The doctor who helped transform how medical training is delivered in Australia’s most isolated communities has been named a recipient of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) Distinguished Service Award.
Dr Patrick Giddings has led the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS) since it began as a pilot in 1999, championing a model that enables doctors to undertake specialist General Practice and Rural Generalist training while continuing to live and work in the communities that need them.
Dr Giddings was formally presented with the award at the Rural Medicine Australia 2026 gala dinner, held in Tarndanya (Adelaide) last night (23 October).
Under his leadership, RVTS has grown from an initial intake of 11 registrars in 2000 to a nationally recognised training pathway that has supported more than 600 doctors across almost 400 rural, remote and First Nations communities.
ACRRM President Dr Rod Martin says Dr Giddings’ contribution has fundamentally changed what is possible for doctors and communities outside metropolitan Australia.
“Pat recognised early that requiring doctors to leave their communities to complete their training could deepen the very workforce shortages the system was trying to address,” Dr Martin says.
“He helped turn a simple but powerful idea – training doctors where they already live and work – into a highly successful national program.
“Because of that work, hundreds of doctors have been able to continue caring for their patients while gaining Fellowship. “I am one of them – training on the program to achieve my Fellowship of ACRRM.
“It mean communities that might otherwise have lost their doctor have retained continuity of care, and many of those doctors have chosen to stay well beyond their training.
“Pat’s legacy can be seen in stronger rural health services, a more capable medical workforce and better access to healthcare for communities across Australia.”
Dr Giddings has also been a strong advocate for the procedural and emergency skills required in rural practice. Through his support for the Rural Emergency Skills Training program, procedural education and access to Advanced Specialised Training posts, he has helped doctors develop and maintain the broad scope of practice their communities need.
Dr Giddings says the success of RVTS belongs to the doctors, supervisors, educators and communities that have embraced its training model.
“Doctors working in rural, remote and First Nations communities should not have to choose between advancing their careers and continuing to care for their communities,” he says.
“Training in place recognises that these doctors are already providing an essential service. Our role is to bring them the education, supervision and professional connection they need to become the best doctors they can be.
“The most meaningful measure of the program’s success is not simply the number of doctors who have completed training. It is the communities that retained a doctor, the patients who experienced continuity of care and the rural careers that continued to grow.”
Alongside his leadership of RVTS, Dr Giddings has worked as a GP obstetrician with Albury Wodonga Health, a General Practitioner with the Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service, and a Director of Medical Services across several regional hospitals.
He has also contributed to medical regulation, rural emergency education, research and policy development, building the evidence base for distributed medical training and rural workforce retention.
Dr Martin says the award acknowledges both the scale of Dr Giddings’ contribution and the lasting change it has created.
The ACRRM Distinguished Service Award recognises College members who have made a long-term or significant contribution to the College or provided distinguished service to rural and remote communities.