What are the pathways to ACRRM Fellowship?

This is a FAQ BLOG and you can refer to our Pathways to GP Fellowship in Australia here.

Need help understanding your pathway?

Date Updated: 2026-01-30

ACRRM Fellowship is suitable for rural and urban GPs; however, it has been designed to prepare GPs to work in a rural or remote context, specifically a Rural Generalist career.

To be eligible to complete an ACRRM Rural Generalist Fellowship, you will need to be in an ACRRM Training Program as your pathway and successfully complete the training, education, and assessment requirements.

The ACRRM Training Programs are the following:

Australian General Practice Training Program (AGPT)
- Commonwealth-funded (but you will cover the application, assessment and membership fees)
- Suitable for recent medical graduates and experienced Non-VR doctors
- Access to apply for support payments and incentives
- Delivered by ACRRM and RACGP

Independent Pathway (IP)
- Self-funded
- Can craft a training plan to suit their career goals, negotiate training placements and manage their learning experience
- Suitable for experienced Non-VR doctors, specifically those who are not eligible for Commonwealth funding due to having a temporary visa, not having general registration with AHPRA, or having a primary medical qualification from overseas
- Only delivered by ACRRM

Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS)
- Commonwealth-funded through RVTS
- Vocational training for medical practitioners in remote and isolated communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities throughout Australia
- Suitable for experienced Non-VR doctors
- Delivered by ACRRM and RACGP

AGPT and IP all have the same program application process and requirements to Fellowship, while RVTS has a different program application process, but the same assessment requirements to Fellowship. Check out ACRRM’s Fellowship Program Funding Comparison Guide here.

Fellowship Requirements

Once you’re in any of the programs above, you will need to complete the training, education, and assessment requirements. Please note that you can apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) during your orientation into the training program. The maximum amount of RPL for ACRRM programs is 2 years.

Training

The ACRRM Fellowship program takes up to 4 years, so you will need to finish 3 years in Core Generalist Training (CGT) and 1 year in Advanced Specialised Training (AST).

This means that you will work in a MMM 4 – 7 area for at least 12 months, and you will also be required to practise in a MMM 2 – 7 location for the duration of your Fellowship program.

CGT enables you to have general skills and knowledge in primary, secondary and emergency care in a rural and remote context which includes:

Paediatrics
Obstetrics
Anaesthetics
12 months in primary care
3 months in secondary care
3 months in emergency care, and
12 months in rural or remote practice (MMM 4-7).

Additionally, through AST in the ACRRM pathway, you can refine your skills and knowledge specifically to 1 discipline and you will work in a specialised rural area that needs the chosen discipline. The 12 disciplines that you can choose from are:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
Academic Practice
Adult Internal Medicine
Anaesthetics
Emergency Medicine
Mental Health
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Paediatrics
Palliative Care
Population Health
Remote Medicine
Surgery

Education

Throughout the 4-year program, you will need to accomplish the following education requirements:

ACRRM/RVTS Education Program
Rural Emergency Skills Training (REST)
Advanced Life Support (ALS2)
Specific courses for each AST

Assessment

All GPs training towards Fellowship with ACRRM must complete the following assessments:

6 Monthly Supervisor Reports
9 Formative Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mini-CEX)
Multiple-Source Feedback (MSF)
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
Case Based Discussion (CBD)
Structured Assessment using Multiple Patient Scenarios (StAMPS)
Procedural Skill Logbook
For AST: 3 Monthly Reports & workplace based and standardised assessments for each AST

Once these assessments have successfully been completed as part of your training program (AGPT, IP, or RVTS), you will be awarded a Fellowship with ACRRM.

Application for ACRRM GP Training Programs (IP & AGPT)

STEP 1: Make sure you’re eligible
- Citizenship
  - Australian/New Zealand citizen,
  - Australian permanent resident, or
  - Temporary resident with visa subclass 820 or visa subclass TSS 482, 457, 491, or 494 (NOT ELIGIBLE: 408 or 485), and are currently applying/intend to apply for Australian permanent residency
- Australian Medical Council (AMC) recognised medical qualifications
  - *If overseas, you must have successfully completed the requirements of the AMC and received your AMC certificate by the close of applications, or have completed the Competent Authority pathway via AHPRA by the training start date.
- Medical Registration with AHPRA
  - General Registration – Eligible for commonwealth funding (AGPT)
  - Limited or Provisional Registration – Eligible for self-funded training programs (IP)

STEP 2: Start your online application
- Provide your personal information, referee information, and supporting documentation at apply.acrrm.org.au

STEP 3: Submit a written suitability assessment
- Answer 5 essay-style questions by stating how your interests and experience directly relate to the selection criteria (minimum 250-word count for each question)

STEP 4: Attend Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs)
- A series of 6 short interviews where applicants have 2 minutes to read a scenario followed by 8 minutes to respond.

STEP 5: Wait for the outcome of your application via email
- If you are accepted, you will be set up with ACRRM membership and soon have your training onboarding.
- If not, you can reapply after 6 months.

Application for RVTS

RVTS conducts two intakes with training commencing in January and July each year.

RVTS offers two training streams:

The Remote Stream for doctors working in rural and remote Australia in MMM4-7 locations.
The AMS Stream for doctors working in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in MMM2-7 locations.

The Applicant Guide for each training stream includes important information on eligibility and selection into the RVTS program. You may refer to the relevant guides published on the RVTS website here.

Additionally, through its ‘Targeted Recruitment process’ RVTS in collaboration with eligible locations is facilitating recruitment to 30+ rural, remote and First Nations communities across Australia. Application under the Targeted Recruitment process follows 4 easy steps:

STEP 1: Express Interest
- Express your interest in one of the Targeted Recruitment Locations – shown on the RVTS Website.

STEP 2: Apply to the Targeted Recruitment Practice Location
- Apply directly to the practice, which you can read more here. Practice will undertake a Practice Recruitment interview to determine if you are suitable for the position. Once identified, the practice will make an offer in writing to their preferred candidate(s).

STEP 3: Practice Nomination of Targeted Recruitment Candidate
- The practice notifies RVTS of the recruitment.

STEP 4: RVTS Selection Process – Application, Interview and Testing
- Once nominated by the Practice, RVTS will provide you with application documents and accompanying instructions. Next, you should complete the online RVTS application and upload supporting documentation.

We Can Help You

Here at People Medical Consulting, we have a passion for guiding medical practitioners through their career pathways to Australia. We have extensive experience in assisting medical facilities in recruiting doctors from local and overseas who will best suit their requirements.

We provide Document Assistance for those requiring support for their PESCI with IME, ACRRM or RACGP, registration and all other mandatory AHPRA requirements, fellowship program related forms and letters, application for Medicare provider and prescriber numbers, application for 19AB or 19AA exemptions and preparation of employment documents.

If you want to talk to someone about your pathway or practice management—book a consultation with us below, or if you need Recruitment or Document Assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au or click the buttons below. We’d be glad to help you!

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Information from this blog has been taken directly from: