The RHCE Stream One program has now ended.
If you want to apply for a grant to attend a CPD event, check out the SRSA program.
The RHCE Program
The Rural Health Continuing Education (RHCE) Program was an Australian Government initiative to support health care professionals in rural and remote Australia by increasing access to continuing professional development (CPD). The Program commenced in 2010 as a consolidation of training initiatives for rural health professionals, including the Support Scheme for Rural Specialists (SSRS).
RHCE is split into two streams.
- Stream One (this website) is managed by the Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges, and supports medical specialists with the exception of general practitioners.
- Stream Two is managed by the National Rural Health Alliance, and supports general practitioners, nurses, allied health workers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers.
RHCE Stream One
RHCE Stream One supported medical specialists in rural and remote Australia through two complementary funding processes:
- Individual Grants directly to specialists to support them to undertake specific CPD activities (now the SRSA program)
- Project Grants for Specialist Medical Colleges to develop CPD initiatives specifically tailored to medical specialists in rural and remote areas, and with a focus on multidisciplinary team-based training (now ended)
Through these grants, RHCE Stream One aimed to support, sustain and expand a high quality and appropriate medical specialist workforce for rural and remote Australia, with the ultimate goal of ensuring high quality and accessible specialist care for all Australians no matter where they live.
RHCE Stream One administered seven funding rounds and awarded:
- 44 project grants to thirteen Specialist Medical Colleges to develop and deliver CPD activities that meet the needs of medical specialists in rural and remote areas of Australia; and
- 135 individual grants to medical specialists who live and work in rural and remote locations to support their access to CPD.