Towards more rural nursing and allied health services: current and potential rural activity in the Division of Health Sciences of the University of South Australia

Abstract

As part of Australia's regional health strategy, one of the recently introduced initiatives aims to increase the range of allied health and nursing services available in rural and remote communities, reflecting the growing recognition of allied health rural and remote workforce problems. While some programs focus on increasing services in rural and remote communities, long-term solutions depend in part on the actions and activities of training institutions. Medical schools are being encouraged and financed to provide more rural exposure for undergraduates, but less is known about such programs for allied health and nursing students. A survey of the seven Schools comprising the Division of Health Sciences of the University of South Australia was undertaken to determine the extent of rural exposure in undergraduate education, research, and service support. Five Schools (71%) offer rural placements for undergraduates, four (57%) are doing rural research and three (43%) provide some services to rural communities. Contingent on appropriate resources, all Schools expressed a strong desire to substantially increase the amount of rural activity. This research highlighted the paucity of data in this area and suggests the need for a national survey.