The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners

The General Practice Education Programme - GPEP

The General Practice Education Programme is a 36 month training programme provided by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and prepares doctors for general practice in New Zealand.  The training has been accepted by the Medical Council for vocational registration and the right to independent practice under the Health Practitioners’ Competency Assurance Act. 

General Practice Education Programme Stage 1 - GPEP1

The GPEP1 registrar programme includes ten months of intensive supervised general practice training in accredited teaching practices, and attendance at seminars and workshops for the equivalent of a day per week.  Registrars usually sit Primex (the Primary Membership Examination of the RNZCGP) at the end of this year.  Registrars then move into General Practice Education Programme Stage 2 – GPEP2. 

Postgraduate Generalist Placement Education Programme - PGGP

The College also offers a three month general practice run for postgraduate year two and three house surgeons and rural hospital doctors.  This programme is a good introduction to general practice.

The role of the GP teacher

The GP teacher plays an important role in teaching the registrar to function effectively and efficiently as a general practitioner.  This role includes:

• Providing either one or two twenty week attachments per annum (or a three month attachment for PGGP)
• Helping the registrar identify their learning goals
• Formulating a learning plan in conjunction with the registrar
• Meeting with the registrar for “protected” teaching time each week
• Being available for corridor/telephone teaching each day
• Providing regular, constructive and specific feedback on the registrar’s progress
• Completing a written assessment for the registrar
• Completing the quality assurance programme for practice teachers

The rewards of being a GP teacher

GP teachers find teaching registrars a rewarding stimulating addition to their professional career.  GP teachers can expect to:

• Receive a pro-rata payment for their teaching
• Retain income from patients seen by the registrar
• Have ongoing support and advice from the Clinical Leader GPEP1 and PGGP and Education & Assessment Advisors
• Receive an Induction Pack , teacher resources, access to OWL (Online Web Learning platform)
• Attend a New Teachers Workshop (all expenses covered) in the first year
• Be involved in regional teacher development workshops

Requirements of a GP teacher

The GP teacher needs to:

• Hold general registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand
• Be a Fellow of the RNZCGP
• Provide a room for the registrar to see patients
• Provide medical equipment for the use of the registrar, except for a stethoscope, ophthalmoscope, auriscope and emergency bag equipment
• Have sufficient patients for the registrar to see (5-13 patients per any half-day session – maximum of 8 for PGGP trainees)
• Meet with the registrar for a minimum of 1.5 hours each week (or 2 hours each week for the PGGP trainee) as part of the teaching-learning process
• Take responsibility for providing supervisory teaching and oversight of the registrar as required by the Health Practitioners’ Competency Assurance Act
• Be able to provide a suitable vocationally registered deputy to supervise the registrar if necessary
• Provide a good role model in terms of staff relationships/communication
• Provide an appropriate model of effective patient-centered consulting
• Provide a good role model in relation to record keeping/registers and practice audits
• Undergo accreditation as a teacher within the first year of teaching
• Take part in teacher training meetings annually
• Take part in one quality assurance visit per year where appropriate
• Have the support of partners/colleagues to take on a teacher role

The GP registrar

The GP registrar is expected to:

• Gain a minimum of 10 sessions per annum of supervised after hours experience preferably 5 sessions during each attachment (PGGP trainees complete 3 after hours sessions)
• Charge for services according to the policies of their teacher
• Be responsible for recording payments, bookkeeping and management of any money taken
• Be responsible for the professional decisions which they take
• Discuss any problems or disagreements with their teacher, medical educator, clinical leader, programme administrator, or advisor education and assessment (whoever is appropriate)
• GPEP1 registrars take the full load of the teacher’s practice (5 days maximum) at some time late in the attachment year
• Provide evaluative feedback to the teacher and the teaching practice for quality assurance purposes

Contacts for further information