Grampians Rural Generalist Training

The Grampians Region is located within western Victoria, and extends from Bacchus Marsh in the east to the South Australian border in the west, and Patchewollock in the north to Lake Bolac in the south.

The Grampians region is named for the Grampians National Park (Gariwerd), the region’s most famous tourist destination. Gariwerd has sandstone mountains, walking and mountain biking tracks, waterfalls, lakes and forests, as well as historic and culturally significant Aboriginal sites.

The Grampians region also includes wheat fields and sheep stations to the north, beef and dairy to the south where the rainfall is higher, and several wineries to the east.

The Grampians medical training program is based in Ararat at East Grampians Health Service, but partners with many health services and primary care practices in the region.

Our Training Program

PGY1 –Internship

The Grampians VRGP starts with the Intern year. There are 5 VRGP intern positions available through the PMCV VRPA match.

Accommodation is available at all sites.

Protected education and training time each week under the guidelines of the national framework for prevocational medical training. In addition, VRGP will provide rural generalist-based training sessions 4 to 5 times per year.

PGY2+ – Rural Generalist Hospital Medical Officer

The Rural Generalist Hospital Medical Officer (RGHMO – PGY2) position at East Grampians Health Service provides the next step in the VRGP pathway to consolidate the rural community experience obtained during the General Practice. As you will have learned during the Intern year, the role of a rural GP is not just to see patients in the clinic, but to provide care in the hospital and urgent care centres.

The RGHMO PGY2 role builds on the learning and knowledge of the Intern year, and allows you to put this into practice with greater confidence and autonomy, but in a hospital environment and with GP’s that are familiar to you and keen to support your ongoing learning.

In the PGY2 year, East Grampians Health Service partners with Grampians Health (GH) to provide a paediatric rotation that is required for entry into an accredited GP training program. Among multiple other PGY2 positions, GH is also able to provide rotations in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Anaesthetics, which are the identified streams for VRGP procedural training.

Rural General Advanced Skills Training (AST) and Additional Rural Skills Training (ARST)

Procedural training positions in GP-Obstetrics and Gynaecology, GP-Anaesthetics and GP Emergency.

Non-procedural training positions are available for eligible candidates at Grampians Health.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander AST or ARST can be completed at Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative.