The Flexible Approach to Training in Expanded Settings (FATES) program funds non-general practitioner specialist medical training approaches. It aims to broaden the skills of the specialist workforce, bring more specialists to regional areas, and ensure all Australians can access high-quality care.
The FATES program is an annual Grant Opportunity for specialist medical colleges over four years from 2021 – 2025. FATES offers an innovative funding pool to encourage projects that support:
FATES will fund grant proposals from specialist medical colleges that develop training approaches for non-general practitioner specialist medical trainees, for activities that focus on:
FATES complements the Specialist Training Program, and supports implementation of the National Medical Workforce Strategy.
This Grant was to establish a non-GP Specialist Trainee Support Program (STSP) to augment the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander doctors who wish to commence or are currently undertaking non-GP specialist medical training.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR), as consortium lead, administered the funding on behalf of the consortium of specialist medical colleges and commissioned the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) to lead the development, management, and implementation of the Grant with the objective to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander non-GP Specialists.
The consortia consist of the:
Full details, including its progress and Evaluation Report, can be found on AIDA’s website here.
This Grant is to fund RANZCR to develop and implement an application process into the training program through an online IT application solution.
The Australian Medical Council requested the College establish a more centralized recruitment process to improve selection and minimise bias and discrimination.
The centralised application solution intends to broaden entry opportunities for regional, rural, remote, and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants thereby reducing application barriers and bias in the varied selection processes currently in place between different jurisdictions across Australia.
The project evaluation report can be found here.
RESP is an initiative to better connect trainees based in regional and rural sites, who have been selected to pilot RANZCR’s Regional and Rural Training Pathway (RRTP), at the same time to strengthen College’s relationships with regional training hubs, local communities, training networks and jurisdictions.
RESP also provides future trainees rotating to any regional and rural areas with the opportunity to plan and be immersed in regional and rural practices before they commence training. These stages would aid in providing a more sustainable solution to encouraging the future medical workforce to build a life and future practice in regional and rural Australia.
RESP involves the development of tailored information packs, for each of the five pilot sites under RRTP, providing localized information and resources available in a particular region. The information packs will assist trainees to better assimilate into their selected regional and rural setting. Such an initiative would help to shift the stigma around working in regional areas, as it will provide a clear overview of “what to expect before you go”.