scholarly journals Online multidisciplinary integrated rural healthcare education programs during the COVID-19 pandemic for students from different universities: experiences and guidelines

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Barraclough ◽  
Sabrina Pit
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Teaching Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Health Workforce

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to “forced innovation” in the health education industry. High-quality training of the future rural health workforce is crucial to ensure a pipeline of rural health practitioners to meet the needs of rural communities. This paper describes the implementation of an online multidisciplinary teaching program focusing on integrated care and the needs of rural communities.Design/methodology/approachA multidisciplinary teaching program was adapted to allow students from various disciplines and universities to learn together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contemporary issues such as the National Aged Care Advocacy Program for Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Project were explored during the program.FindingsThis case study describes how the program was adopted, how learning needs were met, practical examples (e.g. the Hand Hygiene Advocacy within a Rural School Setting Project), the challenges faced and solutions developed to address these challenges. Guidelines are proposed for remote multidisciplinary learning among health professional students, including those in medical, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and allied health disciplines.Originality/valueThe originality of this program centers around students from multiple universities and disciplines and various year levels learning together in a rural area over an extended period of time. Collaboration among universities assists educators in rural areas to achieve critical mass to teach students. In addition it provides experiences and guidance for the work integrated learning sector, rural health workforce practitioners, rural clinical schools, universities, policy makers, and educators who wish to expand rural online multidisciplinary learning.

scholarly journals Beyond the workforce training pipeline: embracing the meandering stream of “whole of life” and career to strengthen the retention of health professionals rurally

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Colbran ◽  
Robyn Ramsden ◽  
Michael Edwards ◽  
Emer O'Callaghan ◽  
Dave Karlson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Career Commitment ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Rural Workforce ◽  
Rural Health Workforce

PurposeWhile Australia has continued to invest in polices and strategies aimed at improving rural health service provision, many communities still confront a disproportionate share of the rural workforce shortage. The NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) contributes its perspectives about the importance of a whole of life career and the meandering stream concept to support the retention of health professionals rurally. We unpack these concepts and examine how they bring to light a new and useful approach to addressing rural workforce challenges and potentially contribute to building a stronger integrated care approach.Design/methodology/approachThe approach used involved tapping into RDN's 30-years of experience in recruitment and retention of remote and rural health professionals, combined with insights from relevant existing and emerging evidence.FindingsWe suggest that reframing retention to consider a life stage approach to career will guide more effective targeting of rural health policies, workforce planning, collaborative approaches and allocation of incentives. We posit that an understanding and acceptance of modern lifestyles and career pathways, and a celebration of career commitment to serving rural communities, is necessary for successful recruitment and retention of Australia's future rural health workforce beyond the training pipeline.Originality/valueWe outline and visually represent RDN's meandering stream approach to building and retaining a capable rural health workforce through addressing life cycle and workforce level needs. This perspective paper draws on RDN's direct experience in the field.

scholarly journals Partnering to address rural health workforce challenges in Western NSW

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-160
Author(s):  
Robyn Ramsden ◽  
Richard Colbran ◽  
Tricia Linehan ◽  
Michael Edwards ◽  
Hilal Varinli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Workforce Planning ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Partnership Model ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Rural Health Workforce

Purpose While one-third of Australians live outside major cities, there are ongoing challenges in providing accessible, sustainable, and appropriate primary health care services in rural and remote communities. The purpose of this paper is to explore a partnership approach to understanding and addressing complex primary health workforce issues in the western region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Design/methodology/approach The authors describe how a collaboration of five organisations worked together to engage a broader group of stakeholders and secure commitment and resources for a regional approach to address workforce challenges in Western NSW. A literature review and formal interviews with stakeholders gathered knowledge, identified issues and informed the overarching approach, including the development of the Western NSW Partnership Model and Primary Health Workforce Planning Framework. A stakeholder forum tested the proposed approach and gained endorsement for a collaborative priority action plan. Findings The Western NSW Partnership Model successfully engaged regional stakeholders and guided the development of a collaborative approach to building a sustainable primary health workforce for the future. Originality/value Given the scarcity of literature about effective partnerships approaches to address rural health workforce challenges, this paper contributes to an understanding of how to build sustainable partnerships to positively impact on the rural health workforce. This approach is replicable and potentially valuable elsewhere in NSW, other parts of Australia and internationally.

scholarly journals Hypothesis: improving literacy about health workforce will improve rural health workforce recruitment, retention and capability

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Martiniuk ◽  
Richard Colbran ◽  
Robyn Ramsden ◽  
Dave Karlson ◽  
Emer O’Callaghan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Aboriginal Health ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Rural Health Workforce ◽  
Barriers To Health ◽  
Workforce Needs ◽  
Aboriginal Health Worker

Abstract Background One of the key barriers to health in rural areas is health workforce. Poor understanding and communication about health workforce across all stakeholder groups (including the broad community) is very common and can negatively affect the health workforce, recruitment, experiences and outcomes. Hypothesis In this paper, we propose the concept of literacy about health workforce. We propose this as a specific, actionable extension of the existing and well accepted health literacy concept. We hypothesise that improving literacy about health workforce will improve, in particular, rural health workforce recruitment, retention and capability. Implications of the hypothesis We propose that literacy about health workforce is important for all members of the health and broader system (e.g. local GP, mayor, workforce agency, health manager, Aboriginal health worker, carers, community health facilitators, patients, schools, local businesses, cultural and recreation groups) because we hypothesise their literacy about health workforce affects their capacity to make informed decisions and take action to manage their health workforce needs in direct synchrony with the community’s health needs. We hypothesise that improving literacy about health workforce will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of attracting, recruiting, training, and retaining a high quality, capable, health workforce, and further, will support the development and acceptance of innovative solutions to health workforce crises such as new models of care. This hypothesis is action orientated, is testable and includes the consideration of methods to engage and improve literacy of those within and external to the health workforce.

