Rural Sport and Exercise Medicine
A Sport and Exercise Medicine career in a rural area offers unique and rewarding challenges and provides an opportunity to make an impact in communities that need it most. Across Australia and New Zealand, rural ACSEP Fellows and Registrars are managing a wide range of injuries and conditions, supporting local athletes and improving access to healthcare.
Rural Sport and Exercise Medicine - Practices, Training Sites & Outreach Clinics
Funding for rural training
The Commonwealth Government provides Specialist Training Program (STP) and Integrated Rural Training Pipeline (IRTP) funding to support regional, rural and remote training opportunities in Sport and Exercise Medicine in Australia. Modified Monash Model (MMM) 2-7 locations are considered rural. Training sites can use the Health Workforce Locator to determine their MMM classification.
Dr Geoff Thompson AM Rural/REGIONAL Junior Doctor Scholarship
ACSEP will be offering the Dr Geoff Thompson AM Rural/Regional Doctor Scholarship once more in 2026. The scholarship will be open to medical students and prevocational doctors in Australia with a rural background and an interest in pursuing a career in Sport and Exercise Medicine.
The scholarship will cover registration costs and provide up to $2,500 towards flights and accommodation to attend the ACSEP Annual Scientific and Registrar Conference. Funding for this scholarship is provided by the Commonwealth Government's Specialist Training Program.
Applications for 2026 have now closed.
Rural Grant Opportunities
- Support for Rural Specialists in Australia: An annual grants program that awards rural, non-GP specialists up to $12,000 to access high quality CPD and networking that suits their individual needs.
ACSEP Rural Health Advisory Group
The ACSEP Rural Health Advisory Group’s role is to provide advice to the ACSEP Board of Directors and Committees regarding rural health and workforce initiatives aiming to improve access to Sport and Exercise Medicine outside metropolitan areas and identify supports to enable ACSEP Registrars and Fellows to practice in these locations.
Members
Dr Kira James (Chair)
A/Prof Jeni Saunders
Dr Jonathan King
Dr Greg Harris
Dr Adam Castricum
Dr Nathan Luies
Dr Dougal Middleton
Dr Andriy Boyko
To contact the ACSEP Rural Health Advisory Group, please email nationaloffice@acsep.org.au.
Resources
- Clearinghouse for Sport – Sport in rural and regional Australia
- Clearinghouse for Sport – Cost of sports injuries
- Middleton, D et al. (2025) Evaluating the outcomes of Australia’s first all-age public hospital Sport and Exercise Medicine Outpatient Clinic: a retrospective cross-sectional study.
- ACSEP Rural Capacity Building Strategic Action Plan 2022-2027