Rural Locum Education Assistance Program - FAQs

To be eligible for Rural LEAP applicants must be:

• a general practitioner with:
  • general registration
  • Vocational Registration or Fellowship of either the Royal Australian College or General Practitioners (RACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
• currently practising in an urban location.

The Australian Standard Geographical Classification – Remoteness Area system (ASGC-RA) is used to define eligible areas. Urban locations are classified ASGC-RA 1 and locations eligible for locum placements are in ASGC-RA 2-5.
See the Locator map

Examples of eligible training courses:

• Emergency Crisis Resource Management
• Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST)
• Emergency Life Support (ELS) Course
• Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS)
• Rural Emergency Skills Training (REST)
• Intermediate and /or Advanced Life Support
• Emergency Medicine Crisis Management
• Intermediate and /or Advanced Clinical Emergency Management Program (CEMP) workshops
• HWQLD Rural Emergency Medicine Workshop
• Soma Health Airway, CPR and Trauma Management Workshop

If these courses don’t meet your needs, you can submit a learning plan as part of your application to be assessed.

Participants are required to complete 20 working days paid locum relief in an ASGC-RA 2-5 location within 2 years of completing eligible emergency medical training. The 20 working days can be broken up into shorter periods, but a total of 2 weeks (or 10 working days) must be completed in the first 12 months after finishing the emergency medicine training.

Urban GPs are able to access up to a maximum of $6,000 for 3 days of emergency medicine training. This is based on a rate of $2,000 per day.

Eligible GPs will receive their incentive payment following completion of their first 10 working days of the locum commitment.

Participants are required to arrange their own locum placement. They can be arranged

• privately
• through the Rural Workforce Agencies
• through various locum agencies.

The Rural Workforce Agencies manage a number of rural locum programs such as the Rural GP Locum Program, to help GPs undertake locum work
Rural GP Locum Program

Urban GPs must apply to either the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine or the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners using the application form included in the Rural LEAP Guidelines.

More information is available from:

Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
GPO Box 2507
BRISBANE QLD 4001
Phone: 1800 223 226

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
National Rural Faculty
15 Gover Street
NORTH ADELAIDE SA 5006
Phone: 1800 636 764