lation and clinical services was an organisational consideration. Registrars and interns require a clinical load. The patient population of practices with a strong educational focus accepted learners as legitimate practitioners and clinical service delivery was structured to accommodate and utilize learners: 'Well, I don't actually see them as interns, they're doctors to me.' (Patient M3 - multi-level learner practice).
Staffing appeared as an organizational subtheme. For practices with little educational activity, existing staff absorbed education tasks. For practices with significant engagement in education, tasks were more likely to be allocated to staff designated and trained for the role: '[I] have just undertaken an educational coordinator role which is a new role that they have created.' (Staff member M2 - multi-level learner practice).
Physical infrastructure was a fundamental consideration in a practice's capacity to host learners. For example, 'I don't know if we have got the room. If we had the room, we would.' (Practice nurse S1 - single-learner practice). The practices with a strong learner presence had all undertaken infrastructure expansion specifically for hosting learners. Two had received government infrastructure grants for this purpose.
Funding streams for education was an important consideration for all practices: 'It's all to do with time and money; it's as simple as that.' (Supervisor S2 - single-learner practice). The greater the engagement in education the more significant the educational funding as an income stream for the practice. These practices were also more positive about the remuneration afforded by funding for education: 'I think funding's pretty good.' (Supervisor 1 M2 - multi-level learner practice). However, funding was piecemeal and from multiple sources: 'There is a funding stream which comes with them, it's different for all of them.' (Supervisor M3 - multi-level learner practice).
As practices increased their engagement with education, they developed the governance structures to manage the organisational requirements of hosting the learners: 'I have everyone marked on there as all the new learners are coming and leaving. So I really do keep a strict eye on that.' (Practice manager M1 - multi-level learner practice).
For educational considerations there were four subthemes. Educational processes exhibited increasing complexity with greater numbers of learners. Practices with multiple levels of learners used a range of teachers and educational processes, were aware of each learner's curriculum and facilitated formal and informal peer assisted learning. For example:
The teaching sessions always had a plan on, you know, we'll talk up to this level and make sure that we get the student involved to this level and then we go through to the next level. (Practice manager M1 - multi-level learner practice).
Clinical supervision became more structured with greater engagement of learners. Practices with multiple levels of learners had several senior doctors identified as supervisors and there were examples of senior learners being supported to supervise other learners: '..part of me trying to learn exam stuff has been helped by supervising other people.' (Registrar M2 - multi-level learner practice). These practices may have supervisors that have allocated clinical sessions where they supervised without having their own booked patients:
There are times when my role as the supervisor is just supervising ... there'd be some sessions where I won't see any patients booked in for myself. (Supervisor M3 - multi-level learner practice).
Educational networks, facilitated by universities and regional training providers, were important in supporting educational skills and resources:
Well the RTP provided not only payment for us to do the work, but educational material and educational forums for learning ... and the university would be providing educational material ... as well. (Supervisor M1 - multi-level learner practice).
Educational networking was a greater feature of practices with a strong educat