GP for Pollies

Why GPs Are Specialists

Training pathways, accreditation history, and the breadth that makes GP a specialty.

History of recognition

Vocational training for general practice began in 1973source and general practice has been recognised as a specialty since 1978.

Current training pathways

Diagnostic uncertainty as a competency

The ability to manage diagnostic uncertainty and undifferentiated patients is explicitly treated as a required competency in rural/prevocational frameworks - and is a proxy for the generalist cognitive load that many outsiders underestimate.