Dr. Dennis Pashen, Ms Jane Hollins, Dr Elizabeth Chalmers
Aims:
To enhance workforce recruitment through the provision of attachments in rural
and remote communities for health students from a number of disciplines.
Significance:
For three years the Mt Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health has worked with
up to 14 Universities to provide a focus for student attachments in North and
West Queensland. The disciplines of Medicine, Nursing, Indigenous Health Worker,
Allied Health (including Pharmacy, Dentistry, Occupational and Speech Therapy,
Physiotherapy, Psychology, Social Science, and Laboratory Science), Population
Health (including Podiatry, Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, Environmental Health)
have all been placed in NW Qld. communities.
Results:
Both qualitative and quantitative data has been collected. It identifies a range
of positive experiences valued by the students as well as difficulties encountered.
Early data has been collected from 56 Medical Students of whom 29 graduated
in 2000 who spent 792 weeks in attachments, as well as numerous John Flynn Scholarship
holders. 196 Undergraduate Nursing students spent 588 weeks in attachments in
addition to 21 full time Bachelor of Nursing students underwent 800 weeks of
tuition. 21 new graduates from nursing were recruited to the District in 2001,
9 from James Cook University and 12 from other Universities who had their attachments
in Mt Isa. As well other students included Pharmacy 13 (104 weeks), Physiotherapy
4 (16 weeks), Social Work 4 (16 weeks), Dentistry 7 (56 weeks), Dietetics 3
(12 weeks), Population Health 1 (8 weeks) Indigenous Health Worker Certificate
Course 44, IHW Diploma 20.
Discussion:
Whilst in the early stages of the program, it appears that there is a positive
effect on recruitment by providing positive experiences for students. The qualitative
analysis has identified the positive value of hands-on broad clinical exposure
that occurs for students and the experiences with health providers in remote
communities.