The Australian Medical Council (AMC) has notified the College that we have been granted accreditation for four years until 31 March 2027, subject to the AMC’s usual monitoring requirements including monitoring submissions and addressing accreditation conditions by 2026. The College will undergo a follow-up assessment in 2026 which may result in a further two years of accreditation.

The AMC’s accreditation is a rigorous and thorough external process which ensures that all specialist medical colleges meet the highest standards of quality and excellence.

The report has identified many areas in which we are performing well, including the flexibility of our Fellowship program, our commitment to the Rural Psychiatry Roadmap, and the role of formal peer review within our CPD Program.

We also welcome the external confirmation of areas that can be improved, including a review of our governance processes, commitment to culturally safe practices, and more support for supervisors.

The College will work in partnership with our membership to continue to evolve our educational programs, build the capacity of our workforce, and support the community. Work is already underway to address a number of conditions that have been identified in the report. 

For example:

• The Assessment Framework working group has been established and has commenced its work.
• A Formal Education Course review working group is being established.
• The Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) working group is reviewing the current suite of EPAs to reduce the number and complexity of workplace-based assessments.
• Work has commenced on the development of a comprehensive program for supervisors which builds on existing resources.

We will keep members informed with regular updates as we progress this work. You can view the full report or read a summary below.

Key commendations

There were 24 commendations made by the accreditation assessment team, including:

• The commitment of our Fellows and Directors of Training to College work, particularly during the pandemic.
• Flexibility of the Fellowship program allowing for part-time and breaks in training, and the choice available to trainees in areas of practice.
• Appointment of a trainee to the Board of Directors.
• Our commitment to the Rural Psychiatry Roadmap.
• Formal peer review within the CPD Program and its high participation rate.
• The role of trainees in the accreditation of RANZCP Fellowship programs.

Key areas of focus

The report also contains 46 conditions (some of which are inter-linked) that must be addressed over 2023–2026. The conditions range in scope from process and policy changes to more significant pieces of work including:

• Review of College governance processes to ensure transparency and foster trainee engagement and representation.
• Development of processes for systematic engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Māori and people with lived experience to ensure their perspectives are represented in a partnership approach.
• Commitment to culturally safe practice within the College, the Fellowship program, and the CPD Program.
• Investment in resources for professional development and support for supervisors for their role in workplace education and assessment including calibration.
• Development of a program of assessments and framework that increases the role of summative assessment within the workplace.
• Development of an overarching training program framework aligned with the assessment framework.
• Evaluation of the utility of Formal Education Courses and development of measures to reduce variation in content, course fees, and equity of access.
• Development of systems to support trainees experiencing discrimination, bullying and harassment.

We will continue to engage with the membership and work together to shape our College as a contemporary organisation providing world class medical training and education.

For more information contact education@ranzcp.org.