Facilitating recruitment of podiatrists to rural health in South Australia through a joint academic-clinical appointment

Abstract

Recruiting medical, nursing and paramedical or allied health staff to rural positions is an international problem. An example of this is the difficulty in recruitment and retention of podiatrists in rural South Australia. Increasing the proportion of undergraduate university students from rural areas is just one approach to the problem. It has also been established that students who undertake rural placements often return to a rural area to work on completion of their course. An innovative approach to addressing the recruitment and retention of rural podiatrists in South Australia involved the establishment of a joint rural academic-clinical position. The introduction of this joint position has enabled a mentored and supported increase in rural clinical exposure and education for undergraduate podiatry students. The aim of the appointment was to improve the recruitment of podiatrists to South Australian rural areas; however, an number of other benefits have become apparent.