Postgraduate Rural Programme
The College offers three-month rural general practice rotations for postgraduate year two and three house surgeons and rural hospital doctors. These rural attachments provide hands on experience and one with one teaching from an accredited GP teacher in a supportive and stimulating general practice environment.
Trainees teleconference regularly with each other and a programme facilitator and also have teaching teleconferences with other teachers. All trainees that have completed this training have found it an enjoyable and very rewarding experience.
Training can be anywhere in New Zealand in an accredited rural teaching practice - 35 and above on the rural ranking scale - and those interested can contact Tania Gillard, the programme administrator.
To qualify for this programme, the trainee must be:
- A graduate in medicine and surgery of a medical school recognised by the Medical Council of New Zealand
- Have registration with the MCNZ
- Undertaking their second or third postgraduate year of training or be a rural hospital doctor
- A New Zealand citizen or have NZ residency
- Positively motivated to engage in a rural GP rotation.
Medical graduates who do not meet all the criteria may be considered on a case by case basis.
Maori and Pacific doctors can contact Dr Keri Ratima - Maori director of training/Tumuaki Whakangungu Maori.
Find out what trainees think
Chris Miller was one of the first chosen for the programme. A local boy, he went back home to Warkworth.
His story... (PDF 569 KB)
College Education Development Officer John Pearson talked with the 2003 students who went through the programme.
Read their comments... (PDF 15 KB)
There's a special camaraderie as a rural GP. Check out the website of Otago University's Matagouri Club, http://www.otago.ac.nz/matagouri
Other websites you should check out include that of the Rural GP Network
What next?
The Postgraduate Rural General Practice Education Programme is just the start of your general practice training. As the Pathway to Fellowship shows, your learning in constant as you go on to GPEP1, through the Primex exam, then into GPEP 2. Having attained Fellowship of the College, you may then apply to the Medical Council for registration in the vocational scope of general practice and be entitled to practice independently.