Rural doctor shortage critical

About 600 doctors and medical professionals from across the country are expected to attend the annual conference, to be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from October 22 to 24.

Rural Doctors Association of Australia chief executive officer Jenny Johnson said the event would also discuss ongoing federal policy issues such as the scheduling of the National Disability Scheme.

"Another issue we're lobbying the government on is providing funding for a program to provide young doctors with exposure to rural general practice," she said.

"There was a program that was axed in the Budget in 2014 – PG PPP (Prevocational GP Placements Program).

"We've been lobbying for a program to replace it, because it was a very valuable program.

"It was a program that used to generate a lot of interest amongst junior doctors."

Ms Johnson said the program made some progress in dealing with the issue of attracting and retaining doctors in rural and remote settings.

"The feedback we received was that the program was a really good tool for attracting younger doctors, not just to general practice but specialised areas," she said.

"One of our key issues is the ongoing shortage of the actual number of doctors in rural, regional and remote areas.

"It's not that we don't have enough doctors nationally. There's a national maldistribution of doctors, they aren't going where they're really needed.

"We also need to make sure doctors have the skills needed when they go to a rural area."

Ms Johnson said the conference was a good experience for younger doctors to receive advice and mentorship.

"We also run a range of professional development workshops including around emergency mental health, specific to rural areas," she said.

RDAA president Dennis Pashen said there was a crucial need to provide high-quality rural placements to maximise the likelihood that registrars would choose to practise there after completing their fellowship training.

"RDAA will continue to advocate for increased support for rural supervisors and rural practices to enable them to fulfil this important role," Prof Pashen said.

General Practice Supervisors Australia chairperson Bruce Willett said the event provided a chance to highlight the essential role played by GP supervisors, and to consider future opportunities and challenges for them and their practices.

"This is an opportune time to focus on the practical issues associated with supervising GP registrars" he said.

"The concept of working to develop and invest in good teaching practices has been growing in the past few years. Now there needs to be an increased focus on this concept to provide the best experiences for our registrars, particularly in rural practices."