Objective Child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) disorders are a major public health problem in Australia, especially outside metropolitan areas. The issue is compounded by a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs). CAMH receives minimal coverage in health professional training, training opportunities are scarce, and support for generalist health professionals, who treat most cases, is lacking. Novel approaches to early medical education and teaching are required to strengthen the available skilled workforce in rural and remote settings. Method This qualitative study explored the factors influencing medical student engagement in a CAMH videoconferencing workshop as part of the Rural Clinical School of WA. Results Our results confirm the priority of personal characteristics of medical educators, over clinical and subject matter expertise, on student learning. This research affirms that general practitioners are well-placed to facilitate recognition of learning experiences, especially given that students may not readily recognise exposure to CAMH cases. Conclusion Our findings support the effectiveness, efficiencies, and benefits of utilising general medical educators in supporting child and adolescent psychiatry expertise in delivering subspecialty training within medical school curricula.

Background: Child and adolescent mental health disorders are a major public health problem worldwide therefore medical students need robust child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) training. Facilitators are known to enhance student engagement during CAP education. The Rural Clinical School of Western Australia CAP training is provided locally, supplemented by a multi-site annual VC workshop involving specialists collaborating with facilitators on site. We aimed to investigate how student engagement during a CAP VC workshop is influenced by the presence, role and/or context of facilitators; establish if presenting a clinical case influences student engagement; and explore how immersion at a rural site influences CAP learning. Methods: All students and facilitators were invited to participate in a semi-structured interviews conducted after the workshop. Purposive sampling was used to select student participants. Interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached. Data analysis was inductive, commencing with immersion in the data. Transcripts were then coded, with codes aggregated to categories analysed thematically . Results: Student engagement during a rural CAP VC workshop is strongly influenced by the physical presence of facilitators, their personality attributes and facilitation skills. Facilitator personality attributes, non-teaching skills and supportive behaviour may have a more significant impact on engagement than clinical expertise. Students perceived they had limited clinical exposure to CAP, contrasting with facilitators who perceived students had sufficient, but unrecognised, exposure. Conclusions: Facilitator personality attributes, non-teaching skills and supportive behaviours have a significant impact on student engagement and learning. Facilitators can assist students to recognize CAP presentations in patients they encounter, to maximise learning opportunities.