About the program
The FATES program is an annual Grant Opportunity for specialist medical colleges over four years from 2021 – 2025. FATES offers an innovative funding pool to encourage projects that support:
- flexible specialist training
- training support
- accreditation practices.
FATES will fund grant proposals from specialist medical colleges that develop training approaches for non-general practitioner specialist medical trainees, for activities that focus on:
- increasing focus and support for rural training
- rebalancing specialist supply and distribution through medical training
- supporting the growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specialist medical trainees and service delivery
- supporting specialists to transitioning to work in rural and remote practice.
FATES complements the Specialist Training Program, and supports implementation of the National Medical Workforce Strategy.
Goals of the program
FATES will help to:
- improve and promote a positive rural and remote medical education culture
- support quality specialist medical training in rural and remote Australia
- reduce barriers and improve incentives for entering rural and remote medical practice
- improve the distribution of non-GP specialist medical training arrangements and workforce, focussing in areas of need
- attract and support First Nations trainees to grow the First Nations workforce towards population parity.
Meeting these goals
FATES will fund activities that improve the quality or coverage of specialist training, such as:
- developing training models that work across multiple locations to better reach rural and remote areas
- developing training that helps to better distribute the workforce and match skills with the needs of communities
- developing supervision models that increase the capacity of training systems, such as virtual or blended supervision
- encouraging generalist specialist skill sets
- promoting a positive culture of rural medical education
- improving trainee or supervisor wellbeing, by reducing isolation and increasing connection with peers and mentors
- upskilling supervisors to improve training quality
- supporting specialists to work in rural or remote areas
- attracting, recruiting and retaining First Nations specialists.
Who we work with
The 13 specialist medical colleges participating in the Specialist Training Program can apply for FATES funding. These are:
- Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD)
- Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM)
- Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP)
- Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA)
- College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM)
- Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA)
- Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
- Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO)
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR)
- Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA).
These organisations already have:
- existing infrastructure and networks to support anticipated project activities.
- experience, knowledge and capability to deliver to the project objectives and outcomes.
Apply for funding
When specialist medical colleges are applying for FATES funding, we encourage applicants to partner with stakeholders to broaden the scope of proposed projects. These stakeholders may include:
- health and community settings
- other colleges
- universities
- state and territory governments
- local health districts and local health networks
- regional training hubs
- key stakeholders such as the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) and the Australian Medical Council (AMC).
Projects from FATES Rounds 1 and 2 have commenced, with FATES Round 3 expected to be open for applications in August 2023 on GrantConnect.
Contact
