Carolyn Reimann1, Miss Ashley Brown1
1National Rural Health Student Network
The NRHSN recognises the importance of well-supported and positive rural placement experiences to attracting and supporting a future rural and remote health workforce. Rural and remote placements offer the opportunity for medical, nursing, midwifery, allied health, pharmacy and dentistry students to further their professional development in an environment that offers many new experiences. For an individual student a positive rural placement can stimulate an interest in rural and remote Australia as a place to practice their profession. Alternatively – a poorly supported placement can turn people away from that. So, good placements matter.
Students who have had placements in rural communities will comment on the importance and impact that these placements have made for them. How it has shaped their career goals, and how educators could improve placements. They will touch base on both university placements and placements such as the John Flynn Placement Program.
It is not only placements where students have the opportunity to be exposed to rural communities. Individuals from our Queensland Rural Health Clubs, specifically Club RHINO for this presentation, have an added bonus of having Health Workforce Queensland support other opportunities for exposure. A Joint Rural Health Club Weekend and a Grow Rural Program are two examples of how Queensland health students of all disciplines are gaining exposure to our rural communities. A student who has attended a Joint Rural Health Club Weekend and is on the Grow Rural Program will discuss the importance of multidisciplinary exposure in rural communities throughout their degree.
Biography:
Ashley Brown, 4th year Medical Student University of Tasmania, Community & Advocacy Officer of the NRHSN
advocacy@nrhsn.org.au