Bush bound: Cracking the code for high-quality rural health placements
Tracks
10-minute presentations
10-minute presentation
Practice (clinical) education
Workforce
| Friday, June 13, 2025 |
| 2:30 PM - 2:40 PM |
| Knowledge Hub | Halls MNO, Ground Level |
Overview
Melissa Ridd, Lyndal Sheepway and Kathryn Fitzgerald
Details
⏫ Rapid impact
⏲️ 2.30pm - 2.40pm
⌛ 10-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
⏲️ 2.30pm - 2.40pm
⌛ 10-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
Presenter
Miss Melissa Ridd
Flinders University | Rural And Remote Health NT
Bush bound: Cracking the code for high-quality rural health placements
2:30 PM - 2:40 PMPresentation summary
Longstanding workforce shortages, increases in university qualifying programs and student numbers have increased interest in rural speech pathology student placements. Student placements in rural locations are a common strategy to build the future rural health workforce. Understanding the determinants of high-quality rural student placements may help leverage this strategy (Quilliam et al., 2024). University staff who have a role in designing, administering, delivering, and/or evaluating rural health student placements have a wealth of knowledge and their voices are largely missing in the literature (Green et al., 2022). This multidisciplinary research investigated the key determinants of high-quality health student placements in regional, rural, and remote Australia from the perspectives of university staff.
This study used a convergent mixed methods design. One component consisted of an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach using surveys and semi-structured interviews. The second component consisted of a case study ECOUTER mind mapping methodology. This presentation will focus on the findings from the first component.
The findings from the survey responses (n=121) indicate six key determinants of high-quality rural health student placements. These include 1) cultural safety training, 2) supervisor training, 3) interest from health professionals in student supervision, 4) communication between the student, supervisor, and university, 5) safe and affordable student accommodation, and 6) personal safety. The qualitative findings from the semi-structured interviews (n=10) delved deeper into these determinants and four themes were generated related to engagement with learning, structuring learning, opportunities to grow clinical skills in a rural context, and connection.
This is the first Australian-wide multidisciplinary study exploring features of high-quality rural health student placements. These findings can positively influence the design and delivery of speech pathology student placements across Australia. The results will be of interest to all stakeholders involved in the provision of speech pathology student placements, including universities, workplaces, and practice educators.
This study used a convergent mixed methods design. One component consisted of an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach using surveys and semi-structured interviews. The second component consisted of a case study ECOUTER mind mapping methodology. This presentation will focus on the findings from the first component.
The findings from the survey responses (n=121) indicate six key determinants of high-quality rural health student placements. These include 1) cultural safety training, 2) supervisor training, 3) interest from health professionals in student supervision, 4) communication between the student, supervisor, and university, 5) safe and affordable student accommodation, and 6) personal safety. The qualitative findings from the semi-structured interviews (n=10) delved deeper into these determinants and four themes were generated related to engagement with learning, structuring learning, opportunities to grow clinical skills in a rural context, and connection.
This is the first Australian-wide multidisciplinary study exploring features of high-quality rural health student placements. These findings can positively influence the design and delivery of speech pathology student placements across Australia. The results will be of interest to all stakeholders involved in the provision of speech pathology student placements, including universities, workplaces, and practice educators.
References
Green, E., Quilliam, C., Sheepway, L., Hays, C. A., Moore, L., Rasiah, R. L., Bailie, J., Howard, C., Hyde, S., Inyang, I., Matthews, K. M., Ferns, J., Brown, L. J., Jones, S., Collett, M. (2022). Identifying features of quality in rural placements for health students: scoping review. BMJ open, 12(4), e057074.
Quilliam, C., Green, E., Rasiah, R. L., Sheepway, L., Hays, C., Moore, L., Bailie, J., Matthews, K. M., Ferns, J., Debenham, J., Taylor, C., Fitzgerald, K., Ridd, M. (2024). Identifying determinants of high-quality health profession student placements in regional, rural, and remote Australia: protocol for a mixed-methods study. BMJ open, 14(3), e077079.
Speech Pathology Australia (2023, March). Speech pathology workforce analysis: Preparing for our future. https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Common/Uploaded%20files/Smart%20Suite/Smart%20Library/3c538667-094d-4674-8e7e-8c0edf784cae/Speech%20Pathology%20Workforce%20Analysis%20report%202023.pdf
Quilliam, C., Green, E., Rasiah, R. L., Sheepway, L., Hays, C., Moore, L., Bailie, J., Matthews, K. M., Ferns, J., Debenham, J., Taylor, C., Fitzgerald, K., Ridd, M. (2024). Identifying determinants of high-quality health profession student placements in regional, rural, and remote Australia: protocol for a mixed-methods study. BMJ open, 14(3), e077079.
Speech Pathology Australia (2023, March). Speech pathology workforce analysis: Preparing for our future. https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Common/Uploaded%20files/Smart%20Suite/Smart%20Library/3c538667-094d-4674-8e7e-8c0edf784cae/Speech%20Pathology%20Workforce%20Analysis%20report%202023.pdf
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Melissa (Melba) Ridd is an early career academic and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist. She gained most of her clinical experience working with children and families in interprofessional health teams in the Northern Territory. She became involved in the clinical supervision of allied health students in 2013, fueling a passion for high-quality clinical education. Melba has a Graduate Diploma in Clinical Education and is expecting to graduate with a Masters in Clinical Education in 2024.
Melba has been active on the executive committee of the NT branch of Speech Pathology Australia since 2012 and is an active member of the Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE).
Melba’s academic role involves teaching, research, and supporting the growth of the rural and remote health workforce through quality student clinical placements in the NT. Her teaching philosophy is that: Learning takes place in settings which are interactive, engaging, inclusive, and co-constructed.
Dr Lyndal Sheepway
La Trobe University
Bush bound: Cracking the code for high-quality rural health placements
2:30 PM - 2:40 PM**********
Lyndal Sheepway serves as Course Advisor and Clinical Academic Coordinator for the speech pathology program in the La Trobe Rural Health School, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of rural healthcare education. With a deep commitment to developing the next generation of regional and rural speech pathologists, Lyndal manages clinical placements and cultivates essential partnerships across regional Victoria. Lyndal's research interests focus on advancing the understanding of rural placement experiences in allied health education. Her research has provided valuable insights into rural placement experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and advanced the understanding of quality in rural health placements. Through active participation in national research collaborations, Lyndal contributes to best practice in clinical education to strengthen the future rural health workforce and ensure future speech pathologists receive high-quality training that prepares them for regional practice.
Rae Anne Carorasan
No presentation (3)
2:30 PM - 2:40 PM**********
Session chair
Emma Campbell
NSW Health & University of Sydney
Student volunteer(s)
Lara Crotty
Areesha Hamid
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
Disclaimer: © (2024) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved.
Important Notice, please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited ("the Association"). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this presentation. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this presentation including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this presentation.
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