The heart of the matter: a re-iteration of the role of the social determinants of health in addressing health inequity in Central Australia.

The persisting life-expectancy 'gap' between First Nations and non-First Nations Australians is fundamentally driven by the social determinants of health. These include income and social protection, access to adequate housing and food security, among others. These factors are particularly prominent in Central Australia.

"The odds were stacked against me": a qualitative study of underrepresented minorities in surgical training.

Background: The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is expected to provide surgical care to a diverse patient population across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). To improve the quality-of-care individuals receive, the surgical workforce must reflect the population it serves. Achieving diversity within RACS will strengthen therapeutic relationships with patients and promote an inclusive culture.

The Australian Rural Clinical School (RCS) program supports rural medical workforce: evidence from a cross-sectional study of 12 RCSs.

Introduction: Many strategies have been implemented to address the shortage of medical practitioners in rural areas. One such strategy, the Rural Clinical School Program supporting 18 rural clinical schools (RCSs), represents a substantial financial investment by the Australian Government. This is the first collaborative RCS study summarising the rural work outcomes of multiple RCSs.

Emergency rural obstetric transfers in South Australia: a review of the clinical and precipitating factors.

Introduction: The provision of critical management of obstetric emergencies is a vital service for rural women and their families. Emergency obstetric transfers are indispensable to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity because local rural hospitals often do not have the resources or expertise to manage both maternal and neonatal outcomes. However, the transfer of a rural pregnant woman to a higher level, tertiary perinatal centre (TPC) is often stressful for the patient and costly for health services.

Translating medical school social missions to student experiences.

Context: There is a growing focus on the social missions of medical schools as a way of expressing an institutional commitment to service, responsibility and accountability. However, there has been little exploration of how a social mission translates to student experiences.

Methods: This multicentre study explored how the social missions of eight medical schools (from Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Philippines, South Africa, Sudan and the USA) translated to their medical education programmes, and how their students perceived the mission.

A qualitative exploration of anesthesia trainees' experiences during transition to a children's hospital.

Background: The stresses of starting a new job can make anyone feel tired and inefficient. In health care, this may impair the ability to learn at a time when there is most to learn, and increase the risk of error in a context where errors may lead to patient harm.

Aim: The aim of this study was to understand issues which influence anesthesia trainees' transition to a pediatric setting.

Effect of medical student preference on rural clinical school experience and rural career intentions.

Introducton: The key parameter for rural clinical schools (RCSs) is to provide at least 1 year of clinical training in rural areas for 25% of Australian Commonwealth supported medical students with the intent to influence future rural medical workforce outcomes. The objective of this study was to describe the association between a medical student's selection preference and their RCS experience and rural career intent.

Methods: Medical students completing an RCS placement in 2012 and 2013 were encouraged to complete a survey regarding their experience and future career intent.

Rethinking registrar attributes for Australian rural general practice training.

Objective: Despite increases in Commonwealth funded general practice (GP) Registrar training positions, workforce trends continue to show geographical maldistribution. This study aimed to identify Registrar attributes which describe a cohort choosing to work in rural practice.

Design: Cross-sectional self-report questionnaire for socio-demographics, prior training, current training pathway, measures of personality and resilience.

Factors shaping how clinical educators use their educational knowledge and skills in the clinical workplace: a qualitative study.

Background: In order to consolidate their educational knowledge and skills and develop their educational role, many clinicians undertake professional development in clinical education and supervision. It is well established that these educationally-focussed professional development activities have a positive impact. However, it is less clear what factors within the clinical workplace can shape how health professionals may use and apply their educational knowledge and skills and undertake their educational role.

Personality characteristics and attributes of international medical graduates in general practice training: Implications for supporting this valued Australian workforce.

Objectives: To describe the personality profiles of International Medical Graduates (IMGs) undertaking General Practice (GP) training in Australia. A better understanding of the personal characteristics of IMGs may inform their training and enhance support for their vital contribution to the Australian rural workforce.

Design: Cross-sectional self-report questionnaires.

A national training program for simulation educators and technicians: evaluation strategy and outcomes.

Background: Simulation-based education (SBE) has seen a dramatic uptake in health professions education over the last decade. SBE offers learning opportunities that are difficult to access by other methods. Competent faculty is seen as key to high quality SBE.

Student learning in interprofessional practice-based environments: what does theory say?

