Healthcare Professionals

Preceptors provide the clinical context for students to learn. It is the Discipline of General Practice’s responsibility to provide the teaching plan.

This will already have been discussed with the student before they arrive, so the student will come with a set of learning objectives that could reasonably be expected of a four or five-week rural GP placement.

The student will be prepared to discuss their objectives with you and be advised about how they should plan their time with you.

For four or five weeks, you will give the student an opportunity to be part of your consultations, either in your office or in an adjoining room if available. You will give them the opportunity to conduct part or all of a consultation. You will offer constructive feedback that will help them develop their consultation skills.

Clinical teaching does not have to interrupt your schedule. The ‘wave’ model of consultation allows an advanced student to see and present one patient to you within a standard 15-minute consultation, so you lose no consulting time. What it does require is strategic planning of patient appointments.

These advanced level students are able to do ECGs, spirometry, research the EB for medications, interview all new patients, input clinical notes and coding into the computer, participate in chronic disease management clinics, respond to patient inquiries about their condition, do records audits, assist with home visits and more.

Ask the student to run through their competencies, so that you can plan to use those which are most helpful in your practice. Please ensure these activities fit with your student's learning objectives.

Other than providing evidence that you are a legally practicing professional, the University does not require accreditation for professional placements. In the immediate term, there are no accreditation responsibilities.

You need to ensure that your liability or indemnity insurance allows you to accommodate final year students in your practice. A minimum of $10,000,000 insurance is necessary.

GPs can earn both RACGP and ACRRM QA/CPD points for teaching medical students.

GPs can claim 40 x Category 1 points per triennium for teaching medical students by completing an ‘Educator ALM’. The form is available to GPs on the ‘my CPD’ section of the RACGP website and further information about the ALM is included in the QI & CPD handbook.

Should you wish to get 20 to 40 RACGP Category 1 points, RCSWA offers a flexible delivery graduate certificate in rural and remote medicine with two medical education units.

ACRRM members can claim 1 core point per hour for teaching medical students. UWA will apply for these on your behalf if we are informed of your ACRRM membership and provided with your membership number and completed log sheets.

Each 3-hour teaching session attracts a $200 PIP payment from Department of Human Services (DHS), so for a five-week placement, you could be eligible to claim up to $8,000. There is no payment available from the RCSWA for these sessions.

To claim, you will need to complete a PIP claim form for each student attached to your practice and add your CPD to the student's log sheet and sign it. PIP forms can either be lodged online through the HPOS system or faxed to be processed manually with the Department of Human Services, Medicare. Further information can be found at: humanservices.gov.au/pip

The RGPP administration team will organise student accommodation. The student will stay in a caravan park, local nurses quarters or private self-contained accommodation.

If you have any issues with the student or placement, the first point of contact is the RGPP Placement Officer and team on [email protected]. Depending on the query, the admin team will either advise on the matter or connect you with the RGPP academic staff.