• R B Hays and L Peterson.
• General Practice and Rural Health, North Queensland Clinical School, Townsville.
• Aust Fam Physician. 1996 Mar 1;25(3):362-6.

BackgroundOnly a small number of remote solo doctors are needed each year to provide health care to remote communities. However, despite advances in the provision of appropriate training for intending rural doctors, the preparation of graduates for this kind of medical practice has received little attention.ObjectiveTo develop and evaluate an optional training unit within the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Training Program, which provides trainee GPs with an opportunity to learn about remote medicine during training with the distant support of an experienced rural doctor.MethodA program of intensive educational support was developed and piloted with a group of nine GP in solo rural practices and compared to that provided to four GP trainees in standard advanced GP terms. Comparison was based on data collected in trainee logbooks and in questionnaires completed by trainees and supervisors.ResultsThe solo trainees received equivalent duration of educational support through the use of communications technology and other distance education methods. The training unit will be trialed further and may remain an option within the Training Program.

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