Rural clinician opinion on being a preceptor.

Introduction: This article reports the evaluation of the motivation and experiences of preceptors of health professional students in the Spencer Gulf Rural Health School (SGRHS) in South Australia. The aims for this evaluation were to establish: (1) What factors influenced the professional's decision to precept students? (2) Did preceptors report having adequate skills and preparation for preceptoring? (3) What were the variations in professional streams with regards to the factors and skills of the staff involved? (4) What were preceptors' overall perceptions of their role? Heeding the opinions of preceptors involved in such initiatives is an important part of ensuring the sustainability of the rural workforce initiatives such as SGRHS.

Methods: A preceptor questionnaire was developed from the literature in 2002 and pilot tested twice.

Integrated support for Aboriginal tertiary students in health-related courses: the Pika Wiya Learning Centre.

The barriers to Indigenous people entering tertiary education, succeeding, and gaining employment in the health professions are broad and systemic. While efforts have been made to address these barriers, the number of Indigenous health professionals remains extremely low across Australia. The Pika Wiya Learning Centre in South Australia provides a range of practical, social, cultural, and emotional supports for tertiary students to increase the number of Indigenous health professionals, especially registered nurses, in the region.