Pathways to GP Training

There are many pathways that lead to becoming a GP in Australia. This page is meant to provide advice on some of the more common pathways available, starting anywhere from Internship to GP vocational training.

For further information about GP training, please feel free to reach out to the following contacts:

Click on the ℹ️ on any step for further information

This page was last reviewed on 17/07/25 - Please be aware the latest information regarding GP training should be sought via the RACGP and ACRRM websites. If you notice anything requiring updating, please email northerndoctorseducation@nh.org.au

Internship HMO Applying to RACGP RACGP Vocational training RACGP Rural Generalist ACRRM Training IMG Information Financial Supports

Table Summary

RACGP
Internship HMO year(s), including RACGP Hospital Year (Minimum 1 Year PGY2+) Vocational Training (Minimal 2 Years) (Optional) Rural Generalist Fellowship, 1 Year
No specific rotations required. All Hospital year requirements (including Paediatrics) available at NH. 18 months of community GP placements, external to NH 6 months of Extended Skills. Rotation Available in NH ED 1-year Advanced Skills Training. Rotation available in NH Anaesthetics.
ACRRM
Internship Core Training (Minimum 3 Years PGY2+) Advanced Specialist Training (1 Year)
Available to complete at NH Available to partially complete at NH Complete External to NH
No specific rotations required.
  • Paediatrics (3 months in general year)
  • O&G (3 months in general year)
  • ED (3 months in general year or as part of crit care year)
  • Anaesthetics (in internship or as critical care year only)
  • Rural or regional practice (Kilmore District Hospital)
  • General Practice Placement (John-Flynn placements in PGY2)
  • Remaining Rural or regional practice (12 months minimum)
  • Remaining primary care placements (six months minimum)
 1-year Advanced Skills Training available at NH in Anaesthetics

Internship

ℹ️ Successfully complete all 5 allocated rotations There are no specific GP-related rotations during internship - just focus on completing the rotations and getting through the year!
ℹ️ Apply for a PGY2 General Year at Northern Health This is done internally via an expression of interest, or externally via PMCV match. If needing more information, please email northerndoctorsworkforce@nh.org.au
ℹ️ Put in preferences for PGY2 rotations Be sure to let workforce know you are interested in pursuing GP training and they will endeavour to give you PGY2 rotations that will be of benefit to you.

Note that the only required rotation for GP Vocational training is Paediatrics or Paeds ED - unfortunately you may have to wait until PGY3 to get paediatric rotations due to limited availability. If you miss out in PGY2, you will be prioritised for PGY3.
ℹ️ Consider applying for your preferred GP college If planning to train through RACGP, you will require acceptance to the college prior to beginning vocational training. This can be done in PGY2 or beyond. However, if you join the year before you plan to start vocational training in community practices, you will need to submit for recognition of prior learning.

If planning to train through ACRRM, you can start completing your core training in PGY2.

Jump to info on RACGP applications
Jump to info on ACRRM training

HMO

ℹ️ Complete your paediatric competency This will most likely be via a Paediatric or Paediatric ED rotation, but other possible avenues for fulfilling RACPG requirements are listed here
If you were unsuccessful in getting one of these rotations, please discuss with workforce and we will prioritise you for them in your following year.
ℹ️ If you have not already, apply for your preferred GP college If planning to train through RACGP, you will require acceptance to the college prior to beginning vocational training. This can be done in PGY2 or beyond. However, if you join the year before you plan to start vocational training in community practices, you will need to submit for recognition of prior learning.

If planning to train through ACRRM, you can start completing your core training in PGY2.

Jump to info on RACGP applications
Jump to info on ACRRM training
ℹ️ If intending to start community practice rotations next year, complete a BLS course. It is a requirement to complete an approved BLS course within 12 months of starting community practice. The Northern Doctors Education team facilitate these throughout the year and you can email them at northerndoctorseducation@nh.org.au for more information
IMPORTANT: If planning to train through RACGP, before progressing to community practice you must ensure all of the following:
• You hold an AMC PGY-2 certification (or general registration plus a further 12-months of accredited supervised hospital rotations beyond internship).
• You have satisfied the requirements for paediatric competency. Completing a Paediatric or Paeds ED rotation at NH is sufficient, other routes can be found here
• You have completed a BLS course within 12-months prior to starting the general practice term.
• You have been accepted to RACGP Training.