Student learning in interprofessional practice-based environments has garnered significant attention in the last decade, and is reflected in a corresponding increase in published literature on the topic. We review the current empirical literature with specific attention to the theoretical frameworks that have been used to illustrate how and why student learning occurs in interprofessional practice-based environments. Our findings show there are relatively few theoretical-based studies available to guide educators and researchers alike.

Clinical participation of medical students in three contemporary training models.

Objectives: As community settings are being used increasingly in undergraduate medical programmes, this study aimed to explore and compare the clinical experiences of students in hospital-based and community-based training programmes. It measured students' clinical participation and compared the perspectives of Year 3 medical students in three different models of clinical education: a tertiary hospital block programme; a community hybrid programme, and a rural longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) programme.

Methods: The study used a mixed methodology approach to examine the clinical experiences of students through the analysis of logbooks and semi-structured student interviews.

2014 Rural Clinical School Training and Support Program Snapshot survey.

Introduction: The Rural Clinical Training and Support (RCTS) program is an Australian Government initiative to address the shortage of medical practitioners within rural and remote Australia. There is a large amount of published information about the RCTS program and rural medical student cohorts who have undertaken short- and long-term rotations. However, very little is known about the academic and professional staff involved in the program, a knowledge gap that may impact workforce and succession planning.

Measuring organisational-level Aboriginal cultural climate to tailor cultural safety strategies.

Introduction: Australian medical schools have taken on a social accountability mandate to provide culturally safe contexts in order to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to engage in medical education and to ensure that present and future clinicians provide health services that contribute to improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Many programs have sought to improve cultural safety through training at an individual level; however, it is well recognised that learners tend to internalise the patterns of behaviour to which they are commonly exposed. This project aimed to measure and reflect on the cultural climate of an Australian rural clinical school (RCS) as a whole and the collective attitudes of three different professional groups: clinicians, clinical academics and professional staff.

Geography of primary mental health care through the Better Access initiative in South Australia 2006-2010.

Objective: To examine how the rates of the use of particular face-to-face primary mental health care services changed in the first 4 years (2006-2010) of the Better Access initiative in both urban and rural regions of South Australia.

Design: Time-series analysis of the number of psychology session, psychiatry assessment and general practitioner care plan services recorded in Medicare Australia data.

Setting: South Australia.

Outcomes of Australian rural clinical schools: a decade of success building the rural medical workforce through the education and training continuum.

Introduction: The establishment of the rural clinical schools funded through the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (now Department of Health) Rural Clinical Training and Support program over a decade ago has been a significant policy initiative in Australian rural health. This article explores the impacts of this policy initiative and presents the wide range of educational innovations contextualised to each rural community they serve.

Methods: This article reviews the achievements of the Australian rural clinical and regional medical schools (RCS/RMS) through semi-structured interviews with the program directors or other key informants.

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.

Towards an understanding of medical student resilience in longitudinal integrated clerkships.

Background: Resilience is required to succeed academically, overcome challenges during clinical training and cope positively with stress in future professional life. With medical students at high risk of mental illness, socially accountable medical schools are seeking to foster student resilience. This exploratory study proposes a conceptual framework for student resilience in longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs).

Perceptions of Indonesian general practitioners in maintaining standards of medical practice at a time of health reform.

Background: There is little research on how GPs experience the demands of maintaining standards of medical practice in developing countries and what strategies might improve their capability to provide high-quality primary health care (PHC).

Objective: This study aims to explore the underlying factors, which shape GPs' experience within the Indonesian PHC system and impact on their experience of professional practice.

Methods: A grounded theory approach was applied using semi-structured interviews of 25 purposively selected GPs in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Exploring resilience in rural GP registrars--implications for training.

Background: Resilience can be defined as the ability to rebound from adversity and overcome difficult circumstances. General Practice (GP) registrars face many challenges in transitioning into general practice, and additional stressors and pressures apply for those choosing a career in rural practice. At this time of international rural generalist medical workforce shortages, it is important to focus on the needs of rural GP registrars and how to support them to become resilient health care providers.

Developing an interprofessional capability framework for teaching healthcare students in a primary healthcare setting.

This article is based on a partnership between a primary health service and a university whose shared goal was to prepare students and graduates for interprofessional practice (IPP). This collaborative process led to the development of consensus on an interprofessional capability framework. An action research methodology was adopted to study the development and progress of the partnership between university and health service providers.