CAREERS IN HEALTH Program to entice more health workers to region
A RURAL and regional-specific health training and support program that hopes to entice health professionals over the mountains and keep them working and living here was launched in Dubbo last Thursday by Member for Parkes Mark Coulton.
The two-year education program is designed to better equip graduates with the skills needed for rural practice and is called the Allied Health Rural Generalist Workforce and Education Scheme.
“One of the issues working in regional Australia, in the medical profession and with allied health workers, is that you need to have a broader range of skills,” Mr Coulton said at last Thursday’s launch.
“In the city you can specialise, if you’re in speech or occupational therapy or physiotherapy. If you’re working in a regional area you need to have a broader range of skills to deal with the vast complexity of the situations.”
Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) acting CEO of Services Cath Maloney spoke at the launch, outlining the complexities the scheme aims to support and pointing to the allied health worker’s environment including hospitals, community health, private practice, primary care, aged care, disability and other services.
“They make up about a quarter of the total health workforce. They are a vital part of our health service mix,” Ms Maloney said.
“It will assist allied health professionals
At the launch of the Allied Health Rural Generalist Workforce and Education Scheme were speech pathology graduate Grace Leonard, Marathon Health speech pathologist Gabby Byrne, Marathon Health occupational therapist Julie Cullenward, SARRAH acting CEO of Services Cath Maloney, and Member for Parkes Mark Coulton. PHOTO: DUBBO PHOTO NEWS
to develop skills needed to help people and communities access services in ways that work for them,” she said.
“We want to test, adapt and build the allied health rural generalist pathway in private and community-based health and service settings, and a mix of them, whatever makes sense for community.”
Cultural awareness is a necessary aspect of the program.
“A lot of the work that goes on in the western towns is with Aboriginal households and so there are issues there with multiple generations of one family living in the home, and it’s important for people working in that space to have an awareness of that,” she continued.
Mr Coulton added that, “The work that these guys are doing in places like Walgett and Nyngan at the moment is greatly appreciated by those communities so it’s important they feel comfortable going there in the first place,
“The Government would obviously like to see more Aboriginal people working in the health space, whether that’s in an allied health area or in general practice,” Mr Coulton said.
“SARRAH is working with the Indigenous Allied Health Australia to ensure the generalist pathway is appropriate for implementing in Aboriginal health settings,” Ms Maloney added.