How to become a Training Practice and how does a Practice get a GP Registrar? FAQs

How does a Practice become a GP Training Practice?
There are many more interested Practices in Queensland than there are GP Registrars. GP Registrars need a good training environment but also need an element of choice. CSQTC tries to balance all competing needs in its Practice Selection and allocation processes.

• Step 1 – Practice Selection

• CSQTC will run a Training Practice Selection process every year.
• At this time all Training Practice ‘positions’ are opened and all Practices must re-submit to the Practice Selection process.
• Small ‘top-up’ processes may occur from time to time.
• The Practice Selection process is overseen by an advisory group of GPs from outside CSQTC and the actual selection panels are made up of GP representatives from the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), Divisions of General Practice, General Practice Registrar Association and General Practice Supervisors’ Association.
• CSQTC's criteria for selecting Practices are based on the RACGP Standards and ACRRM Standards (where applicable). There may also be additional criteria, as determined by the Practice Selection Panel, included in the Selection Process. Please see below for links to the Standards for the RACGP and ACRRM.
  
• Only general practices selected during this process will be able to have CSQTC GP Registrars in them during their training.
• Practices not currently involved in GP Training with CSQTC can register their interest by referring to the CSQTC Practice Selection page.

• Step 2 – Accreditation

• To be involved with GP Training, Practices must also be accredited by RACGP or ACRRM or both.
• Once selected by CSQTC, Practices are supported through the College accreditation or re-accreditation processes by CSQTC.
• GP Registrar involvement cannot occur until College accreditation has been achieved.
• For further information on the RACGP General Practice Vocational Training Standards please visit the RACGP website
  
• For further information on the ACRRM Standards for Training Posts and Teachers please visit the ACRRM website

Does location of the Practice matter?

• Yes. GP Registrars have obligations to complete parts of training in various rural and outer metropolitan areas.
• Thus CSQTC is obliged to organise Practice Selection in ways to ensure sufficient numbers of these Practices are included.
• GP Registrars also have a need for choice, so CSQTC aims to select a geographical spread of Practices, even in urban areas to allow, where possible, a number of choices close to home.

What are the CSQTC 'Training Practice Categories' 1, 2 and 2+?
It is long-recognised that GP Training needs consistency in Practices, especially for GP Registrars early in training, and that Practices perform consistently at their best when there is a regular ‘flow’ of GP Registrars.

• Category 1. These Practices are chosen through the Selection Process to regularly be available for new GP Registrars in their first 12 months. In return the placement process attempts to ensure that these Practices have a regular flow of GP Registrars for the duration of their three-year agreement with CSQTC. Obviously this can only apply to a limited number of Practices.
• Category 2. These Practices are selected and accredited at a level that allows GP Registrars only in their second year of GP experience to train in them. In order to provide GP Registrar choice and to allow Practices to be involved only as and when they wish, there are many more Practices in this Category than there are GP Registrars available.
• Category 2+. These Practices function as Category 2 Practices. However, they are accredited at a level that they can have GP Registrars in their first year of GP experience. When CSQTC requires more Practices for GP Registrars in certain areas it may invite some Category 2+ Practices to be involved in training GP Registrars in their first year of GP experience.

How do the allocations work?

• GP Registrars in their first year of GP experience (full-time equivalent) are allocated to Practices through a structured process CSQTC’s Matching and Allocation Process (MAP).
• GP Registrars organise placements for their second year of GP experience in the training program (full-time equivalent) independently by approaching any applicable selected practice (Category 1, 2 or 2+). This can be done at any time.
• There is extensive documentation about arranging GP Term placements for all stages of training available on the CSQTC website - please use above individual links or go to the Arranging GP Placements page.

How do Training Practices promote themselves and how are Practices' positions vacant advertised?

• ALL CSQTC Training Practices are listed on the CSQTC Training Practice List, with notes about availability of positions (eg. whether the Practice is participating in the MAP, whether the Practice has been allocated already, etc).
• Please visit the the web page entitled How are Practices' positions vacant advertised for more information.

How many GP Registrars can a Practice have?
Except under some rare circumstances Practices can have no more than two (2) CSQTC GP Registrars at any one time. For details please read the policy on Number of GP Registrars per Practice and read the Number of GP Registrars per Practice FAQs.