scholarly journals Tackling Rural Health, Energy, … and Technological Issues All at Once: A Call for a Global Interdisciplinary Platform for Strengthening Rural Setting Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Challenges ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Farshad Amiraslani
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Research Studies

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has revealed flaws in rural settings where most people live without the necessary tools, income, and knowledge to tackle such unprecedented global challenges. Here, I argue that despite the research studies conducted on rural areas, these have not solved rising rural issues, notably poverty and illiteracy. I propound a global institute to be formed by governments that provides a platform for empowering rural communities through better training, skills, and competencies. Such global endeavour will ensure the remaining rural communities withstand future pandemics if they occur.

Perspectives on Rural Health Workforce Issues: Illinois-Arkansas Comparison

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin MacDowell ◽  
Michael Glasser ◽  
Michael Fitts ◽  
Mel Fratzke ◽  
Karen Peters
Keyword(s):  
Rural Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Workforce Issues ◽  
Rural Health Workforce

scholarly journals Creative tourism: catalysing artisan entrepreneur networks in rural Portugal

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 731-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Eva Bakas ◽  
Nancy Duxbury ◽  
Tiago Vinagre de Castro
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Social Embeddedness ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Context ◽  
First Time

Purpose Given limited research about how artisans become integrated into tourism, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the emergence of artisan entrepreneur–mediators who link artisans to tourism in rural areas and small cities in Portugal. Using social embeddedness as a conceptual framework, this paper views artisan entrepreneur–mediators as existing within an entrepreneurial ecosystem. The paper investigates their role within this ecosystem and how social networks influence the artisan entrepreneur–mediators’ roles in connecting artisans to creative tourism. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on new (2017 and 2018) empirical evidence developed through two rounds of semi-structured interviews of five artisan entrepreneur–mediators. Findings This paper finds that artisan entrepreneur–mediators in rural areas or small cities take on multiple roles as networking agents who organize and offer creative tourism experiences, providing the missing link between artisans and tourists. An analysis of the nuances of the operations of these artisan entrepreneur–mediators suggests that high levels of social embeddedness within local rural communities are important in order for these neo-rural entrepreneurs to attain their goals. Originality/value Originality lies in the identification of a gap in artisan entrepreneurship literature in a rural context. It is the first time that a critical analysis of artisan entrepreneur–mediators who facilitate the link between artisans and tourism is carried out in terms of social embeddedness, their roles and connections to creative tourism, and types of community engagement.

Agricultural structure and farmers’ interconnections with rural communities

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-376
Author(s):  
T. Besser ◽  
C. Jurt ◽  
S. Mann
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Farm Work ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Farm Diversification ◽  
North East ◽  
Ne Germany

Purpose In the context of rural development, the question how farmers are interconnected with local rural communities is crucial, as farmers historically have played a key role in rural areas, always shaped by the cultural-systemic context in which they acted. The purpose of this paper is to explore this connection in North-East (NE) Germany and Switzerland, two countries whose agricultural systems can be seen as diametrically opposed to each other with respect to their structure. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey on NE German and Swiss farmers to assess the connectivity between farms and rural communities in terms of the farm managers’ perceptions of their social networks, social support, sense of belonging, and active involvement in organizations. Findings The results show commonalities and differences between both study regions. Smaller farms are characterized by strongly locally based networks and a higher sense of community belonging, whereas larger farms rather have networks with strong ties outside the local dimension. Moreover, farmers’ local origin and farm diversification are positively associated with strengthening the connection between farms and local communities. Off-farm work is a means for this connection only in NE Germany. Originality/value This paper contributes to the discussion about adverse effects of farming scale and corporate farming on community well-being by simultaneously delivering insights into two structurally different agricultural systems. At the same time the approach allows for a comparison between the systems.

Tantalus and the Tyranny of Territory: Pursuing the dream of parity in rural and metropolitan population health outcomes through primary health care programs

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Rural And Urban

Many health professionals and rural health academics are motivated by the challenge of achieving equitable access to health care in rural communities with the implicit vision that fairer access to services might ultimately lead to more equitable health outcomes for people living in rural and remote settings. The purpose of this paper is to put the issue of rural and urban health outcome parity into perspective and assess recent progress towards achieving the ultimate goal of improving rural health status. I will also explore ways in which rural communities might increase their access to and use of primary health care revenue in the future to improve community health outcomes. While some improvements have been achieved across the rural health system in recent times, the fundamental problem of maintaining infrastructure to service community needs in rural areas remains as daunting as ever. Extensive evidence has now been assembled to show that rural people generally enjoy a much lower standard of health care, health outcomes and life expectancy than their urban cousins. The question underlying all of this evidence, however, is... must this always be so? Is it possible to redress the current inequities between rural and urban populations and could new primary health care initiatives, such as the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) program, be vehicles for achieving more equitable health care arrangements and health outcomes for people living in rural communities?

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