New Position Statement: Rural Psychiatry  

The Special Interest Group in Rural Psychiatry (RSIG) is delighted to announce the publication of the RANZCP Rural Psychiatry Position Statement. Rural psychiatry is an important and distinctive context for psychiatric practice and this is highlighted by the information contained in the position statement. Recommendations for training, recruitment and retention and service delivery are also discussed. The RSIG would like to invite comments from rural members about the position statement and how issues discussed can be upheld or progressed.  The position statement can be accessed by clicking here 

The RSIG is an inclusive group which is open to all interested in rural psychiatry including current trainees and international medical graduates.  The RSIG aims to be a support network for its members and to promote and support the development of mental health services; develop and promote initiatives to recruit and support psychiatrists; promote and support education and training; collate and disseminate information; and to promote and support research in rural, remote and provincial areas of Australia and New Zealand. The current chair of the RSIG is Dr Tricia Nagel, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For further information about the RSIG or to comment on the implementation of the position statement please contact: Jon Cullum  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Rural Health Continuing Education - Individual Continuing Professional Development Support Grants

The Rural Health Continuing Education (RHCE) program is now calling for applications for individual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Grants of up to $10,000. These Grants are available to support individual medical specialists to access education and professional learning opportunities. Funding will be available to rural and remote medical specialists who live and work in areas determined using the Australian Standard Geographical Classification – Remoteness Areas (ASGC-RA) system categories 2 to 5 as follows: RA2: Inner regional; RA3: Outer regional; RA4: Remote; RA5: Very remote. All applicants must hold current practice qualifications and registration, including compliance with any state and territory requirements. Applicants will need to comply with the requirements set by the Medical Board of Australia under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS). International Medical Graduates (IMGs) 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.

The Application Guidelines, Application Form, and details regarding eligibility are available at http://www.ruralspecialist.org.au/application-forms-guidelines.aspx

For further information on the RHCE Stream One program and Guidelines for accessing project funding, please contact the RHCE Program Manager on (02) 9256 5419 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

Please note that applications must be verified by the relevant Specialist Medical College. Where the applicant is not affiliated with a College (i.e. AoN practitioner, staff specialist), the applicant is also required to submit a letter from their employer, confirming their status as a specialist. Full details are provided in the Application Guidelines.

Young Investigator Grants

The Board of Research encourages research as an important activity for psychiatric training and belives that knowledge of research theory and methods is essential for the practice of clinical psychiatry. The Young investigator grants program provides a number of small clinical research grants each year on a competitive basis to trainees and other eligible applicants. Grants of up to $6,000 are generally available to:

• Trainees in any year of training;
• College Fellows in the first two years after Fellowship; 
• Medical students who are conducting research supervised by a Fellow of the College.

Applications for 2010 have now closed.