Abstract

Enhancing the local workforce outcomes for rural LICs: what is the role of the local health service in leading innovation in medical education?

Part of Special Series: WONCA World Rural Health Conference Abstracts 2022go to url

AUTHORS

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Wayne Champion
1 Chief Executive Officer *

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Hamish Eske
2 Director of Clinical Training

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Sharon Frahn
3 Medical Education Officer

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James McLeod
4 Clinical Educator

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Andrew Olesnicky
5 Director Emergency Department

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Caroline Phegan
6 Executive Director Medical Services

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Corina Sims
7 Clinical Educator

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Paul Worley
8 Executive Director Clinical Innovation

CORRESPONDENCE

*Mr Wayne Champion

AFFILIATIONS

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network, Murray Bridge, SA, Australia

4 College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia

7 GPEx, Unley, SA, Australia

PUBLISHED

10 January 2023 Volume 23 Issue 1

HISTORY

RECEIVED: 20 September 2022

ACCEPTED: 20 September 2022

CITATION

Champion W, Eske H, Frahn S, McLeod J, Olesnicky A, Phegan C, Sims C, Worley P.  Enhancing the local workforce outcomes for rural LICs: what is the role of the local health service in leading innovation in medical education? Rural and Remote Health 2023; 23: 8182. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH8182

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

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abstract:

Introduction: It is now 25 years since the Riverland health service began its partnership with Flinders University to create the Parallel Rural Community Curriculum (PRCC) in rural South Australia. What started as a workforce program quickly became a successful disruptive technology for broader pedagogy in medical education. Despite more graduates of the PRCC choosing rural practice compared with their urban rotation-based colleagues, local medical workforce crises have persisted.

Methods: In February 2021, the Local Health Network decided to implement the National Rural Generalist Pathway in its local region. It created the Riverland Academy of Clinical Excellence (RACE) as its vehicle for taking responsibility for training its own health professional workforce.

Results: RACE has increased the region’s medical workforce by over 20% in 1 year. It gained accreditation as a provider of junior doctor and advanced skills training and recruited five interns (all of whom had previously undertaken 1-year rural clinical school placements), six second year and above doctors, and four advanced skills registrars. RACE has linked with GPEx Rural Generalist registrars and formed a Public Health Unit from those registrars who also have MPH qualifications. RACE and Flinders University are expanding teaching facilities in the region and enabling medical students to complete their MD in the region.

Discussion: Health services can facilitate vertical integration of rural medical education, supporting a full pathway to rural practice. Providing length of training contracts is proving attractive for junior doctors who are interested in establishing a rural home base for their training.

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This PDF has been produced for your convenience. Always refer to the live site https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/8182 for the Version of Record.