If you think you will have any issue satisfying any of these requirements, please contact either the Northern Doctors Workforce or Northern Doctors Education teams for advice.

If you are applying for ACRRM training, different requirements apply. Please see the ACRRM section for more info.

There may be further requirements for IMGs. Jump to info for IMGs

Applying for RACGP Training through AGPT

IMPORTANT: There are many avenues to apply for GP training. This is only meant to present a summary of how to apply for a RACGP position through the AGPT pathway (the most common pathway for domestic graduates).

For other pathways of applying to RACGP, please see The RACGP website
ℹ️ Apply for RACGP training via AGPT website during the intake periods. There are two intake periods throughout the year. Key dates can be found via this link.
ℹ️ Select your Pathway and Region As part of applying for RACGP training, you will be required to preference your training region and whether you want to join the General or Rural training scheme. This is an important decision, and we suggest you look up the different pathways here and different regions here.
ℹ️ Complete Online Selection Assessment Following your application, you will need to sign up for and complete the online selection assessment. This is an online situational judgement test, consisting of 11 scenarios, each with 2 open-ended questions including written and video recorded responses. More info can be found here.
ℹ️ Apply for Recognition of Prior Learning Once accepted to RACGP training, it may be necessary to apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL) for your hospital year and paediatric competencies.

If you successfully joined RACGP prior to completing a further hospital year and completing your paediatric competency, you should not need to apply for RPL.

RACGP Vocational Training

RACGP training is 3 years total. However, the first year is your "hospital year", the requirements of which are outlined in the HMO year above.

This section focuses on the remaining requirements to fellow with RACGP.
ℹ️ Complete 18 months of placements in GP Clinics These are your core placements during RACGP training, they are split into 3 six-month rotations known as GPT1, GPT2, and GPT3.
ℹ️ Complete 6 months extended skills placement Extended Skills Placement can be completed either as placement in a GP clinic like the other 18 months, or as a 6 month term in a hospital or community setting.

Northern Health offers an accredited 6 month ED term at Northern Hospital.
ℹ️ Complete Fellowship Exams The Fellowship exam can be taken anytime after completing 12 months of GP placements. It consists of three parts:
- The Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)
- The Key Feature Problem (KFP)
- The Clinical Competency Exam (CCE).

More info can be found here.

Rural Generalist Fellowship with RACGP

The Rural Generalist Fellowship is an optional addition to RACGP training. You will still receive Fellowship with RACGP, but you will also develop further skills and a subspecialisation to achieve a Rural Generalist Fellowship.

This section outlines the further requirements in addition to all previous requirements to achieve rural generalist fellowship. These requirements can be undertaken at any time during training.
ℹ️ Enrol into Rural Generalist Training You can either enrol into rural generalist training when you first apply for RACGP training, or you can opt in at any time during your training by speaking to the RACGP rural program team and applying here.
ℹ️ Complete 6 months in Emergency Medicine You must complete 6 months FTE in a RACGP accredited emergency medicine training post. This can be done as your extended skills training during RACGP training, or may be recognised as prior learning if completed prior to starting RACGP training.

Northern Health offers a 6 month accredited ED term at Northern Hospital.
ℹ️ Complete 12 months of your general practice placements in a rural setting You must complete at least 12 months FTE of your GP clinic placements in a rural general practice setting, defined by regions MMM 3-7 on the Modified Monash Model.
ℹ️ Complete 12 months of additional rural skills training You must complete 12 months of additional rural skills training (ARST) in a RACGP accredited training post. This can be in a number of different disciplines including (but not limited to):
- ATSI Health
- Academic Post
- Anaesthetics
- Internal Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Mental Health
- O&G
- Palliative Care
- Surgery
- Small Town Rural Practice

Northern Health offers an ARST post in Anaesthetics at Northern Hospital.

ACRRM Vocational Training

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine specialises in training GPs for working in Rural and Remote parts of Australia.

