Australian Workforce Research Articles

Priorities for building Australian workforce capacity to leverage population-based, routinely collected data: views from pharmacoepidemiology.

To explore perspectives of leaders in pharmacoepidemiology on building workforce capacity in the routinely collected data arena to enable researchers to generate evidence to support clinical and policy decision-making. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between May and August 2018 with 13 leaders in pharmacoepidemiology in Australia. Discussion topics included training needs, workforce enablers, barriers and priorities for building capacity. The data was analysed using a content analysis approach. Leaders identified a range of knowledge and skills that are needed to work with routinely collected data and generate evidence to support clinical and policy decision making. Enablers identified included collaborations and promoting awareness to attract new people to work with this data type. Barriers included difficulty accessing data, lack of critical mass of human capital to build skill levels and funding issues. Building workforce capacity involves addressing identified enablers and barriers. Central to building workforce capacity is the harmonisation of Australia's data infrastructure, which can improve the way people work, learn, collaborate, share ideas and expand their professional network.

Transition experiences of Middle Eastern midwives into Australian practice: A multiple case narrative study.

To explore transition experiences of Middle Eastern qualified midwives into practice in Australia. This was a qualitative study using multiple case narrative approach underpinned by structuration theory. A total of 19 Middle Eastern qualified midwives from different states of Australia participated in this study. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted between November 2020 and September 2021, digitally recorded and then transcribed. Transcriptions were analysed in three stages, with three main categories generated in the second stage and a core category that was developed in third. Entering the Australian workforce, Middle Eastern qualified midwives had to reframe their professional identities to fit the new system by adjusting to three aspects of the practice, including preparation for practice, scope of practice and context of practice. While they were prepared by medically oriented curricula, worked in systems that had limitations for midwives to practise in antenatal and postnatal and lacked regulation standards, they learned to practise autonomously in their full scope in a standardized context in Australia. Middle Eastern qualified midwives in Australia re-evaluated their practice in their home countries, realized the gaps and adjusted to new ways of practising in Australia. To effectively use the potential of Middle Eastern midwives for workforce sustainability in Australia, support should be available to enable them to develop the necessary competencies for safe practice in Australia including provision of context-specific transition programmes prior to registration and supporting mentorship after their integration into the Australian healthcare workforce. Patient or public contribution does not apply to this study as its purpose was to explore the transition experiences of Middle Eastern qualified midwives themselves.

Language used to describe the Australian midwifery workforce: A change opportunity to improve professional identity

BackgroundTertiary level midwifery educational pathways to achieve registration as a midwife vary in Australia, with a shift from the hospital to the university sector more than 20 years ago. These pathways are often referred to in the workforce setting to distinguish midwives with different academic backgrounds. AimTo discuss the genesis of midwifery education in the Australian setting and explore the impact of the language used to describe the educational backgrounds on the professional identity of midwives. DiscussionStrong tertiary and regulatory governance exists to support the robust development of midwifery educational programmes and to ensure a high-quality, woman-centred workforce. Once registered, all midwives have the same skill set to provide care to women and families. However, separatist language is often used to describe midwives according to their educational background which has a propensity to reduce positive midwifery identity and influence continuing workforce attrition rates. ConclusionPositive expression of midwifery identity, using a strength discourse and an inclusive workforce have the ability to strengthen job satisfaction and intention to remain in the profession. Midwifery education can occur through several pathways; however once registered, all midwives are equal.

Cross-sectional analysis of the clinical work hours of early-career general practitioners.

The clinical working hours of early-career general practitioners (GPs) are an important factor in Australian GP workforce planning. This study aimed to establish the prevalence and associations of early-career GPs working full time (nine or more sessions per week) inclinical practice. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study ofalumni (from six months to two years post-Fellowship) from three regional training organisations. Multivariable logistic regression was used to establish factors associated with alumni working full time. Of 356 currently practising early-career alumni participants, 30% worked full time. Factors associated with working full time included spouse/partner employment and family structure and any examination failure. Factors associated with working less than full time included female gender, being an Australian medical graduate, provision of other medical work and having taken additional leave during training. A high proportion of early-career GPs working part time in clinical general practice has implications for workplace planning, as GPs seek workload diversity and flexibility across their career stages.

