The Rural Postgraduate Programme provides development opportunities, suitable for CME, for generalist doctors working in rural general practice and/or rural hospitals.
Rural Generalist CME Workshop Rarotonga, 2026
Date: 5–7 August 2026
Venue: Crown Beach Resort & Spa
The Rural Generalist CME Workshop 2026 will be held in Rarotonga. Planning has just begun.
Find out more about the Rural Generalist CME Workshop 2026
For questions or comments, contact:
Dr Lucinda Thatcher
Rural Hospital Specialist and CME Convener
Email lucinda.thatcher@otago.ac.nz
Rural Simulation Course (RiSC)
A resuscitation course specifically designed for rural clinicians.
Rural CME Webinars
This initiative, offiered in conjunction with the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine, is designed to make CME more accessible to rural doctors. We aim to deliver four webinars a year via Zoom. Prior registration is required. The sessions are free and the webinars will be recorded for future viewing. The initiative is organised by rural doctors for rural doctors.
The Rural CME Webinars have been endorsed by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) and has been approved for up to 1 CME credit per webinar for the General Practice Educational Programme (GPEP) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) purposes.
For further questions or to request a CME topic, please contact:
Lucinda Thatcher
Email lucinda.thatcher@otago.ac.nz
Upcoming webinars
Rural minds matter: Managing psychosis beyond the city
Date: Monday, 20 July 2026
Time: 7:30pm
Speaker: Dr Mark Lankshear, Rural GP/RHM
Host: Dr Lucinda Thatcher
This session will cover psychosis – looking at its acute and longer term management within rural New Zealand settings.
Register for the Rural minds matter: Managing Psychosis beyond the city webinar
Rural Generalist CME Workshop
This workshop is aimed at generalist doctors who work in rural hospitals and/or rural general practice. We aim to provide evidence based, clinical updates that take into account the rural context. We engage speakers who either work rurally or have a strong understanding of the challenges of working remotely, with limited resources. It is also a really great opportunity to connect with colleagues from across Aotearoa – growing and strengthening our rural health community.
Since the Cook Islands Ministry of Health and the Rural Postgraduate Programme first held the workshop at Rarotonga Hospital in 2012, the workshop has also provided a forum for exchange of clinical, professional, and cultural experience between doctors working in New Zealand and the Cook Islands. Some of the income generated supports the ongoing training of Cook Islands-based generalist doctors.
Over the years we have been able to use some of the surplus to provide ongoing support for the training and CME of Cook Islands doctors. The Rural Postgraduate Programme has been funding the costs of attendance of Cook Islands doctors to the CME workshops.
The Rural Postgraduate Programme is also a partner of the Cook Islands General Practice Training Programme.
If you are interested in previous programme content, please contact:
Email centrerural@otago.ac.nz