403 RESEARCH REPRINTED FROM AJGP VOL. 48, NO. 6, JUNE 2019 | © The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners 2019 Christine Longman, Meredith Temple-Smith Background and objectives General practitioners (GPs) are required by the Australian professional colleges of general practice – The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine – to practise a high standard of professional behaviour. General practice registrars (GPRs) learn this in their training practices not only from their general practice supervisors, but also the practice managers (PMs). Little is known of PMs’ views of the meaning of the term ‘professional behaviour’ and how they view their role in GPR education. Methods Nineteen semi-structured interviews with PMs were conducted. Saturation was reached and consensus achieved on the analysis. Results PMs held nuanced views on the meaning of the term ‘professional behaviour’ and actively promoted and modelled this to their staff, including GPRs. PMs believed they had a role in GPR education. Discussion Practice managers are well placed to model and teach professional behaviour, and their skills should be further used to educate GPRs. THERE IS INCREASING societal expectation for medical practitioners to exhibit high standards of professional behaviour. The expectations of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency regarding professional behaviour are clearly outlined in its publication Good medical practice: A code of conduct for doctors in Australia and strongly focus on patient welfare. 1 The two Australian professional colleges of general practice – The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) – have defined both professional and ethical roles for a competent general practitioner (GP). 2,3 The basis of their professional standards is treating all others, not just patients, with dignity, courtesy, respect and compassion. 3 Australian General Practice Training is a three-year to four-year program, currently delivered by nine regional training organisations (RTOs). Trainees, known as general practice registrars (GPRs), spend two to three years in supervised general practice. 4 Current RACGP and ACRRM training standards emphasise the practice and modelling of high standards of professional behaviour by general practice supervisors (GPSs) in practices where GPRs are placed. 3,5 During placements, mandated teaching of GPRs is provided not only by the GPS but also by practice nurses, allied health practitioners and practice managers (PMs). Most Australian general practices employ a PM, although the role, experience and qualifications are poorly defined. 6–8 A recent literature search revealed only six papers on this topic. 6 Anecdotally, PMs are involved in various interactions with GPRs but little evidence exists about their involvement in GPR training. RACGP and ACRRM curriculum requirements for teaching of the professional and ethical role of a GP have ensured RTOs include this in their curriculum and have policies regarding professional behaviour of staff, GPRs and GPSs. 9,10 Therefore, little is known of PMs’ views on professional behaviour, and how they see their role as models and educators for their staff, including GPRs. Given that PMs are commonly involved in GPR education, RTOs need to consider their responsibilities in relation to educating and supporting PMs in this task. Within this context, and given the almost complete absence of literature on PMs in Australian general practice, 6 we used a phenomenological approach that is known to assist professionals in reflective practice to understand PMs’ views and experiences. 11 We explored PMs’ views about: • the meaning of the term ‘professional behaviour’ in the general practice setting • the PMs’ role in the promotion and modelling of professional behaviour • the PMs’ role in the education of GPRs about professional behaviour in general practice. Promoting professional behaviour in general practitioner training practices The views of practice managers