Rural generalist will become a protected title from 29 March 2027. Doctors who have not obtained subspecialist recognition on their AHPRA registration will no longer be able to use the title.
Since rural generalists were allowed to register as subspecialists last month, more than 1100 medical practitioners have been granted the title.
Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) president and ACRRM past president Professor Sarah Chalmers told The Medical Republic the uptake was “fabulous”.
“I tell everybody I can,” she said, having received subspecialist recognition herself.
“It’s something we as rural generalists have been working towards for a number of years.”
The RDAA led the establishment of a working group proposing that RGs have their own suite of MBS item numbers, a proposal also put forward in ACRRM’s pre-budget and election submission in January last year.
“This would mean RG utilising their advanced skills training and their extended scope of practice would have access to those item numbers,” she said.
As of May, a second working group meeting had been held, but there had been no further progress.
RACGP rural chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said the AHPRA subspecialist recognition provided the foundation for further negotiations with the state and federal governments for rural generalists, including access to MBS items, scripts, and MRI rebates.
“We’re working with the state governments to secure recognition for the work our RGs do in hospitals and to secure appropriate pay and conditions,” he told TMR.
While he said Queensland paid RGs almost the equivalent of a staff specialist rate, he added that this was not universal across the country.
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“Our goal now, as a college, is to encourage all of our 20,000 rural GPs to consider becoming recognised, or, in some cases, to consider additional training or work in their community to meet the new criteria,” he said.
Practitioners who do not apply for subspecialty recognition would likely have their pay grandfathered, Professor Clements said, but those seeking new roles, taking on locum work, or moving interstate would likely need to be AHPRA-recognised first.
ACRRM’s immediate past president, Dr Rod Martin, said the states and territories would increasingly develop a clear scope of practice for RGs across both primary and emergency care following the imminent title protection.
“Now what we need is proper workforce data to know how many of each type and which locations are imperative for those now 1100 RGs,” Dr Martin said.
“Being able to plan for the future is one of the other components that really, really needs to be built in,” he said.
AHPRA’s announcement followed the government’s announcement on Tuesday that it would fund a record 2100 GP places in 2028, including 675 in rural and remote areas.
Rural generalism was approved last year as general practice’s first subspecialty. Since 1 September, doctors with ACRRM or RACGP rural fellowships have been able to apply to AHPRA for official recognition of their qualifications.
For more information about how to apply for specialist registration, see here.
