Three years of registrar rural exemptions--a review of a novel approach.
BACKGROUND
The Australian General Practice Training Program (AGPT) requires all registrars to undertake at least 6 months of training in rural areas. This can cause significant stress for general pathway registrars. Central to a fair, safe process for application of this policy is an equitable and humane rural exemption process.


OBJECTIVE
WentWest's independent exemption assessment committee, consisting of an urban medical educator from another provider, a rural registrar liaison officer from another provider, and a lawyer, is described.


RESULTS
The committee provides an independent, transparent and equitable process which protects the mentoring relationship between educators and registrars. Strict application of the AGPT criteria sometimes lacks compassion, suggesting the need for review of the criteria and some changes to committee function.


CONCLUSIONS
The independent external committee may provide a model for decision making in other contentious areas of general practice training, such as remediation. The mandatory rural training policy requires reassessment 4 years after regionalisation, regarding its impact on workforce, learning and registrar wellbeing.
Knight
Andrew
A
WentWest, Sydney, NSW.
Canalese
Rosa
R
D001315:Australia; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D019035:Rural Health Services