Teaching a generation

Medical education is one of the most important areas in the field of general practice and perhaps the most rewarding. Being a teacher or medical educator allows young registrars to realise their dreams in primary health care and go on to help thousands of patients over their careers. 

Your wisdom and guidance can shape how future doctors provide health care for generations ahead so it is therefore no surprise that many medical teachers report high levels of job satisfaction. 

The College needs teachers more than ever; a significant finding of the last workforce survey (2020) shows that more GPs are retiring early, resulting in a skill vacuum that is growing every year. Nearly one-third (31 percent) of survey respondents were intending to retire from the GP workforce in the next five years and nearly half (49 percent) in the next 10 years. Without continuously training GPs New Zealand is facing a growing and significant shortfall in front line health care.

Contact Take the next step and become a medical educator or teacher Download an application form

Why become a teacher or medical educator?

  • Satisfaction of teaching GPs
  • Free up time to see more patients
  • Registrars may become future employees
  • Teaching counts towards continued medical education (CME)
  • Earn extra salary 

Becoming a GP teacher

As a GP teacher, you will use your knowledge and experience to provide intimate one-on-one guidance to registrars. This is where you can get creative; case reviews, videotaping, role-play, sitting in on consultations and random case analysis are all tools to carefully track your registrar's progress.

Effective GP teachers are good listeners and can convey thoughts in an empathetic way while protecting registrars’ confidentiality. You will need to be culturally mindful of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and share knowledge of health equity.

Before you apply to become a GP teacher, make sure you:

  • are a Fellow of the College,
  • hold a current practicing certificate from MCNZ,
  • practice for at least two tenths a week,
  • work within a teaching practice
  • participate in CPD
  • read our quality standards for teaching guide (opens to PDF)

Apply to be a GP teacher

Do you own a practice?

Find out what is involved when becoming a teaching practice.

Becoming a medical educator

Medical educators are contracted to the College and work across entire regions to guide registrars enrolled in the three years of the general practice education programme (GPEP).

As an experienced Fellow with the College, a medical educator will run seminars and workshops and carry out multiple practice visits to assess the progress of their registrars in line with the curriculum.

Check the College vacancies to find any opportunities in your region.