Support for new GPs in ‘transition period’
29 Jul 2025
An upcoming RACGP conference will showcase how to best prepare for the early-career stage of being a GP, and the supports in place.
Beginning a career in general practice can be ‘overwhelming’, says one experienced GP, but with support from colleagues and being prepared for what to expect, the journey can be smoother.
Next month, the RACGP WA New Fellows Committee is hosting the Early Career GP Conference across two days in the Swan Valley, on Whadjuk Noongar Country.
Designed by GPs for GPs, the conference will help set up early-career GPs for their future career over a weekend of connecting with peers, hearing from a lineup of established GPs, and building essential skills for a successful career in general practice.
Dr Sean Stevens sits on the RACGP WA faculty, is Chair of Specific Interests Digital Health and Innovation, and will be presenting at the conference.
He told newsGP the conference will explore how early-career GPs can best prepare for what is ahead, and how to ensure they have ongoing support.
‘Being an early-career GP is a transition period,’ Dr Stevens said.
‘You go from where everything is structured in the training program to usually becoming an independent contractor, having to get your own accountant, organise your own finances, pay your own superannuation, save for leave payments.
‘There’s a whole range of things that start to become important, and the college is there to help during that transition phase.’
The weekend covers topics for New Fellows, GPs in training and international medical graduates.
This year’s conference theme, ‘Building our futures’, includes sessions on finance, career sustainability, and technology in general practice.
Dr Stevens said it will highlight the rewards of choosing a career in general practice, as well as the challenges young doctors may encounter, and the supports in place.
‘It’s great to be able to showcase some of the stuff that GPs can do once you’ve got your Fellowship,’ he said.
‘[The event will] point out some of the real positives about being an independent GP and what you can expect in your career as a GP and what’s available, because one of the advantages of general practice is that there is a huge variety of things that we can do.
‘We’ll also look at starting to develop your own style of practice – how many days do you want to work? Where do you want to work? What sort of practice do you want to get involved with? What clinical interest area might you be interested in?
‘For early-career GPs it can be a bit overwhelming at times, and the idea is that the college and older GPs are able to help smooth that transition.’
In his capacity as Specific Interests Chair, Dr Stevens will present at the conference on using technology to ease GPs’ workload – how AI can help, and the ‘tips and tricks’ of other available tools.
‘Now that GPs have got their exams out of the way, what technologies can they explore, and what can make your job easier and more rewarding, reduce admin burden, and do a better job clinically and hopefully improve income at the same time,’ he said.
Dr Stevens also hosts The Good GP podcast, and will join co-host Dr Catherine Bourke at the conference to do a live podcast recording on ‘Ten things I wish I knew as a New Fellow’, where members of the WA New Fellows Committee will ask questions of the hosts in a live recording.
‘They’ll interview us around what we wish we’d known when we were their age, and coming new into practice, what are some tips and tricks,’ he said.
‘I feel very privileged that the New Fellows want to hear from us, because I feel I’ve got so much to learn from them that it’s humbling they want to listen to me and hear some of what I’ve got to say.’
Also included in the full two-day program are a Q&A session with RACGP President Dr Michael Wright, Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman sharing insights around breaking barriers and building balance, and Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements discussing managing uncertainty and developing ‘grit’ as a rural GP.
Dr Sarah Newman from the Doctors Health Advisory Service will also share tips to help develop sustainable professional wellbeing.
Dr Stevens hopes the upcoming event will build on the success of previous years.
‘This is a really successful event, it’s been going for a number of years and always gets a good turnout,’ he said.
‘We’ve had people come from as far away as Tasmania and Queensland, and it always gets a really positive vibe and buzz.’
The WA Early Career GP Conference takes place across Saturday 9 – Sunday 10 August, from 10.00 am – 3.00 pm (AWST). The full program and registrations are available on the RACGP website.
