Professional Development >> Advanced Skills Support

Professional Development

Supporting safe transition to independent procedural practice

Rural Health Partnership Initiative (RHPI)

The Rural Health Partnership Initiative is a coordinated, targeted response to address the challenges faced by health professionals across the State. It is a partnership between WA Country Health Service and Rural Health West to ensure health professionals can access relevant ongoing education and training, professional mentoring, and ensure that they are well supported to live and work across rural Western Australia.

Advanced Skills Support Program

The Advanced Skills Support Program offers funding to support active mentoring, professional support in skills proficiency, and identification of development and diversification opportunities to newly qualified and experienced clinical practitioners, who are living and practising clinically in vulnerable procedural areas across rural and remote Western Australia.

The Advanced Skills Support Program assists in supporting those with advanced skills in Obstetrics, Anaesthetics and Emergency Medicine to enable them to commence or continue to practise independently in a rural location.

The funding support available includes, but is not limited to;

  • Mentoring – Linked with an experienced mentor for up to 12 months. Eligibility includes those who have recently obtained their advanced skills, providing that the graduate will be working in a rural location in Western Australia where the workforce is vulnerable and where there is provision to work at a regional WACHS hospital.
  • Immersion – Funding for trainees to experience a one or two-week rural immersion in a rural location. Eligibility includes doctors who are competing their advanced skills training, who at the completion of their training plan to work in a rural location where the workforce is vulnerable, and where there is provision to work at a regional WACHS hospital.
  • Upskilling – Funding is available to undertake education courses and workshops including travel and accommodation expenses. Eligibility includes those who have attained their advanced skills who require support and upskilling to enable them to continue to practice in a location where the workforce is vulnerable.
  • Clinical Visits – Procedural rural GPs can request a one-day visit from an experienced practitioner.

 Please note: Those who are solely employed by WA Country Health Service are ineligible.

For more information please contact the Procedural Programs Coordinator or telephone 08 6389 4500.

This program has been invaluable in increasing my level of skills and confidence in independently practising anaesthetics as a GP Anaesthetist.

My mentor has been very accommodating, and has kindly offered to continue to support me remotely with advice on an ongoing basis.

Dr Trent Wilson, GP Anaesthetics mentoring participant, 2022

For my part, being a new registrar is an extremely expensive activity, and you don’t yet qualify for other funding grants, so having funds to put towards courses and upskilling placements has been very important. The funding available through the mentoring program has meant that I’ve now been able to secure bookings for all of the important first-year credentialing requirements.

I was nervous about beginning to practice outside the tertiary environment, without specialist backup, and it’s been very comforting to have someone to go to and learn the logistics of practicing in a whole new environment, as well as within a whole new paradigm. Having this program allowed me to find my footing and contribute to the workforce – otherwise I’m not sure I would have actually started practising.

Dr Heidi Tudehope, GP Obstetrics mentoring participant, 2022

Advanced Skills Support Program Expression of Interest

Please complete the form below to express your interest in one of the support programs offered.

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