Prevocational Training (PGY1 and PGY2)
Your pre-vocational training includes all years where you have not enrolled in a specialist training program and can include postgraduate year 1 (Internship) through to but not limited to postgraduate year 5 (Resident Medical Officer). Northern Territory government prevocational doctor employment contracts are offered in all NT Health regions.
During your pre-vocational years you will be focused on developing and consolidating your skills, knowledge and experience to reach a level of independent practice prior to applying and enrolling in a specialty training program. It will allows you the opportunity to practise medicine without the added pressure of specialist training college curriculum assessments and training program recorded milestones.
NT Health supports prevocational doctors enrolling in a GP Specialist Training College and promote applying to either/both of the two GP Colleges in their third postgraduate year. This is so that a strong foundation and understanding of rural and remote medicine has been experienced and established prior to commencing specialist college programs of study, however you may still apply sooner.
One of the goals of prevocational training is to integrate your theoretical knowledge into clinical practice, enhance decision-making abilities, and work autonomously under supervision. These years contribute significantly to professional development, including teamwork, effective communication, time management, and ethical considerations. The Australian Medical Council (AMC) on behalf of Medical Board of Australia have developed the National Framework for Prevocational (PGY1 and PGY2) Medical Training. This Framework outlines what is needed to achieve 'General Registration' at the end of your first postgraduate Year (Internship) and what is required for the postgraduate year 2 junior doctors to complete during their second year since graduating from Medical School.
For more information on this framework go to National Framework for Prevocational (PGY1 & PGY2) Medical Training
NT Prevocational Rural Trainees are given the opportunity to be allocated a rural/remote rotation as part of the National Framework for Prevocational Medical Training which allows these doctors in training to acquire a 'taste' in rural medicine that will enable them to make an informed career decision. Rural Generalist training can be completed entirely in the Northern Territory.
Commencing the NT Rural Generalist training pathway in the prevocational years (PGY1 - PGY3) requires a minimum of two primary health care rotations within the first three prevocational years. This allows the prevocational rural trainee an experiential 'taste' of rural generalism. There are other allocated rotations that are considered relevant to be undertaken during the prevocational years that will support and underpin the rural generalist training pathway, such as Emergency Medicine, Paediatrics, Anaesthetics. There is also the opportunity for a PGY4 to complete a 6-month extended skill training rotation whilst on the Rural Generalist training pathway.
For more information on the NT Rural Generalist Program Training Pathway contact the NT Rural Generalist Coordination Unit.
Internship (PGY1) - Rural
Interns are employed and where positions are available allocated out to the smaller regional hospitals from the larger employing tertiary hospitals (Royal Darwin Palmerston Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital) for a 10 - 12 week term as part of their Prevocational Medical Training Framework requirements.
Regional Hospital Rural rotations for Interns are available at Katherine Hospital (Big Rivers Region); Tennant Creek Hospital (Barkly Region); and Gove District Hospital (East Arnhem Region). Currently there are no primary health care prevocational accredited sites for Intern rotations. However, the intern rotations listed above are supported by the NT RGCU as part of the Rural Generalist training pathway and provide a good introduction and link to rural medicine through the regional hospitals where interns will be rostered as part of rural multidisciplinary teams that include local rural generalists and other rural health professionals. This Intern rural rotation experience provides a useful bridge between the larger tertiary hospitals and regional hospitals who have strong linkages to the primary health care sector in each region.
Resident Medical Officer (PGY2+) - Rural
Resident Medical Officers are employed in most cases through the larger tertiary hospitals (Royal Darwin Palmerston Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital) and allocated to regional hospitals and/or Primary Health Care sites for a 12-week term/rotation which for PGY2 rural trainees will contribute to their Prevocational Medical Training Framework requirements.
PGY2+ Prevocational Rural trainees who have identified to their employing hospital that they are interested in rural medicine and would like to be allocated a rural rotation should where available be offered a regional hospital placement that will include at least one primary health care site placement or a composite of both regional hospital and primary health care sites within the 3-month rotation.
There are limited participating primary health care sites that are accredited to provide placement opportunities for PGY2 prevocational rural trainees. Possible primary health care sites and participating regional hospitals for PGY2+ - placement sites will be confirmed on allocation to any of these locations. They are dependent on prevocational and GP College accreditation capacity requirements for all placement sites.
For more information about training locations, visit Training Locations.
Explore your Rural Generalist pathway
Medical School
Prevocational Training
Vocational Training
