Postgraduate pathways to rural medical practice

[Extract] Training pathways into rural practice form a major component of the rural pipeline. Pathways evolve over time, responding to changes in the clinical and structural requirements of local rural practice. They vary across regions, from ad hoc, self-directed and self-negotiated training, to formal pathways with defined selection processes, curricula, end points and governance structures. These features will be discussed in the context of Australian rural training and the Queensland Health Rural Generalist Pathway will be used to illustrate a training pathway tailored to a specific context. There will be a brief discussion of international training pathways and future issues and challenges.