Medicare rebates for GPs to teach medical students and registrars will bolster training and ultimately boost the GP workforce, says the RACGP.

The workforce crisis has put a spotlight on how medical students are introduced to general practice, with medical deans criticising the so-called ‘hidden curriculum’: hospital-based training that talks down general practice.

RACGP president Dr Nicole Higgins said that teaching students and registrars meant financial sacrifices and specific MBS funding would “recognise the increased skills and demands on these doctors”.

“The people who are teaching our next generation of GPs take a financial hit to do that because spending time with medical students takes them away from their patients,” she said.