RDN welcomes recognition of Rural Generalism

Rural Doctors Network (RDN) welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Health, Disability, and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP that Rural Generalists will now be formally recognised as a new speciality medical field within general practice.

"For nearly forty years, Rural Doctors Network has served rural communities and long supported rural generalists in order to advance rural medicine and meet the specific health access needs of remote and rural communities in a sustainable and cost-effective way,” said RDN CEO, Richard Colbran.

“This recognition of the speciality is very welcome news. It is symbolic recognition of the GP that provides primary care and hospital services, which keeps many remote and rural hospitals open.”

Mr Colbran also acknowledged the advocacy of all individuals and health agencies involved in achieving formal recognition, in particular, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), for guiding a formal application to the Medical Board of Australia under the auspices of the RG Recognition Taskforce.

Since 2019, the Taskforce has worked collaboratively with the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner, whose office chaired meetings and coordinated input from Commonwealth, state, and territory health departments. Former RDN Director Governance and Health Service Development, Dr Rose Ellis, was seconded to work with the inaugural Rural Health Commissioner Prof. Paul Worley and was involved in beginning the process of formal recognition.

Addressing last year’s National Rural and Remote Health Awards for Rural Health Month, National Rural Health Commissioner Prof. Jenny May AM lauded the “stellar skills” of rural generalists and pointed to the need to offer them greater support.

“Rural Generalism works in remote Australia and rural Australia – and it could work in regional Australia. The area is our opportunity to privilege and support and give status to those who work in remote - some of our most challenging medical and health situations,” Professor May said.

Following the announcement last week, Professor May said the Taskforce continues to navigate the thorough process, with a shared commitment to ensuring the voice of rural Australia is embedded in national medical policy.

“We’re grateful to all members of the Taskforce and to all those across the health sector who contributed to this achievement,” she said.

RDN’s Richard Colbran agrees and says while there’s still some work to do as the Medical Council (AMC) determines the process for RG Fellowship qualifications to be accredited under this new specialist classification, the announcement reinforces the importance of ‘generalism’ across all clinical disciplines in rural and remote health systems.

“RDN acknowledges that - while there’s still more work to be done, and we appreciate that not all doctors working rurally will be eligible - this formal recognition reaffirms publicly the critical role RGs play in delivering quality healthcare to support rural communities.”

“We look forward to continuing our work in support of the capability of rural generalists, as well as non-RG specialists working in remote, rural and regional areas, throughout their rewarding career journeys,” Mr Colbran said.

As the charity for health access, RDN’s commitment to supporting RGs encompasses a wide range of activities. RDN builds capability by providing professional development, training, networking, mentoring and family support opportunities for rural generalists to help them succeed, and administers grants and scholarships for rural practitioners. Its work with the Rural Generalist Coordination Unit supporting the National Rural Generalist Pathway has allowed it to support workforce planning across rural NSW for the complexities of the role of an RG. Funded by the Federal Government, RDN has also supported the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) to deliver the Advancing the National Rural Generalist Pathway on behalf of the NSW Ministry of Health (MoH), with the goal of improving the rural workforce supply.

In recent years, RDN administered the Federal Government’s More Doctors for Rural Australia Program (MDRAP) in NSW and ACT and in April 2024 took up administration of its successor Pre-Fellowship Program (PFP), providing individual assistance to hundreds of doctors.

Workforce Support activities also include administration of the NSW Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship program on behalf of the MoH. The 36-year old program has successfully encouraged medical students into rural practice, with 64% continuing to practice rurally.

RDN also collaborates with hosts HETI and the MoH to bring together RG’s and prospective RGs including RDN Cadets for the two-day RGEN conference annually, showcasing and celebrating different RG careers.

RDN believes that this emphasis on future capability will ensure the long-term health of Rural Generalism. “It is great to see this recognition and RDN remains committed to supporting the future of Rural Generalism by inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in rural health,” says RDN Future Workforce Manager Chris Russell.

“Given the importance of Rural Generalists to rural community primary health and hospital care we will continue to work with stakeholders and communities to integrate data to identify job opportunities for future RGs.”

Related reading:

• RDN unveils alumni program to celebrate 35 years of the Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship (2024)
• 'Your Career Your Canvas': future Rural Generalists embrace the possibilities of a rural health career at RGEN24 (2024)

• Professor Jenny May AM, National Rural Health Commissioner address at the National Rural & Remote Health Awards 2024 (Rural Health Pro)