Regionalisation of rural medical training in Far North Queensland: A learning experience for medical educators and managers

The need for an appropriate, dedicated vertically-integrated training pathway for rural doctors, provided by regional consortia of educational organisations, has been clearly identified by Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ) and The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) as a key strategy to resolve rural medical workforce issues. The opportunity to put the ideas into action is now here with rural doctors responding to the challenge of managing more reform in general practice all over Australia. In Far North Queensland, the ongoing reform of general practice education has been challenging, with many lessons learned by both educators and managers. This paper describes the management of change, and outlines key principles and characteristics of a successful regional rural medical training system, building on the lessons learned from the Rural and Remote Area Placement Program (RRAP) and other projects.