Refuting Myths Surrounding Rural Health Recruitment -- First-ever Allied Health Study Addresses Crucial Employment Issues
Researchers from the University of Western Australia have refuted ‘common knowledge’ arguments that the only significant predictor of rural work is having a prior rural background. Using a longitudinal survey -- including the years immediately prior to and post graduation -- encompassing allied health and nursing students from urban campuses at three Western Australian universities; the results of the study showed that those graduate students (regardless of origin) who voluntarily undertook rural placements were far more likely to enter rural practice than those who were put in mandatory rural placements.
Melbourne, Australia (PRWEB) March 17, 2006
Researchers from the University of Western Australia have refuted ‘common knowledge’ arguments that the only significant predictor of rural work is having a prior rural background. Using a longitudinal survey -- including the years immediately prior to and post graduation -- encompassing allied health and nursing students from urban campuses at three Western Australian universities; the results of the study showed that those graduate students (regardless of origin) who voluntarily undertook rural placements were far more likely to enter rural practice than those who were put in mandatory rural placements.
Published by Blackwell Publishing in partnership with the National Rural Health Alliance, the article entitled, “Going Country: Rural student placement factors associated with future rural employment in nursing and allied health” is published in the most recent issue of the Australian Journal of Rural Health (AJRH). This study focused on investigating the post-graduation employment locations of nursing and allied health students who had completed a rural placement.
Examining the key influencers that impacted the eventual entry of health science graduates to the rural health workforce, the study uncovered results showing shorter placements of four weeks or less in rural practices, and the provision of quality placements that served to enhance long term career development goals were key factors in successfully attracting graduating students to the rural health workforce. Although some of the results uncovered were congruent with previous studies’ in confirming that having a rural background would almost triple the odds of a graduate choosing rural employment, the link between voluntary practice and future rural practice is of significant note.
Graduates who chose voluntary entrance into rural placement programs experienced a move along a continuum of choice from increasing awareness to active intention -- eventually ending up in rural practice.
Co-author and member of the Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health Denese Playford noted, “Rural placement programs take a lot of organizing. These results clearly endorse university commitment to co-coordinating country practice for students and commend the efforts of rural health services and practitioners who give students a quality country experience. We are pleased that our collaboration with universities and health services is able to demonstrate such positive outcomes”.
With the current health policy focused on increasing undergraduate interest in a rural health career through exposure to the rural practice, placement programs at university and positive promotion of career paths in this direction; this paper serves to encourage health policy makers to rethink and reassess present strategy.
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