Table of Contents
- The SRSA Program
- SRSA Individual CPD Support Grants
- 2.1 Purpose
- 2.2 Application requirements
- 2.3 Eligibility criteria
- 2.4 CPD Activity Criteria
- 2.5 Selection Criteria
- Budget and Travel Expense Guidelines
- Application Assessment
- Reimbursement Process
- Further Information
1. The SRSA Program
1.1 | Overview | |
The Support for Rural Specialists in Australia (SRSA) program is a Department of Health funded initiative and is administered by the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC).
The overall aims of the SRSA Program are to provide regional, rural, and remote specialists with access to professional support and training opportunities. This is achieved by:
SRSA provides a streamlined program of support and education for health professionals in regional, rural and remote Australia to access multidisciplinary or continuing education projects. |
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1.2 | SRSA Sub-Committee and the SRSA Program Management Unit | |
1.2.1 | The SRSA Sub-Committee is established in consultation with the member Colleges of the CPMC and the Department of Health, to provide oversight and expert advice over the life of the program. | |
1.2.2 | The SRSA Program Management Unit (PMU) is currently housed by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. | |
1.2.3 | The contact details for PMU staff are:
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2. SRSA Individual CPD Support Grants
This program does not fund full postgraduate qualifications. Requests for financial support to complete individual university level courses (or “units of study”) may be considered.
2.1 | Purpose | |||||||||||||||
SRSA grants to access CPD are available to individual (non-GP) medical specialists, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical specialist trainees, who live and work in regional, rural, and remote Australia. Applicants must meet the requirements set out below and be supported by their relevant medical college. | ||||||||||||||||
2.2 | Application requirements | |||||||||||||||
2.2.1 | Applications for funding must be submitted electronically via: https://ruralspecialist.org.au/funding/application-form-fr6/ | |||||||||||||||
2.2.2 | Application submissions must be completed in conjunction with reading the Application Guidelines. | |||||||||||||||
2.2.3 | Applicants must address and meet the Eligibility Criteria, CPD Activity Criteria and Selection Criteria set out in sections 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 below. | |||||||||||||||
2.2.4 | Late applications will not be accepted. | |||||||||||||||
2.2.5 | Before applications are submitted please ensure all questions are answered accurately and completely. Keep a copy of the application for your own records. | |||||||||||||||
2.3 | Eligibility criteria | |||||||||||||||
Funding is available to non-GP medical specialists, and medical specialist trainees of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin, according to the following eligibility criteria: | ||||||||||||||||
2.3.1 | Eligible applicants must be a Fellow or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainee of a Specialist Medical College or their Faculty, including:
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2.3.2 | Medical specialists who live and work in areas determined using the Modified Monash Model (MMM) system categories MM2 to MM7:
Information on the remoteness classification of any town or community in Australia can be found through the Department of Health “Map Locator” via: http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/locator |
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2.3.3 | Hold current practice qualifications and registrations including compliance with any state and territory requirements and compliance with the Medical Board of Australia. International Medical Graduates who are undertaking Specialist Medical College requirements for specialist recognition following assessment by the College via the Australian Medical Council Specialist Assessment Pathway are eligible to apply. | |||||||||||||||
2.3.4 | Have been living and working in a regional, rural, or remote area for no less than 12 months. | |||||||||||||||
2.3.5 | Part time applicants are eligible to apply. Applicants working 0.5FTE and over will be considered first. | |||||||||||||||
2.3.6 | Fly-in/Fly-out (FIFO) applicants are eligible to apply and will be considered for funding on a case-by-case basis. FIFO applicants will be considered the lowest priority, irrespective of the applicant’s total time practicing in rural locations, remoteness of practice location, and the type of CPD activity requested. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.7 | General Practitioners (ACRRM and RACGP) are ineligible to apply for funding under the Program, as CPD for these practitioners is funded through other Australian Government programs. | |||||||||||||||
2.4 | CPD Activity Criteria | |||||||||||||||
2.4.1 | The CPD activity must be undertaken in Australia and must take place within the time frame specified in the Application Form. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.2 | The CPD course provider must be nationally accredited or recognised if they are based in Australia, or internationally accredited or recognised if they are based overseas (online activities only), or an accredited/ professional private educational provider. Training providers may include but are not confined to universities, registered training organisations or professional bodies such as medical colleges, associations, and their equivalents. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.3 | Other participatory forms of education, such as clinical attachments in specialist units or proctoring by relevant visiting specialists are eligible and highly encouraged. However, such activities must meet individual Specialist Medical College CPD program frameworks. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.4 | This program does not fund full postgraduate qualifications. Requests for financial support to complete individual university level courses (or “units of study”) may be considered. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.5 | The CPD event must be directly relevant to the applicant’s current employment in a regional, rural, or remote area of Australia. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.6 | Face to face education activities are encouraged. Online-only activities will be considered, particularly if they include a peer support or network building element. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.7 | The application must clearly document the outcomes of learning and implications for practice and outline a clear process for monitoring the achievement of learning objectives. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.8 | Applicants must be able to justify an activity’s benefit for the regional, rural, or remote population(s) they serve. | |||||||||||||||
