Dr Jane George1
1Independent, Ōtautahi | Christchurch, New Zealand
Biography:
Health workforce scholar and advisor, specialising in rural workforce and the allied health, scientific and technical professions, Jane is one of New Zealand’s leading experts on in rural health workforce recruitment and retention. A registered social worker, she has extensive experience as a Director of Allied Health, leading health workforce in Aotearoa and the UK, teaching and facilitating health and social policy development through two of Aotearoa’s leading universities, and undertaking research to improve the health equity of rural communities.
Purpose:
This presentation explores how rural Allied Health Professionals' (AHPs) commitment to community service fundamentally shapes their professional identity and practice approaches, offering insights for workforce development beyond geographical contexts.
Nature and Scope:
Drawing from doctoral research with 18 rural AHPs across Aotearoa New Zealand, this presentation examines the concept of being "In Service" as a powerful motivator for recruitment and retention. The research reveals how community embeddedness creates unique clinical decision-making frameworks that differ from urban practice models but may offer valuable lessons for all practice settings.
Issue under Consideration:
While workforce strategies often focus on tangible incentives and career pathways, less attention is given to how professional identity formation within rural contexts shapes practice and retention. Rural AHPs frequently describe their work through a lens of civic contribution rather than merely professional practice, blurring traditional boundaries between personal and professional lives in ways that enhance commitment and satisfaction.
Outcomes/Conclusions:
The findings demonstrate that rural AHPs develop distinctive practice identities characterised by community accountability, cross-boundary problem-solving, and holistic service approaches. These practitioners consistently reported higher job satisfaction when working environments recognised and valued their community connections. Health services can leverage these insights by creating organisational structures that acknowledge community contribution as professional development, developing recruitment strategies that highlight service impact, and designing roles that enable practitioners to maintain meaningful community relationships. These approaches have applications in metropolitan settings where connection to defined communities can similarly transform practice and retention.