Training Process for Rural and Remote Speech Pathologists in Complex Paediatric Feeding Disorders
Trish Chivilo1, Basia Hamden21WA Country Health Service (WACHS), Western Australia, Australia2Perth Children’s Hospital, Western Australia, Australia
Abstract
WA Country Health Service (WACHS) services an area of more than 2.5 million square kilometres, from the Kimberley to the Great Southern. According to the latest available Australian Bureau of Statistics Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data (2017), the population of WACHS’s catchment area is 531,510 people. Almost 11 per cent of these people (57,716) identify as Aboriginal. WACHS has a variety of facilities including nursing posts, outreach services, child health clinics and regional health campuses. Speech Pathologists are employed across all regions of WACHS and in many cases provide a generalist service for members of the community across the lifespan.
Within WACHS speech pathology services there is a growing demand for paediatric feeding services, often involving clients who have increasingly more medically complex presentations. Many speech pathologists employed in WACHS will support clients (and their families) as part of their generalist caseload. It is acknowledged that many new graduates and generalist speech pathologists will have limited skills and knowledge in this specialist area. Through working in partnership with Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) a systematic process for developing and supporting the skills of WACHS Speech Pathologists was developed. Due to the large geographical area where WACHS speech pathologists work many innovative techniques were needed. These included MS team training and clinical supervision, and face to face Simulated learning opportunities, as well as utilising the freely available Queensland Health online Paediatric Feeding Modules. This presentation will outline the processes developed, their effectiveness, including the effectiveness of simulation learning, and challenges faced.
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