Health Professions Educators' System-Oriented Roles as Educational Advocate, Quality Improver, and Broker.

Introduction: Health professionals have many facets to their educational role. Although the teaching and student support dimensions of health professionals' educational role are highly visible in the literature, other nontraditional elements are not. This study presents a broader conceptualization of health professionals' educational role, with a focus on the strategic dimensions of their role.

Supporting workforce practice change: protocol for a pilot study of a motivational interviewing virtual client software tool for health professionals.

Introduction: Motivating behavioural change during client consultations is of crucial importance across all health professions to address the growing burden of chronic conditions. Yet health professionals often lack the skills and confidence to use evidence-based counselling interventions to support clients' behavioural change and mobilise clients' resources and self-efficacy for change to address their long-term needs.

Aims: This pre-post pilot study will develop a motivational interviewing (MI) virtual client training tool for health professionals and test the effectiveness of the educational content and usability of the virtual client interaction.

Exploring the relationship between body mass index, mental health and outcomes of a regional physiotherapy-led post-arthroplasty review clinic.

Objective: To determine whether 12-month hip and knee outcomes of a regional arthroplasty clinic were comparable to results from metropolitan-based clinics, and to explore a possible relationship between body mass index and depression to identify groups at risk of not achieving optimal outcomes.

Design: A prospective observational study.

Setting: A regional physiotherapy-led post-arthroplasty review clinic.

Embedding and sustaining motivational interviewing in clinical environments: a concurrent iterative mixed methods study.

Background: Motivational interviewing (MI) is internationally recognised as an effective intervention to facilitate health-related behaviour change; although, how it is best implemented and maintained in everyday clinical practice is not so clear. The aim of this study is to understand how MI as an intervention can be embedded and sustained in the clinical practice and learning environments.

Methods: A concurrent iterative mixed methodology was utilised.

The clinical educator and complexity: a review.

Background: Complexity science perspectives have helped in examining fundamental assumptions about learning and teaching in the health professions. The implications of complexity thinking for how we understand the role and development of the clinical educator is less well articulated. This review article outlines: the key principles of complexity science; a conceptual model that situates the clinical educator in a complex system; and the implications for the individual, organisation and the system.

Early dynamic ultrasound for neonatal hip instability: implications for rural Australia.

Background: Neonatal instability of the hip (NIH), where the femoral head can move away from the acetabulum, in the first weeks of life, is an important risk factor for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). In rural areas in Australia, there is a recent trend to increased late diagnosis of DDH. Clinical screening of infant hips, a common practice in Australia, is experience dependent.

Are Australian medical students being taught to teach?

Background: The current global trend of growth in medical training is increasing the demand for the teaching and supervision of medical students and junior doctors. If well trained and supported, junior doctors and medical students represent an important teaching resource. Unfortunately, there is limited evidence available on whether Australian medical students are equipped with teaching skills.

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.

Towards equity and sustainability of rural and remote health services access: supporting social capital and integrated organisational and professional development.

Background: Access to rural health services is compromised in many countries including Australia due to workforce shortages. The issues that consequently impact on equity of access and sustainability of rural and remote health services are complex.

Discussion: The purpose of this paper is to describe a number of approaches from the literature that could form the basis of a more integrated approach to health workforce and rural health service enhancement that can be supported by policy.

Literature review of teaching skills programs for junior medical officers.

Objective: The aim of this review was to assess the current evidence regarding the efficacy of teaching skills programs for junior medical officers. We aimed to compare and contrast these results with findings from previous literature reviews, the last of which were published in 2009.

Methods: In order to capture studies since the last published literature reviews, five databases and grey literature were searched for publications from January 2008 to January 2015.

The 'rural pipeline' and retention of rural health professionals in Europe's northern peripheries.

The major advance in informing rural workforce policy internationally over the past 25 years has been the recognition of the importance of the 'rural pipeline'. The rural pipeline suggests that people with 'rural origin' (who spent some childhood years in rural areas) and/or 'rural exposure' (who do part of their professional training in rural areas) are more likely to select rural work locations. What is not known is whether the rural pipeline also increases the length of time professionals spend in rural practice throughout their careers.

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.

Why did they leave and what can they tell us? Allied health professionals leaving rural settings.

The aim of this paper is to explore the lack of retention of allied health professionals in rural areas in Victoria, Australia. A structured telephone interview was used to elicit responses from 32 allied health professionals from south-west, central-west and north-east Victoria about their working experiences and reasons for resignation. The data revealed that work experiences in rural areas can be summarised within three domains: organisational, professional and personal/community.

Supporting self-management of chronic health conditions: common approaches.

Objective: The aims of this paper are to provide a description of the principles of chronic condition self-management, common approaches to support currently used in Australian health services, and benefits and challenges associated with using these approaches.

Methods: We examined literature in this field in Australia and drew also from our own practice experience of implementing these approaches and providing education and training to primary health care professionals and organizations in the field.

Results: Using common examples of programs, advantages and disadvantages of peer-led groups (Stanford Courses), care planning (The Flinders Program), a brief primary care approach (the 5As), motivational interviewing and health coaching are explored.

The association of levels of physical activity with metabolic syndrome in rural Australian adults.

Background: Physical activity (PA) reduces risk factors related to metabolic syndrome. Rurality influences the way people incorporate physical activity into daily life. The aim of this study is to determine the association of PA level with metabolic syndrome in a rural Australian population.

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.

Exploring the barriers and enablers to attendance at rural cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to: (i) identify local barriers and enablers to the uptake of hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs, and (ii) identify preferred alternatives for the delivery of CR.

Design: A questionnaire administered by local CR coordinators and focus groups facilitated by the research team.

Setting: Six regional hospitals in south-west Victoria offering hospital-based CR programs.

Rethinking policies for the retention of allied health professionals in rural areas: a social relations approach.

Objective: Retaining allied health professionals in rural areas is a recognised problem. Generally the literature has concentrated on three elements: practitioner needs, community needs and organisational needs. There has been little attempt to focus other types of social relations in which health practitioner retention and recruitment takes place.

Physical activity behaviours of adults in the Greater Green Triangle region of rural Australia.

Objective: To assess physical activity (PA) behaviours of adults in rural Australia.

Design And Setting: Three cross-sectional surveys in the Greater Green Triangle area covering the south-east of South Australia (Limestone Coast), and south-west (Corangamite Shire) and north-west (Wimmera) of Victoria during 2004-2006.

Participants: A total of 1546 persons, aged 25- 74 years, randomly selected from the electoral roll.

An exploration of issues of management and intention to stay: allied health professionals in South West Victoria, Australia.

Management of allied health staff and services often has implications for staff stability and retention. A survey of allied health staff in South West Victoria was conducted in 2003 to explore issues relating to recruitment and retention. Findings relating to management and retention of staff in their current job are addressed in this report.

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.