You will receive specialist registration as a GP just like RACGP, and can practice in any location, including metropolitan regions.

The following requirements are the minimum, and need to be completed at any time from PGY2 or above.

For information on applying to ACRRM, please see the ACCRM Application and Selection Process.
ℹ️ Complete 3 years of Core Generalist Training You must complete 3 years of core generalist training, which includes requirements for primary care, secondary care, emergency care, paediatrics, obstetrics, anaesthetics and rural and remote practice. Each component has its own requirements which are outlined in the handbooks linked at the bottom of this section.
ℹ️ Complete 1 year of Advanced Specialised Training You must complete 12 months of Advanced Specialised Training in an accredited training post. This can be in a number of different disciplines including (but not limited to):
- ATSI Health
- Academic Post
- Anaesthetics
- Internal Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Mental Health
- O&G
- Palliative Care
- Surgery
- Remote Medicine

Northern Health offers an AST post in Anaesthetics at Northern Hospital.
ℹ️ Additional assessments In addition to the above, there are several further requirements to complete throughout your training. These are outlined in the handbook linked below, and including external courses, work based assessments, and exams.
If wanting further information about ACCRM training, you can view the fellowship handbooks here.

Information for International Medical Graduates

We recognise that the pathway to specialisation for IMGs can be difficult to navigate. This section is meant as a brief overview, and more importantly, provides links and contacts that you may find helpful.

This page contains pathways to RACGP fellowship for IMGs.

This page contains pathways to ACRRM fellowship for IMGs

If considering applying for GP training as an IMG, it is highly recommended you reach out to your preferred college individually (becomeaGP@racgp.org.au or acrrm@acrrm.org.au) for further information so you can ensure your specific circumstances are taken into account.
ℹ️ I hold specialist qualification in general practice overseas Provided you complete the primary source verification and comparability assessment, you are eligible to go directly into a supervised general practitioner role through the specialist pathway.

You can find more info about the pathway via either college from the following links: RACGP or ACRRM.
ℹ️ I don't hold overseas specialist qualification, but do hold general registration in Australia You are likely eligible to apply for ACRRM training provided you are not a member of any other college and you have an appropriate visa with intention to apply for Australian permanent residency.

To be eligible to enter RACGP vocational training, you must have completed a rotation in general medicine, surgery, emergency medicine and paediatrics within the last 5 years. Reach out to Northern Doctors Workforce if you require some of these rotations in your general year and we will endeavor to assist.
ℹ️ I don't hold specialist qualification in general practice overseas or general registration in Australia It is highly recommended you reach out to the college(s) via the emails above for the best advice tailored to your situation. It is likely you will aim to achieve general registration through the Competent Authority Pathway or Standard Pathway.

If needing more info on these pathways, email our IMG coordinator at mh-mwurecruitment@nh.org.au.

Financial supports and incentives

There are many financial supports and incentives to those undertaking GP training, especially if in a rural or remote setting.

This page contains a good list of the different options available. Depending on your situation, there may be more available, and it's recommended you reach out to either RACGP or ACRRM directly for more information.

Get to know: Dr Richard Sia

Meet Dr Richard Sia, GP Liaison Officer, Northern Health.

Q: What is your coffee order?

A: Small latte, no sugar.

Q: Tell us about your new role at Northern Health?

A: I am Northern Health’s GP Liaison Officer. This is a new position working in the Primary Care Liaison Unit within the partnerships team. Our primary role is to identify and implement strategies that will improve the continuity of care and communication between Northern Health and General Practitioners.

Q: What is the most exciting part of your job?

A: Meeting people from the hospital, local practices and the community. I enjoy organising education events for GPs and working on quality and improvement. We have a few education events in the pipeline and are working on a few projects within Northern Health.

Q: What is your ideal work-life balance? 

A: Travelling around the world on someone else’s yacht while getting paid. Otherwise, a decent trip per year to avoid the Melbourne winter. Trying out new restaurants and heading out to Timezone on the weekends.

 Q: Would you rather be able to travel into the future or into the past?

A: Definitely the future, I’ve been to the past already and it was so so.