‘Many, many’ Australian doctors advertising as general physicians without required qualifications

Some doctors in Australia are using the title “specialist general physician” despite not having completed the training required by law, potentially misleading patients with complex and chronic health conditions that require specialised care, physicians say.

After completing a medical degree and postgraduate work experience, graduates can apply to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) fellowship training program. All RACP trainees complete similar foundational training before choosing areas of advanced training to specialise in such as geriatrics, cardiology, general medicine or other areas.

General physicians are different from general practitioners (also known as GPs). General physicians care for patients with unusual or complex conditions and see patients either in hospital or those who are referred to them, usually by the patient’s GP.

Medical practitioners can only use titles such as “specialist general physician”, “specialist geriatrician” or “specialist cardiologist” if they have completed the advanced specialist RACP training in the corresponding field of practice and have registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).

But Dr Jenna Paterson, a specialist general physician working in Victoria and South Australia, said there are “many, many” doctors who advertise their services to patients as a “general physician” without the qualifications to do so.

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Source: The Guardian, 13 June 2023