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Satisfaction rates hit 97% for clinical training in the most recent temperature check for registrars, which also showed ‘significantly higher’ overall approval rates.
Clinical instruction had a particularly ringing endorsement in the latest National Registrar Survey.
Registrars’ satisfaction with training and education has reached its highest ever level, results of the 2025 National Registrar Survey show.
Labelled a ‘historic high’, around 92% of the 1225 registrars who responded to the confidential annual survey said they are satisfied with the quality of their overall training and education experience.
Carried out on behalf of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) report also notes a substantial bounce in satisfaction rates.
‘Registrars’ satisfaction with the quality of overall training and education experience with their training provider is significantly higher in 2025 … than it has been for all years except 2018,’ it says.
Clinical instruction had a particularly ringing endorsement in the survey, with 97% of GPs in training saying they are satisfied with the clinical work and level of workplace responsibility.
The results were released on the same day as a new $751.3 million, five-year Federal GP training grant was announced.
Dr Madeleine Wilkie, Deputy Chair of the RACGP’s GPs in Training (GPiT) faculty, said the historically high satisfaction rating was ‘amazing to see’.
‘Registrar feedback is supportive that the RACGP continues to provide a high-quality training program in terms of education, diversity of practice, advice, and clinical support,’ she told newsGP.
‘As well as the hard work of the GP training team, I would like to think that this feedback is demonstrative of the success of GPiT faculty advocacy in previous years.
‘These results show the RACGP’s commitment to strengthening both the attraction of general practice and the quality of training provision.’
Of those who took part in the survey, which was conducted in July and August last year, 81% were working towards becoming an RACGP fellow, with the rest studying for fellowship with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
The report quotes one female RACGP registrar praising the ‘supportive practice and excellent clinical supervisors and mentors at the practice’, who she described as ‘a joy to work with’.
Another said their training took place in a ‘well supervised and supportive environment’ and notes that the RACGP ‘regularly checked in to see how I was progressing’.
While overall satisfaction was high, feedback showed room for improvement in some areas, particularly among Rural Generalist registrars and registrars in more remote locations, who gave lower ratings on training advice, feedback, communication and resources.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander registrars also reported lower satisfaction with feedback on training progress and assessments than other registrars.
Other respondents also called for more support with exam preparations.
‘The gaps in satisfaction show us where we need to focus,’ said Dr Wilkie.
‘Spousal and childcare support, flexible training, better funding for travel and relocation allowances, and facilitation of remote or hybrid learning and supervision for rural registrars are within our advocacy priorities, so it is reassuring to see that we are targeting the right areas.’
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright also welcomed the results and paid tribute to those involved in GP training.
‘Our supervisors and training practices provide exceptional teaching and rich clinical experiences,’ he said.
‘Registrars consistently highlight the quality of their patient work, the diversity of presentations, and the support they receive every day.
‘These results tell a very clear story: Australia’s GP registrars are thriving in high-quality training environments, supported by passionate supervisors.’
The survey also reveals that in 2025, the top three reasons for why registrars decide to become GPs remain consistent.
These include the hours and working conditions (69%), the diversity of patients and medical presentations (56%), and the ability to build long-term relationships with patients (44%).
A total of 95% of the registrars surveyed plan to be working as a private GP or Rural Generalist in five years’ time, while just 3% of respondents said they would not be working as a GP.
The National Registrar Survey does not compare training to other specialties but the latest analysis reflects a similar positive outcome to the latest Medical Training Survey, conducted by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
In that survey, those training through the RACGP were more likely to rank their supervision and teaching sessions as good or excellent than those involved in other specialty programs.
Registrars training through the RACGP also said they had better work–life balance and that their training was more flexible than the average, with 81% describing their work–life balance as good, compared with a national average of 70%.
Of the respondents to the National Registrar Survey, 65% were female, with ACER authors describing the 31% overall response rate as providing ‘valid and reliable results’ that were ‘generally representative of the overall population of registrars in GP training’.
More than 90% of registrars were training through the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program, with the remainder working under the Remote Vocational Training Scheme and Rural Generalist Training Scheme.
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