General Practice Training Pathway
How to become a GP in Australia — the RACGP and ACRRM pathways, how national selection works, and what GPs actually earn.
General practice is the fastest specialty pathway and the one most likely to have unfilled places, so getting in is rarely the hard part. The real decisions are which college, urban versus rural, and the billing model you'll work under.
Why general practice
You're the first point of contact for almost everything — undifferentiated presentations, chronic disease, mental health, paediatrics, skin, women's health and preventive care — with long-term relationships across a whole community. It suits people who want breadth over narrow depth, continuity of care, and real control over where and how they work — from city clinics to single-doctor rural towns.
- Draws: Fastest pathway to fellowship (~3 years FTE), The most control over location and hours, Demand everywhere, especially rural and remote, Genuine long-term patient relationships.
- Trade-offs: Lower earning ceiling than procedural specialists, Medicare rebate pressures bulk-billing income, Business and overhead side if you own a practice, Less acute or procedural work unless rural generalist.
- Subspecialties: Rural generalism (anaesthetics, obstetrics, emergency), Skin cancer medicine, Women's & sexual health, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health, Aged care, Sports & exercise medicine, Addiction medicine.
The training pathway
The same fellowship, two very different timelines. The fast route assumes everything goes right; most people land on the realistic one.
How competitive is it?
General practice is the only Australian specialty where training places regularly go unfilled, so getting in is rarely the obstacle. The Commonwealth funds the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program — roughly 1,500 places a year across RACGP and ACRRM, plus the Rural Generalist Training Scheme and the Remote Vocational Training Scheme. The 2025 intake filled all of its places for the first time since 2017, but recent years left posts vacant — about 252 in 2023 and more than 100 rural places in 2024. RACGP has confirmed 1,694 places for the 2027 intake (737 rural, 867 general and 90 composite), with the program expanding toward 2,000-plus places by 2028. No applicant-to-place ratio is published; metropolitan places are more sought-after than rural ones.
Unaccredited time: No — general practice has no unaccredited registrar bottleneck. You apply directly from your hospital years into a funded place.
Sources: Department of Health & Aged Care — AGPT program, RACGP — Australian General Practice Training, ACRRM — training pathways, Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS).
Selection criteria & how to apply
Unlike the hospital specialties, GP selection is run nationally by the colleges — there's no state training network, panel interview or CV scoring meeting. Each college sets its own assessment, and you nominate the regions and pathway you'd train in. The assessed steps:
Key documents: RACGP — how to apply (AGPT), ACRRM — apply for training.
How it works, region by region
NSW
Who runs selection: RACGP's NSW & ACT training region (the largest), spanning competitive metropolitan Sydney through to large rural footprints (Western NSW, Murrumbidgee, North Coast). ACRRM trains across the same geography. Selection is national — the region is where you'd be placed, not who selects you.
Where to apply: RACGP AGPT (national application) or ACRRM — application portal.
Worth knowing: Sydney metro places are the most contested in the country; rural NSW places are far less so and carry the larger incentives. NSW also runs a state Rural Generalist pathway alongside college training.
VIC
Who runs selection: RACGP's Victorian training region, covering metropolitan Melbourne and rural areas (Gippsland, Hume, Grampians, Loddon Mallee). ACRRM trains across rural Victoria. National selection applies.
Where to apply: RACGP AGPT (national application) or ACRRM — application portal.
Worth knowing: Strong metro demand keeps Melbourne places competitive; rural Victorian places are more open. The Rural Workforce Agency Victoria supports placement and incentives.
Links: Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV), RACGP — AGPT regions.
QLD
Who runs selection: RACGP's Queensland training region plus a strong ACRRM presence (ACRRM is headquartered in Brisbane). Queensland has the most developed rural-generalist culture in the country, anchored by the Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway and James Cook University.
Where to apply: RACGP AGPT (national application) or ACRRM — application portal.
When: RACGP follows the national dates; ACRRM runs rolling intakes, with Queensland commencements typically in July.
