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ACRRM / RACGP
When Rural Generalist Medicine applications run, and what the round looks like.
Mar
The RACGP Rural Generalist route is entered through the annual AGPT round (2027 program: 3 March to 14 April 2026, which filled in the main intake).
Route-dependent.
Jurisdictional rural generalist pathways — Queensland, for example — recruit final-year students and interns directly.
Check each pathway's website for current cycles.
Varies by route: jurisdictional rural generalist pathways (Queensland, for example) recruit final-year medical students and PGY1-2 doctors directly. Core Generalist Training may commence at PGY2 or above (holding general registration) and Advanced Specialised Training at PGY3 or above; AGPT/RACGP entry similarly expects general registration by training commencement. There is no single universal PGY floor.
Training positions and workforce figures below are limited to New South Wales. Selection criteria, requirements and application dates are set by ACRRM / RACGP nationally and apply in every state.
Moderate
How Rural Generalist Medicine training is structured.
Minimum 3 years, from PGY2
Competencies
To complete
Minimum 1 year, or 2 years for Surgery, from PGY3
Competencies
To complete
Rural Emergency Skills Training (REST)
Once during training
Advanced Life Support 2 (ALS2)
Once during training, or within the 3 years before Fellowship
Multiple Choice Question assessment
Pass by the end of training
Case Based Discussion
Pass by the end of training
Structured Assessment using Multiple Patient Scenarios (StAMPS)
Pass by the end of training
4 years full time equivalent
The RACGP route awards the Rural Generalist Fellowship alongside FRACGP: 12 months hospital training, 18 months community general practice with at least 12 of them in an MMM3 to 7 location, and 6 months extended skills, plus 12 months additional rural skills training and 6 months core emergency medicine. Commonwealth funding for holding a fellowship with both colleges ended in 2025.
Entry gates that are not scored, such as a visa, residency status, or the type of medical registration required.
One set of categories across every specialty, so two can be compared. Only those with criteria recorded for this specialty are shown.
Total 100%, with reference checks informing the decision and not scored
Five essays of 250 words or more.
Six stations, 2 minutes reading and 8 minutes responding at each.
Exams, qualifications, courses, and teaching
Format, stations, and what the interview assesses
Application, interview, and registration costs
Registration mechanics and logistics not covered above
Sourced from Australian medical community discussion.
Final year of medical school
Before applying
Planning training
Prep for the right gate. RACGP uses the Casper test only, while ACRRM uses essays plus a multi-station interview, and the two are completely different.
Choose your referees carefully even though ACRRM does not score them. They still inform the final decision.
Chase the incentives. Funded places are expanding through 2028, improving your odds of entry.
Queensland Health is the only state department publishing these figures so far.
No published figures exist yet for New South Wales. This is being worked on. The selection criteria and requirements above apply Australia wide regardless of state. See the Queensland figures.
Changes published by ACRRM / RACGP.
From 2026 the 100 ACRRM Rural Generalist Training Scheme places are consolidated into the mainstream AGPT program, and a $30,000 salary incentive applies for trainees transitioning into community general practice from semester 1, 2026.
From 2025, applicants can no longer hold Commonwealth funding for a dual Fellowship across both ACRRM and RACGP simultaneously (ACRRM 2027 Eligibility and Application Guide).
Australian Health Ministers approved Rural Generalist Medicine as a new field of specialty practice within general practice (21-22 September 2025). AMC accreditation of the FACRRM and FRACGP-RG programs is still required before specialist registration in the field itself becomes available.
1 post across 1 hospital in New South Wales. Each circle counts hospitals.
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Hospital locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. State boundaries from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Published by ACRRM / RACGP and the Medical Board unless stated.
Colleges, portals and rubrics
Connected to this specialty by the Medical Board’s specialty structure, by college, or by a shared training pathway.
Requirements, windows, and criteria change annually. Verify with ACRRM / RACGP before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.