30,000 inhabitants living in the regional city of Broken Hill. The remainder of the population live in:
agricultural towns and neighbouring villages along the Murray River with a high Aboriginal population that are remote and socially as well as economically disadvantaged; and
isolated villages and very small remote communities of 80-800 or on stations throughout the region.
Of the total LHD population, 91.1% are from an English-speaking background. The region has the highest proportion of Aboriginal residents (12.7%) in NSW and many experience significant disadvantage. This population is relatively young and reflects the lower life expectancy of Aboriginal people.
Overall, Far Western NSW population is decreasing, ageing and experiences poor health status compared to the rest of NSW, related to lifestyle factors and chronic illness. Furthermore, low literacy levels; a lack of affordable transport; and overcrowded housing limit the capacity of some of the population to take responsibility for their own health.