General and acute care medicine

^{Disclaimer: Training pathway information is current as at July 2020 and is subject to change. Please check and confirm specific details with relevant colleges and health authorities directly.}

To become a General Medicine Physician you will need to apply for fellowship with The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). Fellowship is a 6 year (full time equivalent) training pathway consisting of 3 years (full time equivalent) Adult Internal Medicine – Basic Training followed by 3 years (full time equivalent) Advanced Training in General and Acute Care Medicine.

Basic

Years 1-3

Adult Internal Medicine - Basic Training: 36 months (full time) consisting of:

24 months (full time) core training (including 3 months General and Acute Care Medicine & 12 months in medical specialties)
Maximum 12 months non-core training which can be replaced by additional core training
At least 12 months at a Level 3 Teaching Hospital and at least 3 months outside of a Level 3 Teaching Hospital

Advanced

Years 4-6

Advanced Training in General and Acute Care Medicine: 36 months (full time) consisting of:

24 months (full time) core training
12 months (full time) non-core training

Entry requirements/pre-requisites

Basic Training:

General Medical Registration with the Medical Board of Australia.
Have a minimum of 20 weeks experience in general medicine or medical specialties (earliest entry is PGY2, although PGY3 is preferred).
Secured a Basic Training position at an accredited training hospital or health service.
Discussed your application and received approval to apply for Basic Training from the hospital (or network) Director of Physician Education (DPE). Please note that DPE approval is limited to trainees that have been formally selected onto the training network.

Advanced Training:

Completion of RACP Basic Training (including written and clinical examinations) is a pre-requisite to commencing Advanced Training.
Secured employment in an appropriate Advanced Training position.

Application and selection process

Applicants will first need to apply and complete Basic Physician Training (BPT) through Queensland Basic Physician Training Network. The network provides centralised recruitment, selection and allocation of RACP registered Basic Physician Trainees (BPT) intending to commence basic physician training in Queensland. Applicants must apply through the RMO campaign to secure an employment contract for a position in an accredited facility.

Once you have secured an Basic Training position, you must prospectively apply for approval as per the RACP Progression through Training Policy.

To proceed to Advanced Training, applicants can secure an Advanced Training position at an accredited training site by applying through the RMO Campaign to the Queensland General Medicine Advanced Training Network. The network facilitates centralised recruitment to general medicine registrar positions across the state, from advanced training year one. Trainees remain on the network for the duration of their general medicine advanced training, subject to satisfactory performance.

Once you have secured an Advanced Training position, you must prospectively apply for approval as per the RACP Progression through Training Policy.

Program requirements

Regional training opportunities

In Queensland, there are 5 network rotations for Basic Physician Training: Far North, North Queensland, Northside, Southside and Coastal. Toowoomba, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay hospital facilities form part of the Southside Network Rotation along with Greenslopes, Princess Alexandra, Mater, Ipswich, Logan and Queen Elizabeth II hospitals. Rockhampton hospital is part of the Northside network along with Royal Brisbane and Women’s, Sunshine Coast University, The Prince Charles, Caboolture, Mackay, Redcliffe, Nambour and Gympie hospitals.

For Advanced Training, network positions are negotiated and secured on an annual basis.

The following tables outlines the General Medicine training pathway and stages accredited in the Southern Queensland, Central Queensland and Wide Bay regions:

General and Acute Care Advanced Training	6 years total vocational training
	Prevocational		Basic Training			Advanced Training
	PGY1	PGY2+	3 Years			3 Years
Toowoomba Level 2 Teaching Hospital - allows up to 24 months of Basic Physician Training. Trainees must spend the additional 12 months at a Level 3 Teaching Hospital Advanced training accredited for 18 months core training. This site is accredited for: • Core General Medicine • Core General Medicine - related (Chief Medical Registrar) • Core Sub-Specialty in the following: - ICU (acute), - Cardiology (acute), - Stroke/Geriatrics, - Nephrology (Group B) - Other specialty such as gastroenterology, respiratory and sleep, haematology, infectious diseases, and palliative care rotations depend on availability. Approval of these rotations will need to be assessed based on training application on an individual basis	*	*	*	*	Level 3 hospital within the network (eg. Greenslopes, Princess Alexandra, Mater hospitals)	*	*
Rockhampton Level 2 Teaching Hospital - allows up to 24 months of Basic Physician Training. Trainees must spend the additional 12 months at a Level 3 Teaching Hospital Advanced training accredited for 12 months core training. This site is accredited for: • Core General Medicine (not acute) • Core Subspecialty in the following: - Cardiology - Medical Oncology (not acute) - Nephrology	*	*	*	*	Level 3 hospital within the network (eg. Greenslopes, Princess Alexandra, Mater hospitals)	*

Career Champions and Useful Links

Medical Colleges and Training

Peak Bodies and Clinical Networks

Fact Sheets and Guides

Research and Journals

International Journal of General Medicine
Journal of General and Family Medicine (Access via UQ Library Online)

Social

Queensland Internal Medicine Education Program (QIMEP) - Facebook
onthewards - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube
IncisionUQ - Facebook

Career Opportunities and Promotion

Queensland Health RMO and Registrar Recruitment Campaign

Career Champion

To speak with a Career Champion, please contact your local Regional Training Hub Team.