First year allied health student transition to a regional university

Abstract

ObjectiveStudents from regional and remote backgrounds are more likely to stay and work in regional and remote locations. Health students transition and retention at university impacts the retainment of a competent rural health workforce. This study aimed to examine the perceptions of allied health students as they reflected upon their first six weeks at university and identified strategies which enhanced these experiences.DesignA cross‐sectional study. Surveys were administered to students who then completed a reflection exercise. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation coefficient and chi‐squares.SettingAn Australian regional university.ParticipantsFirst year occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech pathology students.Main outcome measuresFactors influencing the first 6 weeks at university.ResultsOne hundred and forty‐three students participated. Homesickness was the major challenge in transitioning to university life. Subthemes identified were adjusting to being away from home, adjusting to university culture and the mature‐aged student. Specific issues included a lack of familiarity with university campuses and services, being unprepared for the workload and confusion while learning new skills.ConclusionOrientation week activities assist students transition into university and age‐appropriate and family‐friendly activities should be considered for mature‐age students. All students were found to benefit from support to address economic pressures and skill development focusing on coping with university workload. The development of regional university policy including these strategies is likely to enhance student success.

Building a rural workforce through identifying supports for rural, mature‐aged nursing and allied health students: A systematic scoping review

“…Seven studies used cross-sectional questionnaire data collection methods. [32][33][34][35][36][37][38] Pre-post questionnaires, 30,39 interviews 40,41 and focus groups/forums 37,42 methods were each used in two studies, and repeated cross-sectional questionnaires 31 and written reflection 34 methods were each used in one study. Many of the studies were descriptive 32,40,42,43 or collected data at one point in time, 34,35,37,38 and no longitudinal studies were undertaken.…”

“…[32][33][34][35][36][37][38] Pre-post questionnaires, 30,39 interviews 40,41 and focus groups/forums 37,42 methods were each used in two studies, and repeated cross-sectional questionnaires 31 and written reflection 34 methods were each used in one study. Many of the studies were descriptive 32,40,42,43 or collected data at one point in time, 34,35,37,38 and no longitudinal studies were undertaken. There was also a lack of evaluation to determine how effective supports were for rural, mature-aged nursing and allied health students.…”

“…However, the subcohort sample relating to rural, mature-aged nursing and allied health students was much smaller, ranging from 6 to 177, or was not specifically reported. Twelve studies involved students enrolled at regional university campuses, [31][32][33][34][35][36][38][39][40][41][42][43] with only one study relating to a rural campus, 30 and one to multiple campuses spanning different ruralities. 37 Thirteen studies involved students from one university, [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]42,43 and one study involved students from two universities.…”

“…Twelve studies involved students enrolled at regional university campuses, [31][32][33][34][35][36][38][39][40][41][42][43] with only one study relating to a rural campus, 30 and one to multiple campuses spanning different ruralities. 37 Thirteen studies involved students from one university, [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]42,43 and one study involved students from two universities. 41 Eight of the included studies involved nursing students, while psychology and occupational therapy students were involved in two studies (Table 4).…”

“…41 Eight of the included studies involved nursing students, while psychology and occupational therapy students were involved in two studies (Table 4). Five studies included students completing the first year of the course, 32,34,39,40,43 two involved students completing second year, 35,42 and four studies had students completing multiple coursework years. 30,31,36,41 Three studies did not provide year-level detail.…”