Completing the RANZCP scholarly project in a rural/regional setting: a practical example

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) scholarly project (SP) is a major hurdle for trainees completing psychiatric training - intensified for those working in rural settings. Whilst strategies to overcome this challenge have been proposed, there are few examples of how these have been successfully implemented. This report will describe the completion of a RANZCP SP in a regional setting, with supervision and support provided by an academic psychiatrist working within a metropolitan research centre.

Trainees in remote geographical locations can utilise expert supervision from academic psychiatrists to successfully complete the SP. Key components are support from both the trainee and supervisor's employers, utilisation of a range of supervision modalities and a clear pragmatic memorandum of understanding between the supervisor and trainee. This initiative had widespread benefits beyond completion of the SP for all parties involved.