Securing a rural health workforce for the next generation of rural Australians

Lyle, David; Barclay, Lesley

doi:10.5694/mja15.00449

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In Australia, a medical student is not obliged to choose their speciality until they enter postgraduate (vocational) training, though there are medical school programmes supporting early-entry rural medical and generalist pathways [ 40 – 42 ]. A key example of this is university-based rural clinical schools [ 21 ], which emphasise rural recruitment, training in rural areas and rural graduate practice. These programmes have been shown to provide a strong foundation for attracting medical students to rural practice [ 43 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Inclusion and exclusion criteria (Table 1 ) focused the search results to ensure relevance of findings. Government and education policies aimed at addressing the geographic maldistribution of the medical workforce took a significant shift from the late 1980s and continued during the 1990s [ 19 , 21 , 22 ]. To capture this change, literature from January 1988 to April 2017 was sourced and reviewed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

International approaches to rural generalist medicine: a scoping review

Schubert

Evans

Battye³

et al. 2018

Hum Resour Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundContemporary approaches to rural generalist medicine training and models of care are developing internationally as part of an integrated response to common challenges faced by rural and remote health services and policymakers (addressing health inequities, workforce shortages, service sustainability concerns). The aim of this study was to review the literature relevant to rural generalist medicine.MethodsA scoping review was undertaken to answer the broad question ‘What is documented on rural generalist medicine?’ Literature from January 1988 to April 2017 was searched and, after final eligibility filtering (according to established inclusion and exclusion criteria), 102 articles in English language were included for final analysis.ResultsIncluded papers were analysed and categorised by geographic region, study design and subject themes. The majority of articles (80%) came from Australia/New Zealand and North America, reflecting the relative maturity of programmes supporting rural generalist medicine in those countries. The most common publication type was descriptive opinion pieces (37%), highlighting both a need and an opportunity to undertake and publish more systematic research in this area.Important themes emerging from the review were:DefinitionExisting pathways and programmesScope of practice and service modelsEnablers and barriers to recruitment and retentionReform recommendationsThere were some variations to, or criticisms of, the definition of rural generalist medicine as applied to this review, although this was only true of a small number of included articles. Across remaining themes, there were many similarities and consistent approaches to rural generalist medicine between countries, with some variations reflecting environmental context and programme maturity. This review identified recent literature from countries with emerging interest in rural generalist medicine in response to problematic rural health service delivery.ConclusionsSupported, coordinated rural generalist medicine programmes are being established or developed in a number of countries as part of an integrated response to rural health and workforce concerns. Findings of this review highlight an opportunity to better share the development and evaluation of best practice models in rural generalist medicine.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

International approaches to rural generalist medicine: a scoping review

Schubert

Evans

Battye³

et al. 2018

Hum Resour Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Developing the future rural nursing workforce: report on a nursing roundtable

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: There are ongoing health workforce shortages in rural Australia with nurses a major component of the provision of health care. Training for nursing students in rural areas is one strategy to overcome this. Aim: To explore possibilities for nursing student rural clinical placements, with a view to increase the length of placements and strengthen the future rural nursing workforce. Methods: A Nursing Roundtable was held in regional Western Australia (WA) with representatives from five Western Australian universities, tertiary providers and service clinical stakeholders. Participants attended site visits to local facilities which included primary, community and hospital-based facilities. Findings: Major issues identified included short length of nursing placements; inflexibility of bookings via centralised placement databases; financial and family responsibilities inhibiting students taking up placements; quality of on-site supervision; and the availability of graduate programs after qualifying. Participants agreed longer student clinical placements reduced workload for academic and clinical staff allowing students to settle and be industry ready. Discussion: There was a strengthening of goodwill and willingness of university and clinical stakeholders to work collaboratively to lengthen student placements and consider placements in non-traditional settings to expand student understanding of career possibilities, rural and Indigenous communities, and the underpinning determinants of health. Conclusion: Back-to-back practicums or potential to share placements between different organisations were recognised as opportunities for further development. Efforts to increase placement length, broaden experiences and overcome financial barriers need to be addressed. Production of a marketing video to include job potential post-graduating was suggested to attract students.

show abstract

Alliances and evidence: Building the capacity and effectiveness of rural health advocacy in Australia

Barclay

Gregory

2018

Australian J Rural Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article describes two strategies that have strengthened the capacity and effectiveness of rural health advocacy in Australia over the past nearly three decades. The first is the development of the National Rural Health Alliance, an organisation that grew from strategic efforts to develop relationships between rural and remote health practitioners and organisations. The second is the development, organisation and use of data and evidence to highlight rural health needs. There has been important synergy between these two streams of activity, with research and evidence providing the tools and the National Rural Health Alliance providing the strategy and techniques to influence the rural and remote health care agenda.

show abstract

Securing a rural health workforce for the next generation of rural Australians

Cited by 3 publications

References 4 publications

International approaches to rural generalist medicine: a scoping review

International approaches to rural generalist medicine: a scoping review

Developing the future rural nursing workforce: report on a nursing roundtable

Alliances and evidence: Building the capacity and effectiveness of rural health advocacy in Australia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About