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Tracking the students

Friday, May 24th, 2019 | Rory | No Comments

Poole P, Wilkinson TJ, Bagg W, Freegard J, Hyland F, Jo E, et al. Developing New Zealand’s medical workforce: realising the potential of longitudinal career tracking. New Zealand Medical Journal. 2019;132(1495):9.

“Some of the key findings to date are:

  • Most New Zealand graduates wish to work in New Zealand.
  • Rural background is very important in rural career intention, justifying the rural preferential entry pathways to New Zealand medical schools.
  • Over time, fewer New Zealand students have an urban career intention, while rural and remote medicine is emerging as a career path.
  • Student perception places the major influence on career intention as ‘atmosphere/work culture typical of the discipline’. The importance of a range of positive undergraduate and early postgraduate experiences cannot be overstated, especially since most students are undecided at graduation. Specialties finding it difficult to attract sufficient numbers of trainees need to address factors that affect student choices“.

Note that rural is defined as ‘rural-regional’ (from location <100 000 population)

Summary

For over a decade, the Medical Schools Outcomes Database and Longitudinal Tracking Project (MSOD) has collected survey information from medical students and junior doctors in Australia and New Zealand to look at social, demographic and training effects on career intentions. In New Zealand, over 4,000 students have voluntarily provided information at various time points, and the project is at a stage where some firm conclusions are starting to be drawn. This paper presents the background to the project along with some early results, and future directions.

Abstract

For over a decade, the Medical Schools Outcomes Database and Longitudinal Tracking Project (MSOD) has collected data from medical students in Australia and New Zealand. This project aims to explore how individual student background or attributes might interact with curriculum or early postgraduate training to affect eventual career choice and location. In New Zealand, over 4,000 students have voluntarily provided information at various time points, and the project is at a stage where some firm conclusions are starting to be drawn. This paper presents the background to the project along with some early results and future directions.

Some sense from Australia

Thursday, February 28th, 2019 | Rory | No Comments

Better Health in the Bush

Wakerman, J. and Humphreys, J. S. (2019), “Better health in the bush”: why we urgently need a national rural and remote health strategy. Med. J. Aust.. doi:10.5694/mja2.50041

EZProxy link

“The five key questions are:

  • How do we get health professionals to work in rural areas and retain them?
  • How do we ensure that high quality, comprehensive primary health care (PHC) services are accessible locally?
  • How do we ensure that these services are sustainable?
  • How much should these services cost?
  • How do we ensure that these services meet community needs?"

“In summary, using available evidence, a national strategy can improve access to high quality, comprehensive PHC in a way that results in greater efficiency, improved equity and more effective service provision that will bring about improved health outcomes in rural and remote areas, which has been the quest of the Australian Government for the past 25 years.”

A nice summary of the issues and some solutions from the two Johns in Aussie.