The Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway: Stories from on the ground
Bonnie Collins
1Sarrah, Townsville, QLD, Australia
Abstract
Rural and remote consumers have poorer health outcomes than those living in metropolitan areas. The Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway (AHRGP) is a workforce development strategy that aims to assist and support increased access to skilled allied health workers in rural and remote Australian communities. The AHRGP has been under development since 2013, with trials across multiple jurisdictions and sectors, including state health services, private organisations, and NGOs.
In the last 12 months several evaluations covering the AHRGP have become available through South Australia Health, Queensland Health and Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH), with common themes emerging in terms of barriers and benefits for trainees, organisations, and the communities that they serve.
But what affect is the AHRGP having on the ground?
In rural and remote communities, comparatively small-scale service development can result in big outcomes for individuals and communities. SARRAH will consider the impact of the AHRGP on service development and how this has directly benefited organisations, AHRGP trainees and communities that they treat.
The aim of this presentation is to highlight the impact that the AHRGP has on rural and remote health through the stories of past and present AHRGP trainees. These stories will explore how the ongoing support and expansion of the rural and remote allied health workforce, in the form of the AHRGP (trainee positions and funding), is vital for improving the health of people in rural and remote areas and working towards bringing rural health service access in line with regional and metropolitan Australia.
Biography
Bonnie is a Physiotherapist who completed the Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway in 2017 and has gone on to work across a range of rural and remote clinical settings in Queensland. Bonnie is currently working as a Project Officer with SARRAH – Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health. As the peak body representing the rural and remote AHP workforce, SARRAH has been involved in the inception and expansion of the Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway. SARRAH’s project team is currently implementing the pathway in the private and non-government sector.