ACRRM is active within the health sector promoting the education, training, and ongoing professional development of its members.

The College engages with policy development and review agendas at the national level, providing input into major national reform agendas such as National Health and Hospital Reform Commission, National Maternity Services Review, Preventative Health Care Strategy, Rural Health Program Review, and National Registration and Accreditation.

The College’s interaction with members - and with the health sector at state, regional, and local levels - informs the review of policies and ensures College activities remain relevant to members and other stakeholders, maintain high standards of general practice, and reflect strong social responsibility.

Position Statement on Physician Assistants

Team-based models of medical care that are characterised by responsiveness to local needs, mutual reliance and flexibility have always been a part of rural and remote medicine. The College recognises that this often occurs within what might formally be described as a 'delegated practice' framework – locally-negotiated and flexible arrangements for clinical task allocation and supervision within a health care team that accommodate the evolving clinical abilities of members.

The College recognises that the meeting the future health care needs of communities require ongoing innovation in approaches to health service delivery and health workforce. Much of the innovation will come from rural and remote areas. The College supports the further development of delegated practice models for doctors working with other health care personnel and learners. 'Delegation' strategies in clinical governance complement, rather than replace, stand-alone 'extension' training approaches that are normally tied to a discrete clinical role expansion within an established professional group. Health care of the future requires participation of many more workers at all levels – delegated and stand-alone - and no one health workforce innovation holds the answer.

Read the Position Statement

Memorandum of Understanding: The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)

The Agreement sets out the shared intentions of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) to work together to improve the health outcomes for Aboriginal Peoples and increase the scientific and academic evidence that defines the nature of Aboriginal health as an emerging medical discipline in its own right.

It recognising NACCHO as the peak body for Aboriginal Health matters in Australia; the majority provider of community based care for Aboriginal Peoples health in Australia; and the appropriate and expert organisation with responsibility for community related health and well being matters for Aboriginal communities.

It recognising ACRRM as the peak body for rural and remote medical profession in Australia; an accredited specialist medical college responsible for setting curriculum and standards for postgraduate medical training and education for general practitioners in Australia; and a key partner in supporting NACCHO to convey appropriate policy, opinion and outcomes for medical care for Aboriginal Peoples and communities. Read the agreement:

Agreement: ACRRM and NACCHO 

Physician Assistant model: members invite to on discussion paper

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine is developing a policy position on the introduction of Physician Assistant-like workforce models to the Australian context. The following are suggested as foundation principles for College support:

• Development of the Australian PA model should emphasise medical extension (to expand and stabilise needed medical services to communities) rather than medical substitution.
• Expanding and stabilising primary, emergency and specialist medical services to remote, rural and regional communities through introduction of PA models should be a particular policy priority.
• The concept of delegated practice – a flexible, evolving scope of clinical practice within medical supervision – is and has been fundamental to rural and remote medical care. Systems to support delegated practice arrangements, for PAs and others, need to be further developed.
• Australian PA training programs should support ‘generalist’ training relevant to a career that might be spent in a number of clinical practice areas.

Members are invited to read Discussion Paper send their comments to ACRRM via:

• the online form
• email acrrmacrrm [dot] org [dot] au, or
• fax to 07 3105 8299.

Please send your comments by 16 May 2011.

ACRRM program policy documents

• Vocational Training
• Assessment
• Professional Development Program
• Complaints: policy on addressing complaints ACRRM receives

External documents

• AMA Code of Ethics
• Code of Practice: International Recruitment of Health Care Professionals (The Melbourne Manifesto)