Resources | SSTS

Project Update – June 2025

About the SSTS Project

The Standardised Supervisor Training System (SSTS) is a RANZCO-led collaborative initiative, developed by a consortium of six medical Colleges and funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care. The project aims to define the core capabilities for medical education supervisors and provide practical learning resources to support consistent, culturally safe supervision across specialties and settings, including metropolitan, rural and remote locations.

Learn more about the SSTS project by listening to a slidecast

Working Group Meeting – Melbourne, April 2025

A face-to-face meeting of the SSTS Working Group was held in Melbourne on 9 April 2025. Representatives from all six consortium Colleges attended, contributing to a highly productive and collegiate review of the SSTS learning materials and policy documents. Final refinements were made to ensure the materials were practical, relevant and ready for the pilot.

SSTS Website Now Live

The new SSTS website is now live, providing access to background information and learning materials, and key project documents: https://www.ssts-project.com/

Pilot Program Now Underway

The SSTS pilot program officially launched on 13 May 2025, marking a major milestone in the development of a standardised approach to medical supervision. Supervisors are engaging with the learning materials in metropolitan, rural and remote contexts, testing both the content and format to ensure it is practical, relevant and adaptable across specialties.

Broader Participation in the Pilot

A total of 281 supervisors are currently participating in the pilot, representing 13 medical Colleges across Australia.

In response to an open invitation from the consortium, a number of supervisors from non-consortium Colleges have joined the pilot. This is a strong indication of sector-wide interest in the SSTS approach. The uptake and enthusiasm are a welcome endorsement of the project’s direction and relevance. Supervisors from the following Colleges are now participating:

Australasian College of Dermatologists

Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians

Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Royal Australasian College of Physicians

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia

They join supervisors from the six consortium Colleges:

College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM)

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO)

Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA)

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR)

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).

Feedback and Next Steps

The pilot runs until 31 July 2025. All participants are strongly encouraged to continue engaging with the materials and to provide structured feedback through the pilot survey, which will be distributed toward the end of the pilot period.

Early feedback from supervisors has been very encouraging. The project team will dedicate August to reviewing all feedback and incorporating suggested refinements to ensure the final version of the SSTS is practical, relevant and informed by supervisory experience.

Your input is essential in directly shaping how the system evolves and helps ensure it meets the needs of supervisors across all settings. If you have not yet had the opportunity to enrol in the Pilot you may do so via this link: SSTS Pilot Registration Link.

Project Timeline – What’s Ahead

September 2025 – Final sign-off by the SSTS Steering Group

September to December 2025 – Period of negotiation and refinement

2026 – Rollout of the Standardised Supervisor Training System

Sustaining the Model

In the second half of 2025, conversations will begin across the consortium about how to sustain and embed the SSTS model over the longer term.

As part of this work, the project team is currently refining the reporting functionality within the SSTS Platform. This will enable Colleges to receive clear, accurate information on supervisor completion and participation, supporting future implementation planning and governance.

SSTS at Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) Conference 2025

Dr Jorge Reyna (RANZCO) will present a poster on the development of the SSTS at the ANZAHPE Conference in Perth, July 2025. This poster will showcase the evidence-based, collaborative, cross-sector approach to supervisor development and reinforce the project’s national significance within health professional education.

If you would like any further information on the project, please contact the team via: sstsproject@ranzco.edu.