Return of the unexpected: Rural workforce recruitment and retention in the era of COVID‐19

Jones, Martin; Versace, Vincent L.; Lyle, David; Walsh, Sandra

doi:10.1111/ajr.12817

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…Thus, there is still a net loss to metropolitan areas. It is acknowledged that recent internal migration patterns counter the prevailing trend of migration of rural people to metropolitan areas 10 ; however, more qualitative enquiry to understand this migration, what influences it and what options we can provide to minimise this is required. It could be these are temporary shifts to gain expertise or specialist knowledge not available in regional and rural areas—a longitudinal investigation is needed to better understand these dynamics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does undertaking rural placements add to place of origin as a predictor of where health graduates work?

Skinner

Semmens

Versace

et al. 2022

Australian J Rural Health

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Objective: To determine the work location (metropolitan, regional, rural and remote) of graduates in nursing, allied health and oral health disciplines who complete their professional training, end-to-end training, in a regional or rural area noting the potential inclusion of a metropolitan-based placement for speciality practice not available in rural or regional Victoria. Methods:We tracked the place of employment from the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) of all graduates from a regional/rural tertiary education provider. The student home address at enrolment, locations where they undertook all placements and their current place of work were described using an objective geographical model of access, the Modified Monash Model.Results: Seventy-five per cent of 5506 graduates were located in the AHPRA database. About one third of graduates were working in metropolitan areas, 1/3 in regional cities and 1/3 in rural areas. Students' origin accounted for 1/3 of variance in current workplace location. The more placement days students completed in regional/ rural areas was also a significant predictor of working in a regional or rural area. Conclusion:End-to-end training in regional/rural areas is an effective approach to retaining a regional/rural workforce. Student origin is a strong predictor of working rural or regionally, as is undertaking placements in rural areas. This suggests that priority for rural/ regional student placements should be given to students in end-to-end regional/ rural programs and students from a regional/ rural background.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does undertaking rural placements add to place of origin as a predictor of where health graduates work?

Skinner

Semmens

Versace

et al. 2022

Australian J Rural Health

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“…Additionally, there is a gap in the literature examining nurse-identified strategies for addressing these challenges. As noted by Jones et al (2021), strategies for healthcare worker retention in rural areas will be more effective when rural communities themselves come up with potential solutions. In a similar vein, practical strategies suggested by nurses themselves are likely to be more actionable and acceptable to other nurses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that the average age of the nursing workforce is older in rural areas compared with major cities (Health Workforce Australia, 2012), the recruitment and retention of early career nurses in these areas is a priority. This issue is even more important in the current COVID‐19 environment, with an influx of people to rural areas and the associated need for greater services and support (Jones et al, 2021), alongside high levels of burnout among the Australian nursing workforce (Mannix, 2021). This study aims to explore the experiences of early career registered nurses in rural hospitals in Australia and identify strategies they believe would help increase job satisfaction and retention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing the challenges of early career rural nursing to improve job satisfaction and retention: Strategies new nurses think would help

Rose

Skaczkowski

Gunn

2023

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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AimsTo (a) explore the experiences of early career registered nurses in rural hospitals in Australia and (b) identify strategies they believe would help increase job satisfaction and retention.DesignQualitative descriptive design.MethodsThirteen registered nurses located in outer regional, remote or very remote (herein ‘rural’) Australian hospitals participated in semi‐structured interviews. Participants had graduated from a Bachelor of Nursing program in 2018–2020. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and an essentialist, bottom‐up approach.ResultsSeven themes related to the experiences of rural early career nursing: (1) appreciate diverse scope of practice; (2) rewarding sense of community and opportunity to give back; (3) staff support determines the quality of experience; (4) feeling underprepared and the need for ongoing education; (5) diverse views on the optimal length of rotation and level of input into choice of clinical area; (6) difficulty maintaining work/life balance due to work hours and rostering; and (7) lack of staff and resources. Strategies to improve nurses' experiences included: (1) assistance with accommodation and transport; (2) social gatherings to enhance connection; (3) sufficient orientation and supernumerary time; (4) increased frequency of contact with clinical facilitators and multiple mentors; (5) prioritizing clinical education across diverse topics; (6) greater involvement in choice of rotations and clinical areas; and (7) desire for more flexible work hours and rostering.ConclusionsThis study highlighted the experiences of rural nurses and explored their suggestions for how to overcome challenges in their roles. Greater consideration of early career registered nurses' needs and preferences is vital to improving and maintaining a satisfied, dedicated and sustainable rural nursing workforce.ImpactMany of the strategies for improving job retention identified by nurses in this study could be actioned at a local level, with little financial or time investment.Patient or Public ContributionNo Patient or Public Contribution.

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“…Finally, the sixth factor, “Continuity of Care,” identified a preference for having the same health professional oversee their care over time. Shortages of doctors, nurses, allied health, and support services in rural areas, as well as problems retaining staff in these areas, are well‐documented issues both in Australia and around the world 70–74 . Many parts of rural Australia are largely serviced by locum doctors, rather than consistent, local General Practitioners, which is thought to be particularly problematic for building rapport and trust with groups who face multiple attitudinal barriers to help‐seeking, such as farmers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding farmers’ barriers to health and mental health‐related help‐seeking: The development, factor structure, and reliability of the Farmer Help‐Seeking Scale

Skaczkowski

Hull

Smith

et al. 2023

The Journal of Rural Health

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PurposeThe aim of this research was to develop a contextually and culturally appropriate scale to assess farmers’ barriers to health‐related help‐seeking.MethodsAn initial pool of items was developed from the academic literature and input from an expert panel of farmers, rural academics, and rural clinicians. A draft 32‐item questionnaire was then developed and sent to farmers registered with FARMbase, which is an Australian national farmer database.FindingsTwo hundred and seventy‐four farmers completed the draft questionnaire (93.7% male, 73.7% aged 56‐75 years). An exploratory factor analysis identified 6 factors; “Health Issues are a Low Priority,” “Concerns about Stigma,” “Structural Health System Barriers,” “Minimization and Normalization,” “Communication Barriers,” and “Continuity of Care.”. Test‐retest reliability was examined with a further 10 farmers (90% male, Mean age = 57, SD = 5.91), who completed the questionnaire twice (at 2‐ to 3‐week intervals). Results indicated moderate‐good test‐retest reliability.ConclusionsThe resulting 24‐item Farmer Help‐Seeking Scale provides a measure of help‐seeking that is specifically designed to capture the unique context, culture, and attitudes that can interfere with farmers’ help‐seeking, and inform the development of strategies to increase health‐service utilization in this at‐risk group.

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Return of the unexpected: Rural workforce recruitment and retention in the era of COVID‐19

Cited by 9 publications

References 19 publications

Does undertaking rural placements add to place of origin as a predictor of where health graduates work?

Does undertaking rural placements add to place of origin as a predictor of where health graduates work?

Addressing the challenges of early career rural nursing to improve job satisfaction and retention: Strategies new nurses think would help

Understanding farmers’ barriers to health and mental health‐related help‐seeking: The development, factor structure, and reliability of the Farmer Help‐Seeking Scale

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