Associate Professor Neil Spike

Following his graduation from the University of Queensland in 1978 and, his internship at Royal Brisbane Hospital, Neil worked in his own solo general practice in Brisbane from 1981 until 1992. He was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in 1983, and was invited to join the RACGP Board of Examiners the following year. He has held a number of positions with the Board, including National Physical Examination Coordinator and state Examination Panel Chairman.

He became a full-time medical educator with the Family Medicine Programme, Queensland during 1992, prior to moving to Melbourne to become Director of Assessment with the RACGP in 1993. After 5 years in this position, he was appointed Executive Director of Standards for the RACGP, with responsibility for all College assessments, the Quality Assurance and Continuing Medical Education Program, and for the development of practice standards used in the accreditation of general practices.   

He left the RACGP in 2001 and worked as a consultant for several organizations including the NSW Medical Board, the Department of Health and Ageing in Canberra, and the Department of General Practice, Monash University. He also worked as the Assessment Consultant for the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University to develop assessment guidelines and processes for the new five-year curriculum. Part of this role was to run professional development workshops for staff involved in assessment. He was awarded the Rose-Hunt Medal for services to RACGP and general practice in 2002.

He is currently Head of the Department of General Practice. Other responsibilities include Executive Director of the Joint Universities Centre for Education & Training in General Practice that delivers the educational program for GP registrars in the Melbourne region, and course convener for the International Medical Graduates Program for AMC Examinations. Areas of research interest include – international medical graduates, medical education with a focus on the assessment of clinical competence, and the development of clinical skills, especially procedural skills. He continues to be an affiliate of with the Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education.

Contact details:

Phone: 03 8575 2212
Fax: 03 8575 2233
Email: neil.spike@med.monash.edu.au