To be eligible for Rural Experience Entry to Fellowship (REEF), you must hold current unconditional specialist registration with the Medical Board of Australia (MBA). You should have a minimum five years (at 1.0 FTE, equivalent to a 38-hour week) of rural experience post specialist registration. To discuss further, please contact the REEF team on 1800 223 226 or at reef@acrrm.org.au.
REEF is only open to those with a specialty in general practice. The Independent Pathway is available for practitioners who have registration in another specialty to obtain Fellowship of ACRRM. Please speak to the Independent Pathway team on 1800 223 226 or at selection@acrrm.org.au for more information.
ACRRM have a broad definition of rural and look at that as part of the structured interview. We look at where you’ve worked and what experience you have. 

Generally, we look at rural experience in MMM2-7 and at least 12 months in MMM4-7.
All experience contributes to what makes a Rural Generalist, however consideration of locum experience will depend on where you have done your locum work and whether you can demonstrate an understanding of some of the needs and challenges of rural communities
Locum work is accepted as rural experience with the minimum time to be considered being three months or longer. Short periods (i.e. days, weeks) do not count as this would not demonstrate continuity or ongoing care and service to the community.
If you are an International Medical Graduate (IMG), you will need to be considered through the Specialist Pathway, not through REEF. You can contact the team at img@acrrm.org.au

When submitting your online application, you need to upload the following documents:

  • Demonstrate five years or more of rural practice since gaining Fellowship or specialist registration. This may include:
    • Rural experience supporting information, e.g. letter from employer/s and/or colleagues or employment record/s
    • Extended practice supporting information, e.g. clinical privileges letter/s / certificate/s
  • Provide your current curriculum vitae
  • Provide letters of recommendation from two FACRRMs
  • Applicants not enrolled in the ACRRM Professional Development Program must also provide:
    • Evidence of completion of last CPD calendar year and participation in current CPD calendar year.
    • Evidence of completion of Advance Life Support 2 (ALS2) or equivalent (i.e. RESP) in the last three years or evidence of being a current ARC certified ALS2 instructor.

 

There are typically no formal assessments. You will be required to provide two letters of recommendation from an ACRRM Fellow. You will undertake a structured interview with either the REEF Lead Medical Educator or ACRRM Director of Training.
To achieve Fellowship through REEF, applicants need to be compliant in Advanced Life Support. The requirement is to have completed ALS within three years prior to application. ACRRM provides ALS training. View here for more details.
The interview will be centered around your experience – you will be asked questions relevant to your skills required at your rural clinic or hospital, what were the challenges, and so on. You will also be asked to demonstrate how your experience and skills relates to the ACRRM’s domains.

It is not a summative assessment exam and emergency scenario questions will not be asked.
If the outcome of your interview is successful, you will need to apply for both membership of the College and our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program, if you have not already done so. You will then be recommended for Fellowship to the ACRRM Board.
All Fellowships are awarded and approved by the ACRRM Board. Whilst ACRRM endeavours to manage conferrals in a timely way, the timeframe remains undefined.
ACRRM membership is not required to apply for REEF, but once you have received a successful interview outcome, you must be a College member to be recommended for Fellowship. Find out more about membership here.
There is an application fee of $499, and a yearly membership fee to be a Fellow of ACRRM. Once your REEF Fellowship has been approved, you will get invoiced at a pro-rata rate for the rest of the year for membership. 

To maintain your Fellowship with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), you will need to meet a number of ongoing requirements focused on professional development, compliance, and recency of practice. As of July 2025, these typically include:

Professional Development Program (PDP)

All Fellows must participate in the ACRRM PDP, which aligns with the Medical Board of Australia’s CPD (Continuing Professional Development) requirements. You must complete 50 hours of CPD annually, maintain an annual CPD Plan and log activities via ACRRM's CPD Tracker.

Recency of practice

To stay credentialed as a specialist general practitioner or Rural Generalist you must maintain active clinical practice relevant to your scope. The Medical Board typically requires minimum hours of practice over recent years (e.g., 4 weeks full-time equivalent over 12 months, or 12 weeks over 3 years).


Annual membership renewal

Maintain your annual ACRRM membership and complete College declarations related to fitness to practice and compliance with regulatory bodies.


Compliance with regulatory requirements

Be registered with the Medical Board of Australia (AHPRA) without restrictions that prevent practice and fulfill mandatory reporting obligations, including up-to-date CPR, child protection training (if applicable), and other local jurisdictional requirements.


Participate in College-led reviews (if selected) - be responsive if selected for audits or validation of PDP activities.