How long is the rural rotation?
Three months placement in a rural area is the minimum set by the College.  Regional branches are free to increase this requirement and many will have a compulsory six month rotation.  Many registrars find they get more out of an extended stay in the regional area.  It is usually possible to extend the duration of a placement.  

When do I have to do it?
There are no rules for when you do your rural placement.  Many training programs however will have a time when the rural placement is usually done.  While it is possible to delay the placement this is not always advisable.  The number of rural training places can be limited in some areas and delaying the placement may make it harder to find an available place.

Where do I go?
Your training program probably has a standing agreement with a number of rural training sites and by default your rotation will be arranged for one of these.
Link to map of rural training sites.

What if I want to do my rural placement somewhere else?
Placements in other training zones can be arranged.  Speak to your Director of Training (DoT).

How do I change details of my training rotation?
Your DoT handles all of this.  If you wish to make any changes to the location or timing of your rotation, you must do so with plenty of advance notice.  It is disruptive to services to have a pre-arranged rotation cancelled on them, as it means they are short-staffed.

What will be involved?
Your experience should be qualitatively different from urban training experiences.  Rural practice involves access to a rewarding variety of presentations and working in a rural service can be more akin to the kind of work you might do in private practice later in your career.

Many rural rotations will involve travel as part of the service.  If this is likely to be an issue (e.g. you do not have a drivers licence) you should check this before going on rotation.

The workload at many rural hospitals can be demanding.  You have a right to a reasonable work schedule, so if you feel the demands are unreasonable, contact your DoT or the branch training committee.

Where will I live?
Accommodation is provided by the service you are rotating to.  You have the right to expect accommodation that is clean, comfortable, secure and accessible to your place of work.  If your accommodation is not up to scratch, contact your DoT or the branch training committee.

I’ve heard there’s an alternative to doing the 3 month rotation where you only go for 15 days.  What’s that about?
Regulation 3.2 states it is possible to complete rural experience as “15 days working directly with a supervisor”.  This provision makes allowance for placement with irregular rural services, like fly-in fly-out visits, or occasional clinics in small rural communities.  

If I don’t want to go away for 3 months or more, can I do the 15 days instead?
Not usually.  The provision is designed to allow certain types of services to be included in the rural training stream, not to provide an alternative to rural placement.
The Branches are under no obligation to offer a 15 day placement and most do not.  Those that do are free to set their own rules (e.g. they may insist on more than 15 days).  If you are doing a rotation in an outer metropolitan area, doing clinics to nearby rural communities, it may have been accredited under the 15 day provision even if it means a 3 month rotation for you.

What does it mean “working directly with a supervisor?”
That depends on how far into your training you are.  Supervision must be provided at a level appropriate to the stage of training and will be different for basic and advanced trainees.  It does not mean you have to have someone looking over your shoulder, though it may mean you need to do work around your rural experience (e.g. case discussions, reports etc).

What if I really can’t afford to go away for all that time?
If you seriously have a reason why you can’t do the rural rotation, you should discuss the matter with your director of training.  Some training programs may reserve places with visiting services or nearer to the city for those with special circumstances.  The Branch determines what circumstances qualify and whether there are special arrangements that can be made.

If I’m having problems who I should I talk to?
Your Director of Training is always the best person.  If for some reason they can not help you, you can ring the College branch.