ACRRM has been contracted by the Department of Health and Ageing to administer the Rural Procedural Grants Program (RPGP). It provides funding to assist GP proceduralists in rural and remote areas to maintain and upgrade their skills.

Component 1: Surgery, Anaesthetics, and/or Obstetrics

Who is eligible?
The Rural Procedural Grants Program supports procedural rural doctors in ASGC-RA 1*-5 who are maintaining or upgrading their skills in anaesthetics, obstetrics, and/or surgery. [*Doctors in ASGC-RA 1 require additional approval from the Rural Procedural Grants Program Collaboration Committee. Please contact ACRRM’s trrpgpacrrm [dot] org [dot] au (Procedural Grants team) for more information about eligibility.]

The program covers both formal delivery modes (accredited courses) and informal (accredited clinical attachments). Procedural medical officers working exclusively in a rural hospital may also be eligible for this support.

Rural doctors who undertake only minor procedural work in their rooms are not eligible under the definition set for the program. Neither would a GP seeking initial training as a procedural rural doctor be eligible.

What is the grant?

Eligible participants can receive up to $20,000 in a financial year (1 July to 30 June). This total annual maximum is based on 10 days training at $2,000 per day. Each day claimed must have a minimum of six (6) hours training.

A brief definition of a “Rural and Remote Procedural GP” for this component is:

"A rural or remote procedural general practitioner provides non-referred services — normally in a hospital theatre, maternity setting or other appropriately equipped facilities — which, in urban areas, are typically the province of a specific referral-based specialty. Most commonly this refers to the fields of surgery, anaesthetics, and obstetrics. Elements essential to procedural medicine include the use of appropriately equipped facilities and resources, and involve a collaborative team of health professionals. The practitioner should also be engaged in an appropriate skills-maintenance program in the relevant procedural area(s).

For a more detailed definition of the surgery component please see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). 

Component 2: Emergency Medicine

Who is eligible?

GPs practising emergency medicine in ASGC-RA 2-5 may be eligible to receive grant payments under the Rural Procedural Grants Program. Emergency medicine GPs and medical officers undertaking rural hospital-based emergency medicine work may be eligible for this component.

What is the grant?

The emergency medicine grant payment is calculated on a maximum of $6,000 per financial year (1 July to 30 June). Grants are paid at the rate of $2,000 per day for training activities of at least six (6) hours each per day claimed. (The maximum is three claimed days per year.) Claims can only be accepted from RPGP-registered applicants who attend approved activities to upgrade or maintain their emergency medicine skills.

The definition of a “Rural and Remote Emergency Medicine GP” for the purpose this component is: "A practitioner who provides emergency medicine cover for non-referred services in rural or remote accident and emergency facility. The facility offers 24-hour triaging, and is a hospital (or other appropriately equipped facility) that provides:

• serviceable equipment which, as a minimum, includes intubation, cannulation, and defibrillation equipment, and
• rapid diagnosis and management of the acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury, such as those typically brought to the facility by ambulance."

It is recognised that in some remote communities, these services can be substituted at times by remote triage and retrieval.

How to Register

You must register in the program before attending an educational activity and lodging a claim.

STEP 1: Download the program guidelines and application form.

STEP 2: Provide ACRRM with a letter detailing the areas of you clinical privileges from your Hospital Credentialing Committee or your State Health Service.

STEP 3: Send your completed Application to Register Form to:

Attention: Rural Procedural Grants Program
ACRRM
GPO Box 2507
Brisbane Qld 4001

Or, fax to:

07 3105 8299 – Attn: Rural Procedural Grants

Please note: We must receive your completed Application to Register form PLUS supporting documentation to process your application in the Training Grants Program.

Type of claims

There are two types of claims that are recognised for the training grant:  Educational Events and Clinical Attachments.

Educational Event

Once registered in the program, you can attend and claim for conferences, seminars or workshops, known collectively as Educational Events. For an Educational Event to be eligible for the training grant it must meet the following criteria:

• The event must be a minimum of 6 hours in length;
• The content must directly relate the component in which the event is accredited (i.e., Anaesthetics, Obstetrics, Surgery or Emergency Medicine).

Clinical Attachment

To be eligible for the training grant a Clinical Attachment must:

• meet a specific learning need
• define specific learning objectives
• involve a specific supervisor
• contain specific learning activities planned according to the educational objectives
• have a clear process of monitoring the achievement of learning objectives during the clinical attachment, and
• clearly document the outcomes of learning and implications for practice

*All 3 pages of the Clinical Attachment claim form must be completed to be eligible for processing.

How to Claim

Education Events

Once registered in the RPGP, there are two ways that you can claim for an educational event:

1. On the day of the course you can sign the attendance list and tick the ‘Procedural Grants Column’. This attendance sheet is subsequently forwarded to ACRRM for processing.
2. A Claim Form with attached evidence of your attendance (e.g. certificate of attendance, letter of attendance from the course provider or tax invoice) is sent to ACRRM for processing.

Procedural Grants Claim workshops, seminars, etc (pdf, 26kb)

Clinical Attachments

Completion of a Clinical Attachment Claim form is required and is to be submitted to ACRRM after the clinical attachment has been completed.

Clinical Attachment Claim

Please fax your completed claim forms to (07) 3105 8299.

Payments

ACRRM forwards all eligible RPGP claims to the Department of Human Services on the 14th and 27th of each month.  The Department of Human Services will subsequently forward payment of approved claims to the claimant’s nominated bank account within 2 to 3 weeks of processing.

How to change your details

It is important that you inform ACRRM immediately should your circumstances change (e.g. your place of practice, contact details, bank details, clinical privileges etc.)

Contact the ACRRM Rural Procedural Grants Program team on 1800 223 226 to update your details.

More information?

If you need more information, please contct ACRRM's RPGP team:

• Freecall  1800 223 226 (8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, AEST)
• Email: trrpgpacrrm [dot] org [dot] au