Research
Research themes
Championing and empowering women GP supervisors
 You spoke, we listened
Women outnumber men in Australia general practice, but are under-represented in leadership roles, such as GP supervision. You told us about the barriers to women becoming GP supervisors, and we listened (one page summary and published paper). GPSA is working with women GPs to co-design programs that address the needs, priorities, and solutions to support women in GP supervision now and into the future.
Women GPs want to understand how supervision can work for them
This multi-modal suite of resources will support women GPs to develop their identity and confidence as supervisors through understanding of the processes, pathways, and responsibilities involved in GP supervision, through the lens of women’s lived experiences. The program will comprise interactive webinars, information and ‘cheat’ sheets, and video vignettes about GP supervision, enabling women GPs to access information where and when they need it most
| Orientation to GP supervision resources | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Clear, easy to understand |
Relevant to deciding whether to become a GP supervisor |
Contextualised through the lens of women GP supervisors |
Provide a realistic picture of supervision for women GPs |
Multi-modal |
Women GPs want better connections to their peers and mentors
This dedicated Community of Practice will offer a safe space for women GP supervisors to come together in an online supportive network to explore their GP supervision experiences. Small groups of novice, experienced, and expert women GP supervisors will meet monthly to discuss issues of importance to them, such as managing difficult conversations with registrars, maintaining work-life balance, self-care, technical knowledge and skills, and troubleshooting GP supervision.Â
| Community of Practice for women GP supervisors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Small, private, safe spaces for women GP supervisors |
Opportunities to build relationships |
Opportunities for mentoring |
Build supervisor identity, confidence and skills |
Multi-modal |
Where can I find out more?
These novel resources and programs were developed as the first phase of a two-year RACGP Education Research Grant. GPSA is collaborating with women GPs to develop the resources and programs, which will be trialed in the first half of 2025.
Click here to find out more
RESEARCH TRANSLATION
Interpersonal Conflict in GP Training
Interpersonal Conflict in GP Training
How can conflict in registrar placements be managed or (at the very least) minimised? A joint research project between GPSA, GPRA and Monash University gathered experiences of the sources and context of conflict in the GP registrar–supervisor-practice manager relationship, seeking to uncover ways to resolve or prevent escalation.
This research was conducted via on online survey and both one-to-one and small-group interviews with GP supervisors and practice managers as well as GP registrars. For more information, please email our Director of Research, A/Prof Samia Toukhsati at research@gpsa.org.au.
Best practice resources in development as an extension of this study include a guide to proactively address conflict in placements, and a number of tools for use by all members of the practice team.
This study was approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (project number 28176).
Exploring Innovations: the Syndicate Employer Model
Exploring Innovations: the Syndicate Employer Model
This theoretical model was presented at the 27th Prevocational Medical Education Forum of Australia and New Zealand in November 2023.
Cost of Training
Cost of Training
GPEx, in association with the University of Adelaide and GPSA, recently completed a study on the financial costs and revenue associated with teaching and supervision in Australian general practices. Experienced GP Supervisors and practice managers were asked to complete a short online questionnaire to describe the teaching and administrative activities associated with teaching GP registrars in a practice and the time spent on such activities to determine the cost of these activities. We hope that the results from this research will inform future policy and practice.
This research study was approved by the University of Adelaide Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC-2021-016).
Women in Supervision
Women in Supervision
In 2021, GPSA completed a narrative analysis research project interviewing female GP supervisors about the barriers and enablers to women supervising the increasing proportion of female registrars in general practice.
This research was conducted in partnership with Monash University, EV GP Training, and Melbourne University.The research findings present significant issues that intersect to potentially impact the interest and capacity for women to join and be retained in the GP supervision workforce. The findings can be applied to developing more specific resources, supports, and structures to enable women to participate in and sustain GP supervision at the level that they find acceptable and rewarding.
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2021 National Survey Report
2021 National Survey Report
Ahead of the Transition to College-led training, the 2021 GP Supervisors Australia (GPSA) Annual Survey revealed that 70% of GP supervisor respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their Regional Training Organisation (RTO).
Click here to download the ful report.
Date reviewed: 29 April 2025
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