Rural-origin health professional students’ perceptions of a support programme offered by Umthombo Youth Development Foundation

Abstract

BackgroundStaffing of rural healthcare facilities is a challenge, with literature supporting the selection and training of rural-origin students. The Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) scholarship scheme supports rural students to train as healthcare professionals and offers a unique support programme. This programme has not been evaluated, and this study sought UYDF-supported students’ perceptions of the programme.AimThe aim of the study was to assess students’ perceptions of the UYDF support programme.MethodsThis was an observational descriptive study. Participants were students supported by UYDF and data were collected by a questionnaire with a Likert scale to assess perceptions of various aspects of the support programme.ResultsStudents’ perceptions about the UYDF support programme were generally positive, with initial orientation and information sharing perceived as useful. Some respondents did not perceive value in holding discussions around English proficiency. The support required appeared to diminish with increasing years of study.ConclusionA comprehensive, proactive compulsory support system that provides both academic and social support was perceived as useful by the UYDF students. Further research is required around aspects such as encouraging English proficiency. In future, the support programme could prioritise students in the early years of their study.

A Programme to improve health services in rural South Africa: Perceptions from participating hospital managers, health science students and graduates

“…The rural hospitals now have optometrists, radiographers, dieticians, and audiologistsprofessions which were previously only found only in urban areas. [25,26,27] The UYDF graduates have the advantage of knowing the area well and understanding the language, which makes them better able to communicate with patients [28,13] , and to take on outreach work. The health professionals believed that more lives were being saved in hospitals where the UYDF scheme operated.…”

“…[23] The UYDF believes that providing compulsory mentorship will bridge the gap of poor schooling and equip them with the necessary skills to cope with the demands of Institutions of Higher Learning and health science training. 13 Home Away from Home The students develop a close relationship with the UYDF. Participants stated that they feel cared for, as all their needs were taken care of by the UYDF.…”

“…The intervention involves an integrated model of recruitment at school level, selection by a local hospital, comprehensive nancial support, a compulsory structured academic and social mentoring programme, and experiential holiday work at the hospitals. [13] Upon completion of their degrees, graduates are absorbed into the hospitals where they were initially interviewed for the scholarship. The selected students sign a year-for-year work-back contract with UYDF.…”

Staffing rural hospitals through Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) in South Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

“…The scheme started by supporting four (n = 4) students and currently supports around 25o students per annum, studying across 16 health disciplines. To date, 336 students supported by UYDF have graduated in various health science disciplines since initiation of the scheme [9,10]. The UYDF education and training process involves an integrated model of recruitment at school level, selection, support during education and training, employment, support and retention on return to the local rural workplace (table 1).…”

“…Numerous studies have identified rural origin students as more likely to return to work in rural areas where they originated from [9,10,11]. However widespread poverty, particularly in rural areas of South African has made it difficult to identify rural origin students who can succeed in obtaining a health-related qualification at an institution of higher learning.…”