The Pilot
Remote Vocational Training Stream (PRVTS) was established in late 1999 as a
joint initiative of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
(RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM). Its
goal: to provide vocational training to general practitioners in remote areas,
who would otherwise have difficulty accessing training.
The PRVTS
was an outstanding success and in 2003 the program was renamed the Remote Vocational
Training Scheme (RVTS). In 2006 an independent company, Remote Vocational
Training Scheme Ltd, was established to manage the program and deliver training
into the future.
Since its
inception, the RVTS has benefitted over 100 rural and remote communities nationwide.
In 2007 the Department of Health and Ageing provided funds to expand the annual
intake to 15 registrars per year. In 2010 funding was increased to 22
places annually. The training cohort has grown from 11 doctors to over 60.
RVTS has
become an integral part of the general practice vocational training structure
in Australia and is recognised as an important component of the Australian
Government's rural healthcare strategy.
PRVTS Steering Committee 2003