Helping medical specialists working in rural and remote Australia deal with professional isolation: the Support Scheme for Rural Specialists

Abstract

There are well documented geographical, financial, social and professional barriers to continuing professional development (CPD) and peer support for rural medical practitioners, which significantly influence the recruitment and retention of health care professionals in rural areas. The Support Scheme for Rural Specialists (SSRS) provides a coordinated and collaborative framework to support the CPD and peer‐support needs of medical specialists practising in rural and remote Australia. Since 2002, more than 80 CPD projects have been implemented by specialist medical colleges under the auspices of the SSRS. Projects have provided educational up‐skilling or support for rural‐specific clinical practice improvement initiatives aimed at strengthening clinician competence and capability, and workforce retention.

Retention of the rural allied health workforce in New South Wales: a comparison of public and private practitioners

“…Health service funding policy that rewards extended scope of practice may provide incentive to remain in rural private practice while simultaneously meeting the broad array of clinical needs in rural areas. “Rural specialist” credentialing has been suggested for rural doctors [44] and the concept could be extended to the allied health professions as a means of ensuring public safety with extended practice roles. Even within professional boundaries, rural AH professionals may lack confidence to cope with the role expansions required for rural practice [8,17].…”

Survey of Australasian geriatricians’ satisfaction with, and preferences for, continuing professional development

“…Australasia faces specific challenges relating to CPD participation, including widely dispersed regional and remote workforces, diverse populations and ageing workforces . There may also be particular challenges in maintaining effective CPD for geriatricians, relating to the breadth of the specialty.…”

“…[5][6][7] Australasia faces specific challenges relating to CPD participation, including widely dispersed regional and remote workforces, diverse populations and ageing workforces. [8][9][10] There may also be particular challenges in maintaining effective CPD for geriatricians, relating to the breadth of the specialty. A study of US geriatricians suggested that financial constraints was a barrier to † For members of the Geriatric Medicine Education and Training Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine see Acknowledgements.…”

Equity for Indigenous Australians in intensive care

“…Indigenous patients also face difficulties accessing hospital settings for elective and semi‐elective procedures, resulting in fewer ICU admissions, particularly private ICU admissions in which elective procedures predominate. Given the difficulties in accessing specialist services in rural and remote areas, this observation is tautologous for many Indigenous patients . However, for the greater number of Indigenous patients living in urban areas, the access barriers could be explained by cultural and language difficulties in navigating what is an increasingly complex and siloed medical system.…”