Background: The external clinical teaching (ECT) visit remains integral to the programs of all regional providers of the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program.
Method: All 22 regional training providers (RTPs) were contacted by mail and telephone regarding their use of ECT visits.
Results: Responses were received from 17 of the 22 RTPs. There was considerable variation in approach to visitor training, reporting formats, provision of manuals, and the stated purpose of the visits.
Discussion: This study has provided a clearer picture of how ECT visits are functioning in the regionalised environment. There remains considerable variation in the use of these visits in Australian general practice training. New national guidelines promoting educational quality in ECT visits and protecting the diversity of regionalisation should be implemented. The use of these visits for performance appraisal needs further discussion.