Specialist Training Program (STP) Funding

The Specialist Training Program is a funding initiative from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care to establish and support a variety of new training posts in expanded settings.

Contact Us

Eligibility

Funding

Expressions of Interest

About STP funding

Specialist Training Program (STP) funding is designed to provide opportunities for medical specialist trainees to rotate through an expanded range of settings beyond traditional public teaching hospitals, as part of becoming a Fellow of a recognised specialist medical college.

Offering a greater diversity of training settings will support quality training posts that build the overall training capacity in the system, as well as contribute to improving medical workforce distribution.

The full Operational Framework is available on the .

Priority settings

Priority settings for the 2022–2025 funding period include:

Private health sector: Eligible private sector settings that do not derive operational funding directly from a State or Territory Government.

Regional, rural and remote areas: Settings located in Australian Standard ASGS RA 2–5

Non-hospital settings (including Aged Care, Community Health and Aboriginal Medical Services):Training posts that involve assisting population groups with acute health needs to receive appropriate services.

Integrated Rural Training Pipeline (IRTP)

Under the Integrated Rural Training Pipeline, specialist trainees:

Must show a commitment to working in a rural area
Must complete at least two-thirds of their fellowship training (2 years) in a rural area
May complete metropolitan rotations, to meet college education and accreditation standards

Tasmanian Project

Funding under the Tasmanian Project supports the training and retention of specialist doctors in the Tasmanian public health system.

Eligibility

The following training settings are eligible to lodge an expression of interest under the STP:



Public and private hospitals



Local Health Networks and regional hospitals



Private healthcare organisations/private healthcare settings



Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and Aboriginal Medical Services



Community health organisations

Please note that only posts that represent 1 FTE or a minimum of 0.5 FTE in the above settings will be eligible to lodge an expression of interest.

The following training settings are not eligible to apply for funding under the STP:



Post-fellowship training



General Practice training



Direct costs associated with accreditation of training posts



Overseas trainees employed by hospitals in other countries seeking a rotation through expanded settings within Australia



Training posts that are not considered to be new posts*

*A position will not be considered new if it has been funded by another organisation for more than 12 months within the last three years.

Additionally, a position that was funded by another organisation within the last 12 months will need to conclusively demonstrate that its funding is not ongoing. This allows for short-term funding from organisations such as charitable trusts.

In this context, positions funded by the applicant organisation or a State and Territory Government will not be considered new and will be ineligible for STP support.

Expressions of interest

The Expression of Interest (EOI) Reserve List process is an opportunity for healthcare settings outside traditional metropolitan teaching settings to consider participation in the STP, and to put forward a case for potential support. This includes existing STP-funded sites interested in expanding current placements.

Training settings interested in developing an EOI should consider the STP Operational Framework.

EOI process for the 2022–2025 funding round

The Department of Health and Aged Care generally considers EOIs once a year, for the 2022–2025 funding round.

If your EOI is deemed suitable, your site will be placed on a RANZCOG Reserve List. This list will be utilised to fill posts should vacancies become available, and/or taken into consideration to meet Department of Health and Aged Care and RANZCOG distribution targets.

EOIs for 2024 are now closed.

Funding

The Specialist Training Program funding is a salary contribution paid to the employer of the trainee at a rate of up to $107,000 (GST exclusive) pro rata per FTE.

The STP also includes the following secondary specialised funding schemes:

Rural Support Loading (RSL)
Private Infrastructure Clinical Supervision (PICS) funding

Rural Support Loading

In recognition of the additional costs associated with training in regional, rural and remote locations, the STP provides an RSL funding component for each eligible STP post.

Health settings are eligible to receive RSL for STP posts that occur in a Modified Monash Model (MMM) 2–7 location. These posts may be provided with RSL funding of up to $25,000 (GST exclusive) per FTE.

Please read through our guidelines for more details: Rural Support Loading Guidelines

Private Infrastructure Clinical Supervision funding

The PICS allowance supports delivery of the STP in private or non-Government health settings.

It recognises the cost of delivering training in these settings and assists in the provision of a high-quality training environment for both trainees and supervisors.

All private sector STP training sites can apply for this allowance of up to $30,000 (GST exclusive) per FTE per annum, pro rata, which provides support for training infrastructure and clinical supervision, subject to specific eligibility criteria.

Please read through our guidelines for more details: Private Infrastructure Clinical Supervision Guidelines