This is a basic nationally recognised qualification for medical practitioners who staff rural and provincial hospitals. These doctors require broad-based, specific skills, which may extend beyond that of rural general medical practice.
At present, our New Zealand small and large town hospitals, as well as small city hospitals, are served by a physician or a surgeon, or a Medical Officer of Special Scale (MOSS). A MOSS may be anyone from a third-year house surgeon to a highly qualified, competent and long experienced regional hospital doctor. Until now, other than College qualifications, no formal qualification for such doctors has existed.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Rural Clinical Practice (PGCertRCP) is also available through Distance Learning.
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Programme details
Regulations for the Postgraduate Certificate in Rural Clinical Practice (PGCertRCP)
Admission to the Programme
Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences).
Every applicant shall
have been admitted to the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery of a university in New Zealand or hold an equivalent medical qualification approved by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences), and
have commenced vocational training for rural hospital medicine or general practice or have had at least two years of approved experience in rural hospital medicine or general practice.
Every applicant shall be registered for medical practice in the country in which the programme is taught or have an exemption from this requirement from the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences).
Structure of the Programme
The programme of study shall consist of four papers, to the value of 60 points, selected from the Core Papers (GENA 723–729) in the Schedule of papers for the Postgraduate Diploma in Rural Clinical Practice.
Duration of the Programme
The programme may be completed in one year of part-time study and must be completed within three years of admission.
Variations
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.
This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.
Regulations on this page are taken from the 2025 Calendar and supplementary material.
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