New report shows strong satisfaction among future GPs and RGs
ACER news 3 days ago 4 minute readRegistrar satisfaction has risen to its highest post-COVID level, with 92.4% satisfied with their training providers and 92.2% satisfied with their training facilities.
More than 1,200 general practitioner (GP) and rural generalist (RG) registrars reflected on their training experiences to contribute to the recently released National Report on the 2025 GP National Registrar Survey.
The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) conducted the survey for the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to monitor and assure the quality of training programs.
Who was surveyed?
The survey gathers responses from GP and RG registrars who are training in Commonwealth‑funded programs. This includes registrars in the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program, the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS) and the Rural Generalist Training Scheme (RGTS).
These doctors are in specialist training on the pathway to becoming fully qualified general practitioners and rural generalists.
What do the results tell us?
The survey shows that instructional quality in GP and RG training remains consistently strong, with very high registrar satisfaction across training providers and facilities. In 2025, 92.4% of registrars expressed overall satisfaction with their training provider, and 92.2% were satisfied with their training facility.
The results point to a stable and positive future workforce. High satisfaction levels suggest registrars are likely to stay in the profession.
The report includes findings about the plans of RG registrars, which helps government understand future rural workforce supply.
What’s new in this year’s report?
The survey helps evaluate reforms designed to promote the GP and RG profession and remove barriers to entry. The GP Training Incentive Payments, introduced this year, were developed in part based on feedback from registrars in the 2023 survey.
For the first time, registrars were asked questions about working as part of a multidisciplinary team (horizontal integration) and about their role in teaching or supervising medical trainees (vertical integration).
Almost half of all registrars (46 percent) said they had taken part in teaching or supervising trainees. Their involvement varied, with 35 percent working with medical students, 23 percent with other GP registrars and 13 percent with prevocational doctors. Some registrars also reported that they had contributed to teaching or supervising nursing students, medical students based outside their practice, dental students and Aboriginal health practitioners.
The survey also collected registrar views on the Single Employer Model (SEM) trials, an employment arrangement initiative for GP training. Under the SEM, prospective GPs or RGs complete their training with a single employer, usually the state or territory health department or local health network.
Respondents said they chose to participate in the SEM trial for income stability, consistent employment across the hospital and community settings, and the ability to accrue and retain entitlements like parental and long service leave.
The 2026 survey is set to open in July.