CPD requirements for Rural Generalist Anaesthetists (RGAs)

The Tripartite Committee of Rural Generalist Anaesthesia (TC-RGA) is a collaboration between ANZCA, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to oversee development of the Diploma of Rural Generalist Anaesthesia (DipRGA).  

The TC-RGA recommend that Rural Generalist Anaesthetists (RGAs) undertake the Continuing Professional Developement (CPD) program-level requirements identified in the ANZCA and FPM CPD standard. This recommendation is consistent with the previous Joint Consultative Committee on Anaesthesia (JCCA) CPD arrangements with requirements for anaesthesia-specific CPD activities.

From 2024 the recommended requirements include:

• Annual completion of 1 emergency response activity
• 1 of the following Practice evaluation activities completed annually:
  • Patient survey
  • Multi-source Feedback (MsF)
  • Peer review or
  • Audit

Please note, 'Satisfying the regulatory requirement for cultural safety (e.g., one Cultural safety activity per annum)' is also identified as a program-level requirement in the ANZCA and FPM CPD Standard. It is a requirement for all CPD Homes to refer to culturally safe practice, addressing health inequities, professionalism and ethics and has therefore not been included in the recommended requirements for RGAs.

RGA’s can participate in a CPD Home of their choosing. The RACGP, ACRRM and ANZCA all have accredited CPD Homes. Please visit the respective college’s website for details of their CPD Program. 

ACRRM has set out it’s CPD Requirements for RGA’s, known as Maintenance of Procedural Standards (MOPS) here, which outlines the ACRRM CPD program-requirements as they relate to the standards recommended by the TC-RGA and the broader Professional Performance Framework CPD requirement.

The RACGP CPD program acknowledges that a supervised clinical attachment preferably with a specialist anaesthetist and practice audit directly related to anaesthesia can be claimed under the annual ANZCA’s Practice evaluation requirement.  For further information about these activities please contact the RACGP CPD Program.