Key messages
- The Department of Health & Human Services supports skills development and career progression for health professionals in Victoria.
- The department funds Rural Workforce Agency Victoria to provide continuing professional development and training programs for doctors and registrars working in rural areas.
- There are other continuing professional development programs available for practicing health professionals in Victoria.
It is important that doctors, as well as other health professionals working in rural and regional areas of Victoria, have access to continuing professional development (CPD) and training to update their medical skills to improve the quality of primary care practice.
The Department of Health & Human Services supports a lifelong learning approach to skills development and career progression. In the dynamic healthcare industry especially, CPD is essential for health professionals to maintain clinical skills and knowledge, and to continue providing the best quality care to all patients.
Rural Workforce Agency Victoria
The department provides funding to the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria to support CPD activities and training programs for general practitioners (GPs) and registrars working in rural general practice in Victoria.
Further information is available from the RWAV grants webpage.
Other continuing professional development programs
The following programs are available to support the CPD needs of practising health professionals in Victoria.
- Allied Health Regional Workforce Development programs.
- Mobile Learning Unit, University of - Provides online CPD courses for medical practitioners in healthcare sector. Learners will build knowledge, be quizzed on a scenario, watch a video with questions to answer or test knowledge with various case studies. Most of MLU courses are fully accredited with RACGP.
- Ultrasound Education Group, University of - Provides online courses, simulation course and hand-on workshop for General Practitioners in clinical point-of-care ultrasound, transthoracic echocardiogram, transesophageal echocardiography, lung, peri arrest and vascular access. The rapid technology developments have enabled point-of-care ultrasound to be performed by the practitioner in real time.
- Specialists Continuing Medical Education (CME) - Medical practitioners working in the public health sector may be eligible for specialist CME support. For details please contact your employer.
- Rural Continuing Medical Education (CME) grants.
- Nursing and Midwifery Workforce - Includes information about the range of opportunities that exist for Victorian nurses to undertake CPD programs and/or increase their clinical skills via formal training pathways. The Continuing Nursing and Midwifery Education (CNME) grant is provided to public health services as a contribution to the cost of developing and providing education programs for nurses and midwives who have a focus on developing acute care knowledge and skills. There also exists the Training and Development Grant (Nursing), post graduate scholarships, and other one off grants .
- The Commonwealth Government through, GP and Australian General Practice Training, administers general practice education and training.
- The Victorian Government supports advanced procedural and extended skills training for general practitioners through regional training providers.
- Medical specialist have a range of CPD requirements and administer a number of programs to support medical practitioners.
Reviewed 01 March 2019