Diploma of Rural Generalist Anaesthesia update
10 January 2023
The first candidates for the Diploma of Rural Generalist Anaesthesia (DipRGA) will begin this new course in the coming weeks.
The diploma is a 12 month qualification developed by the college in collaboration with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
The DipRGA will provide training to produce rural generalist anaesthesia graduates who can deliver safe anaesthesia and perioperative care in rural and remote settings for:
- Patients classed as ASA 1, 2 and stable 3 undergoing elective surgery.
- Patients requiring emergent surgery.
This includes obstetric and paediatric patients (within scope of practice) and the resuscitation and stabilisation of patients for transfer when required.
Who is the diploma for?
The diploma will primarily be available to rural generalist registrars seeking formal training and certification in anaesthesia who are enrolled in the fellowship of the ACRRM training program and/or the fellowship of the RACGP rural generalist training program. The diploma may also be applicable to those who have gained fellowship with ACRRM or RACGP in the rural pathway and wish to gain an additional qualification in anaesthesia in the rural setting.
Rural generalists who have completed training and certification prior to 2023 will continue to be recognised after the introduction of the diploma and existing rural generalist anaesthetists will be able to practice with in-scope anaesthesia procedures subject to their usual local clinical privileging arrangements.
Curriculum
The diploma curriculum is based on the ANZCA anaesthesia training curriculum and includes three key components:
- Rural generalist anaesthesia roles in practice – these emphasise a comprehensive orientation to practice utilising the CanMEDS framework originally developed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as a basis.
- Rural generalist anaesthesia clinical fundamentals – these define the fundamental specialty knowledge and skills of rural generalist anaesthetists applicable across all areas of practice.
- Specialised study units – these define the further specialised knowledge and skills required for the anaesthetic management of patients in specific contexts.
Rural generalist anaesthesia training sites
Accreditation processes and standards for training sites to deliver the DipRGA are currently being revised, however in the interim, all training sites currently accredited to deliver JCCA training have been automatically accredited to deliver the DipRGA until the end of 2024.
The extension of accreditation remains subject to posts continuing to meet their required levels and quality of supervision, reporting and support.
The standards for DipRGA accreditation will be released online in late 2023.
Further information about the diploma is available on the website and the diploma FAQs page.