Supports for medical students during rural clinical placements: factors associated with intention to practise in rural locations.

Introduction: Through rural clinical schools (RCSs), medical students may undertake an extended block of clinical training in rural Australia. The premise of these placements is that meaningful rural exposure will facilitate rural career uptake. RCSs offer a range of supports to facilitate student engagement in the program.

From student to therapist: follow up of a first cohort of Bachelor of Occupational Therapy students.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the perception of graduate students on their preparation for practice, at 7 months post graduation.

Method: Using an anonymous postal questionnaire, 18 respondents (58% response rate) provided data on the nature of current employment, the experience as a graduate therapist, and perceptions of their undergraduate experience in preparing them for practice.

Results: Fifty percent of the respondents were practising in a rural environment.

Retention policies for allied health professionals in rural areas: a survey of private practitioners.

Introduction: Retention of rehabilitation therapists (RTs) in rural areas is a growing problem in rural Australia. Current literature demonstrates that private allied health professionals in general remain longer in rural areas than those working in the public sector. However, government focus to enhance retention has been on those employed in the public sector, offering private practitioners little incentive to stay rural.

Workload capacity measures for estimating allied health staffing requirements.

Workforce planning methodologies for the allied health professions are acknowledged as rudimentary despite the increasing importance of these professions to health care across the spectrum of health services settings. The objectives of this study were to (i) identify workload capacity measures and methods for profiling allied health workforce requirements from a systematic review of the international literature; (ii) explore the use of these methods in planning workforce requirements; (iii) identify barriers to applying such methods; and (iv) recommend further action. Future approaches to workforce planning were explored through a systematic review of the literature, interviews with key stakeholders and focus group discussions with representatives from the different professional bodies and health agencies in Victoria.

A conceptual model for recruitment and retention: allied health workforce enhancement in Western Victoria, Australia.

Attracting and retaining allied health professionals in rural areas is a recognised problem in both Australia and overseas. Predicted increases in health needs will require strategic actions to enhance the rural workforce and its ability to deliver the required services. A range of factors in different domains has been associated with recruitment and retention in the allied health workforce.