2.4.9 | Funding under this program supplements areas not currently serviced by state and territory or other Australian Government programs. | |||||||||||||||
2.5 | Selection Criteria | |||||||||||||||
The following criteria will be applied to applications for funding of individual CPD activities by individual medical specialists: | ||||||||||||||||
2.5.1 | Demonstration of identified need at ‘local’ level with respect to identified healthcare needs in context of individual educational needs. | |||||||||||||||
2.5.2 | Location; rural and remote focus. Provision of CPD and educational opportunities for eligible medical specialists and multidisciplinary teams in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia with an ability to reduce isolation. | |||||||||||||||
2.5.3 | Demonstration of appropriate educational principles to enable key knowledge/skills attainment and transfer. | |||||||||||||||
2.5.4 | Ability to integrate learning to a wider context. | |||||||||||||||
2.5.5 | Ability to contribute to / demonstrate sustainable changes in practice. | |||||||||||||||
2.5.6 | Relative ‘cost effectiveness’ / ‘value’. | |||||||||||||||
2.5.7 | Demonstrated hardship or difficulty in participating in approved CPD activities. |
3. Budget and Travel Expense Guidelines
3.1 | Applications will be accepted up to a value of $10,000 per person, per annum. | |
3.1.1 Grant applicants may apply for up to three (3) CPD activities per funding round. However, they will receive funding for a maximum of one (1) activity. | ||
3.1.2 If applying for multiple CPD activities in a funding round, applicants must also rank activities in order of preference | ||
3.2 | International travel and accommodation will not be reimbursed. If flying domestically, only economy class air travel will be reimbursed. | |
3.3 | If travelling domestically, overnight accommodation prior to an event will be reimbursed only where the travelling times makes it impractical to travel on the morning of the event or to return on the same day following the event.
Where overnight accommodation is required, a maximum of $350 per night will be refundable per night. |
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3.4 | If travelling domestically, taxis/Uber between home/airport/location of activity identified in the Grant Application Form will be reimbursed. | |
3.5 | If travelling domestically and a private car is used in place of air travel, please consult with SRSA PMU staff to obtain approval. Private domestic car travel will be reimbursed at a rate of 72c per km. Where a private car travel will be used in place of air travel domestically, the total amount reimbursable will be to a maximum of the respective flight cost. | |
3.6 | If travelling domestically, amounts refundable for meals per day are as follows:
Meals will be reimbursed at a maximum of $150 per training day. |
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3.7 | If travelling domestically, airport parking facilities may be used where necessary and may be reimbursed. | |
3.8 | SRSA grant funds do not cover costs associated with accompanying persons. When receipts/invoices include accompanying persons, the PMU require receipts/invoices to be highlighted to indicate itemised expenditure to be reimbursed. |
4. Application Assessment
4.1 | Individual Grant Applications will be assessed by an Assessment Panel, and according to the criteria of each SRSA Program component as outlined in the SRSA Application Guidelines. | |
4.1.1 | Each Funding Round is allocated a fixed amount of funds. | |
4.1.2 | Where eligible applications exceed the funding available, grants will be awarded following ranking of applications against CPD activity prioritisation guidelines. | |
4.2 | The Assessment Panel prioritises participatory activities such as clinical attachments, mentorships, peer review, and workshops/courses over conferences, scientific meetings (ASMs), and individual university level “units of study.” | |
4.3 | The Assessment Panel does not fund postgraduate qualifications. Requests for financial support to complete individual university level courses (or “units of study”) may be considered. | |
4.3.1 | Requests for financial support to complete individual components of university level qualifications may be considered. The proposed university course/workshop must include at least (6) hours of face-to-face learning. | |
4.4 | The Assessment Panel initially ranks eligible grant applications for assessment, according to the following criteria: | |
4.4.1 | Rural/remoteness rating of current residential and practice address (as outlined in Section 2.3.1); | |
4.4.2 | Time (months) living and working in rural/remote locations (as outlined in Section 2.3.4); | |
4.4.3 | Type of CPD activity requested (as outlined in Sections 4.2 and 4.3); and | |
4.4.4 | Current full-time equivalent (FTE) living and working in a rural/remote location (as outlined in Section 2.3.3). | |
4.5 | Eligible grant applications will be assessed according to the Selection Criteria as outlined under Section 2.3. | |
4.6 | The Assessment Panel may partially fund lower ranked grant applications. | |
4.7 | The number of previously awarded SRSA CPD grants may be used as criteria when ranking grant applications. |
5. Reimbursement Process
5.1 | All expense items claimed under this grant require a tax invoice showing the supplier’s name, address, ABN number and GST amount. | |
5.2 | Following the completion of the CPD activity / activities participants are to scan and email receipts to admin@ruralspecialist.org.au and include their nominated bank account details where funds can be transferred. | |
5.3 | Prior to reimbursement, the participant will be required to complete a brief mandatory evaluation following the completion of the CPD activity / activities. | |
5.4 | Reimbursements will be made once the CPD activity and evaluation survey have been completed. |