When the project began in 1998, it focused solely on HIV.

The contemporary training agenda in HIV medicine did not meet the emerging needs of general practitioners, nurses and other health care professionals. The treatment of individuals with HIV has become more complex with the introduction of new classes of HIV antiretroviral therapies. This development, coupled with advancements in diagnostic and monitoring technology, has acted as a catalyst for the development of this project.

In HIV three courses have been developed as part of this program. These being a specialist course for medical practitioners (which enables general practitioners to be accredited to prescribe HIV antiretroviral therapies); a specialist course for registered nurses working in HIV medicine; and a general course for any medical or health care professional. The decision to develop separate courses is based on the differing needs, skills and knowledge of the groups involved.

The structure, content and learning strategies incorporated into these courses have been developed by the Management Committee of the program in conjunction with expertise from the School of Medicine of The University of Queensland.

Initially, pilot courses for medical practitioners and registered nurses were conducted. These pilot courses were open to medical practitioners and registered nurses currently working in HIV medicine. An additional role of participants in the pilot courses was to evaluate critically all aspects of the program.

The specialist course for medical practitioners (titled Prescribers’ Course in HIV Medicine) and the specialist course for registered nurses (titled HIV Nursing Practice Course) run concurrently. A component of content corresponds and this allows for efficient use of personnel and resources. The primary reason however is to foster a collaborative partnership approach to service delivery in HIV medicine.

The University of Queensland, through the HIV & HCV Education Projects of the School of Medicine is responsible for the design, implementation and evaluation of the program. The University is the primary provider of medical education in Queensland and the School of Medicine has traditionally engaged in the post graduate education of the medical profession. As such, it is best placed to design, implement and evaluate the program because of the organisation’s expertise and infrastructure.

Representation from people living with HIV in all aspects of these courses is desirable. Active participation by people living with HIV will assist the better education of health care professionals.

The courses offered in this program incorporate ongoing support and networking. Education in isolation is not as effective as education built into the context of ongoing development and support when individuals are back in the work place. The support and networking mechanisms central to these courses act as a means to integrate the learning experiences into everyday practice.

In 2000, Hepatitis C was added to the portfolio of the project due to emerging need to educate GP's and health care workers about HCV prevention and treatment. Since this time treatment has become more readily available, meaning a greater understanding of the process was, as continues to be needed.

The introduction of education in sexual health responded to the emerging needs of GP's as the primary contact point for individuals with issues about their sexual health.

In 2006 the project expanded to incorporate other needs in clinical education in response to the demands of its client’s population.