Access for all: Strengthening the rural workforce (2.30-3.30pm)
Tracks
Concurrent session T3
Equity, diversity and inclusion
Service delivery
| Tuesday, May 28, 2024 |
| 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM |
| Meeting Room 02 |
Overview
Abigail Lewis, Kathryn Fitzgerald and Belinda Goodale
Details
⏫ Peer-led dialogue
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
Presenter
Ms Abigail Lewis
Senior Lecturer (Clinical Education)
Edith Cowan University
Access for all: Strengthening the rural workforce
2:30 PM - 3:30 PMPresentation summary
In Speech Pathology Australia’s 2030 report (2016) Access for All was one of the eight core aspirations, aiming to redress service inequities for rural and remote communities, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other marginal groups.
We will lead peers in a discussion around the challenges, achievements and opportunities for addressing this key aspiration through supporting and growing the speech pathology workforce in rural and remote Australia.
We are all speech pathology academics in rurally based University Departments of Rural Health in Western Australia (in Bunbury and Geraldton). We will provide the context of the rural and remote workforce (Speech Pathology Australia, 2023) and describe the impact of speech pathology workforce shortages in communities. We will then explore opportunities for speech pathologists and communities in rural and remote areas.
The approach in this peer led discussion will be to provide some initial examples that illustrate current workforce programs through the University Department of Rural Health programs. We will focus on discussing solutions and recommendations at each stage of the rural health workforce pipeline to answer the following questions:
• How can we encourage more rural origin people to consider speech pathology as a career?
• What do successful rural and remote placements look like?
• How can new graduate speech pathologists be supported professionally and personally?
• How do we retain experienced speech pathologists in rural and remote areas?
The outcomes from this peer led discussion will be provided to Speech Pathology Australia, university speech pathology programs, and to the Australian Rural Health Education Network (the peak body of University Departments of Rural Health throughout Australia) to continue to develop solutions to ensure access for all, regardless of geographical area.
We will lead peers in a discussion around the challenges, achievements and opportunities for addressing this key aspiration through supporting and growing the speech pathology workforce in rural and remote Australia.
We are all speech pathology academics in rurally based University Departments of Rural Health in Western Australia (in Bunbury and Geraldton). We will provide the context of the rural and remote workforce (Speech Pathology Australia, 2023) and describe the impact of speech pathology workforce shortages in communities. We will then explore opportunities for speech pathologists and communities in rural and remote areas.
The approach in this peer led discussion will be to provide some initial examples that illustrate current workforce programs through the University Department of Rural Health programs. We will focus on discussing solutions and recommendations at each stage of the rural health workforce pipeline to answer the following questions:
• How can we encourage more rural origin people to consider speech pathology as a career?
• What do successful rural and remote placements look like?
• How can new graduate speech pathologists be supported professionally and personally?
• How do we retain experienced speech pathologists in rural and remote areas?
The outcomes from this peer led discussion will be provided to Speech Pathology Australia, university speech pathology programs, and to the Australian Rural Health Education Network (the peak body of University Departments of Rural Health throughout Australia) to continue to develop solutions to ensure access for all, regardless of geographical area.
Key messages
At the conclusion of this peer-led discussion, we and the attendees will take away solutions and recommendations for:
• encouraging more rural origin people to consider speech pathology as a career;
• ensuring rural and remote placements are ‘successful’ in a range of ways;
• supporting new graduate speech pathologists professionally and personally; and
• retaining experienced speech pathologists in rural and remote areas.
• encouraging more rural origin people to consider speech pathology as a career;
• ensuring rural and remote placements are ‘successful’ in a range of ways;
• supporting new graduate speech pathologists professionally and personally; and
• retaining experienced speech pathologists in rural and remote areas.
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Abigail Lewis is a senior lecturer (clinical education), a health professions education (HPE) researcher and in the team for the new University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) South West on Edith Cowan University's Bunbury Campus. Prior to this role, Abigail was the inaugural Clinical Coordinator and senior lecturer in the Bachelor of Speech Pathology program at ECU for 14 years. Abigail also has significant experience working as a senior speech pathologist in the peadiatric disability field, specialising in working with autistic children. Her research is focused on tools to enhance preparation for and learning from clinical practice (e.g., interprofessional experiences, simulation, ePortfolios, videos and supporting wellbeing). Her current PhD is exploring professional identity development in SLP students. She has a Graduate Certificate of HE (Tertiary teaching) and Master of Health Science (Developmental Disability), is a HERDSA fellow and was awarded an OLT citation for outstanding contributions to student learning (2017).
Ms Kathryn Fitzgerald
Senior Lecturer
The University Of Western Australia/ Wa Centre For Rural Health
Access for all: Strengthening the rural workforce
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM**********
Kathryn is a speech pathologist and clinical academic who has worked in rural and remote areas in Western Australian for many years. She is particularly interested in rural and remote and clinical education issues for speech pathology.
Ms Belinda Goodale
WA Centre For Rural Health
Access for all: Strengthening the rural workforce
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM**********
Belinda Goodale is an academic, educator and clinician in speech pathology in rural and remote WA.
Session chair
Robert Wells
Lecturer
Curtin School Of Allied Health
Student volunteer(s)
Laura Pitts
Curtin University
Hana Richmond
University of Melbourne
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
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