Worth knowing: If you want rural-generalist scope (anaesthetics, obstetrics, emergency), Queensland is the strongest ecosystem — Queensland Health salaries Rural Generalists in its hospitals.
Links: Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway, Health Workforce Queensland.
SA
Who runs selection: RACGP's South Australian training region (metropolitan Adelaide plus rural areas — Riverland, Eyre Peninsula, Flinders & Far North) and ACRRM rural training. Selection is national.
Where to apply: RACGP AGPT (national application) or ACRRM — application portal.
Worth knowing: Rural SA places are well-supported by the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency, which administers placement and incentive funding.
Links: Rural Doctors Workforce Agency (SA), RACGP — AGPT regions.
WA
Who runs selection: RACGP's Western Australian training region and ACRRM training across a vast remote footprint (Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields, Mid West). National selection; the WA Country Health Service salaries many rural-generalist posts.
Where to apply: RACGP AGPT (national application) or ACRRM — application portal.
Worth knowing: WA has some of the most remote practice in Australia; Rural Health West coordinates support and incentives, and remote/rural places are the least contested.
TAS
Who runs selection: RACGP's Tasmanian training region covers the whole state as one region, with ACRRM training rurally. Selection is national.
Where to apply: RACGP AGPT (national application) or ACRRM — application portal.
Worth knowing: A single small region with persistent GP shortages, so places are among the easier to secure; much of Tasmania is classified rural for incentive purposes.
ACT
Who runs selection: The ACT is trained as part of RACGP's combined NSW & ACT region — metropolitan Canberra practice. National selection applies.
Where to apply: RACGP AGPT (national application) or ACRRM — application portal.
Worth knowing: As a metropolitan classification, Canberra places attract fewer rural incentives than surrounding regional NSW, where loadings are larger.
Links: RACGP — AGPT regions.
NT
Who runs selection: Highly remote training across RACGP's Northern Territory region and a strong ACRRM presence, with much delivered through Aboriginal community-controlled health services. The Remote Vocational Training Scheme also supports doctors training in remote communities.
Where to apply: RACGP AGPT / ACRRM / RVTS — application portal.
Worth knowing: The NT is overwhelmingly rural and remote — places are the least contested in the country and the most heavily incentivised, with many roles salaried through NT Health or Aboriginal Medical Services. Strong appeal for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health.
Links: Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT), Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS).
How to optimise your application
- Decide RACGP vs ACRRM early (tied to Eligibility, start PGY1–2) — ACRRM if you want rural-generalist scope (4 yrs, MMI); RACGP for the broader, faster route.
- Be open to rural pathways (tied to Allocation, start before applying) — Rural places are least competitive and attract the largest incentives and salaried options.
- Prepare for the SJT / MMI (tied to Ranking, start pre-application) — Practise situational-judgement (RACGP Casper) or MMI scenarios (ACRRM) — these set your rank.
- Bank hospital terms that help (tied to Eligibility, start PGY1–2) — Paediatrics, ED, O&G and anaesthetics build the breadth GP and rural-generalist training assumes.
Key documents & official links
- RACGP — fellowship & training
- ACRRM — training towards fellowship
- Department of Health — AGPT program
- National Terms & Conditions for Registrars (NTCER)
FAQ
Is general practice hard to get into?
RACGP or ACRRM — what's the difference?
How long does it take?
Is there an interview?
Do GPs really earn less than other specialists?
Trained overseas? (IMG pathway)
How overseas-trained general practice doctors get recognised
Overseas-trained GPs are assessed for fellowship through the RACGP Practice Experience Program (PEP) Specialist Stream or the ACRRM Specialist Pathway, which compare your training and experience against the Australian standard. Many work under supervision on the way to fellowship, and doctors subject to the 10-year moratorium are generally directed to a rural or remote area of workforce need.
See the RACGP pathways for international medical graduates and our IMG internship guide.
Related specialties
Last reviewed 2026-06-01.