The PEP aims to provide targeted educational support for non-VR doctors (primarily international medical graduates (IMGs)) to help them to prepare for the RACGP exams and to deliver quality general practice care to their patients.

The RACGP Continued Professional Development (CPD) program supports Australian GPs to provide the best possible care for patients.

It does this by recognising ongoing education and promoting the development and maintenance of general practice skills and lifelong learning.

[citation needed] In the absence of fellowship of any of the specialty colleges, a GP will typically take up participation of the QI&CPD program in order to satisfy medical registration requirements with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), the national medical registration body.

[citation needed] The RACGP develops guidelines and resources on health issues and topics to support GPs and general practices in delivering patient care.

The 2018 conference was held on the Gold Coast from 11–13 October under the theme General Practice: The centre of health in Australia and was attended by over 2000 delegates.

The various faculties and departments of the RACGP host many educational and collegial events throughout the year, including fellowship ceremonies, awards nights, workshops and seminars.

[citation needed] Prior to the mid 20th century, upon graduation Australian doctors spent time in general practice.

A medical career usually included completing an intern year immediately after graduation as a resident in a major teaching hospital.

Possibly reflecting the historical origins of Australia as a series of British colonies, these doctors would travel overseas, most often to the UK, to specialise and then return to establish practice.

The British College of General Practitioners was formed in 1953 with many Australian doctors amongst the founding members including the RACGP's first president Dr William Conolly, again reflecting the origins of Australia as a series of British colonies, established a New South Wales faculty of the BCGP.

[citation needed] In keeping with the process for creating Medical Colleges under the British system, a group of Australian General Practitioners met in 1957 at the first Annual Scientific Convention in Sydney to declare an intention to form the Australian College of General Practitioners (ACGP) which was formally founded in 1958.

[citation needed] The oddity of general practice in Australia is a lingering and arguably outdated perception that the decision to practise as a GP has low or no standing and status.

Comments heard by many GPs including; 'You are just a GP' or 'What do you intend on specialising in?’ reflect something of the community understanding of the general practitioner.

It was 1978 before the National Specialist Qualification Advisory Committee (the predecessor to the Australian Medical Council) recognised general practice as a specialty.

[20][21] The standing of general practice within academic faculties of universities and professionally has undergone a marked increase in recent decades.

[22][23] Demonstrating again the slow shift towards recognition, Australia was late in accepting that general practice should be taught or regarded as a discipline in its own right.

Again, Australia lagged behind the US and the UK who appointed their first professors and chairs of general practice and family medicine in 1967 and 1963 respectively.