First Nations doulas: Training needs and industry support in the Top End, Northern Territory, Australia

Problem and backgroundFirst Nations doulas offer an innovative approach for strengthening capacity and increasing the Australian First Nations maternity workforce to improve access to services that produce optimal outcomes. Currently, there is no published evidence on the training needs and health sector industry support for developing a First Nations doula workforce. Question/aimIn the context of the ‘Top End,’ Northern Territory, Australia, the aim of this article is to document Industry feedback on the training needs and support for developing a First Nations doula workforce. MethodsTen purposively recruited Industry representatives participated in a facilitated workshop using the Kaospiolit Vision Backcasting education design tool. FindingsParticipants identified and reached consensus on almost all the underpinning skills, knowledge, mindset, and attitudes required to work as a First Nations doula. Overall participants indicated strong Industry appetite and support for formally developing the doula role. DiscussionThere was participant consensus that accredited doula training would be a ‘game-changer’, addressing inadequacies and inequities in NT’s reproductive and maternal health services for remote-living First Nations women. ConclusionMore research is required to explore First Nations doula practice in addressing perinatal inequities and workforce issues. Investigation is required to identify funding and appropriate workforce models.

Rural workforce challenges: Why not rural psychiatry?

The Australian psychiatry workforce is under-subscribed and highly urbanised. Currently, 90% of psychiatrists work in the cities, and there are significant projected workforce shortages of psychiatrists throughout Australia, particularly in rural and remote locations. This qualitative study explores factors influencing medical students and junior doctors' decisions to pursue a career in rural psychiatry. Using a phenomenological approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups and subjected to thematic analysis. Sixteen participants were interviewed, 11 interviewees and five participants from two focus groups. This study identified enablers and challenges in pursuing rural psychiatry training in Australia. Clinical exposure to rural psychiatry, personal factors, rural lifestyle and workforce shortage awareness were identified as enablers. The lack of rural infrastructure, the attractiveness of urban psychiatry and the stigma toward rural psychiatry were identified as barriers. Australian rural psychiatry workforce remains a complex issue. Reinforcing enablers and addressing barriers identified in this study would benefit future rural workforce initiatives.

Contribution of the Australian field epidemiology training workforce to the COVID-19 response, 2020.

The aim of this study was to describe the scope of the Australian Field Epidemiology Training Programme's contributions to the COVID-19 response during the first 10 months of the pandemic, to assist with quantifying the impact they have had during the pandemic and inform future Master of Applied Epidemiology programme learning priorities.

Female representation in radiology subspecialty interest groups in Australia and New Zealand.

Women comprise 31% of the Australian and New Zealand radiology workforce, and 35% of radiology trainees. To date, there has been no study of female representation within clinical radiology subspecialties in Australia and New Zealand. This study aims to quantify female representation among the clinical radiology subspecialty interest groups (SIGs) in Australia and New Zealand. A list of SIGs was compiled using the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) website. The executive of each SIG or the RANZCR Standards committee was contacted with a request to provide the number of female versus male members for each subspecialty group and their executive. Six out of 10 SIGs reported a low proportion of female members; this was most pronounced for IRSA (interventional radiology; 7% women), AMSIG (musculoskeletal imaging; 13% women) and CCINR (interventional neuroradiology; 13% women). Female radiologists accounted for >50% of membership in four SIGs: OGSIG (obstetrics/gynaecology imaging; 87% women), BIG (breast imaging; 73% women), ARGANZ (abdominal imaging; 69% women) and ANZSTR (thoracic imaging; 69% women). Female executive representation ranged from 0% (IRSA (interventional radiology) and ANZSNR (neuroradiology)) to 100% (OGSIG (obstetrics/gynaecology imaging)). Female representation within the membership and representative leadership of some SIGs is well below parity and active initiatives to improve female representation should be considered.

Evaluation of research capacity and culture of hospital pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in a state-wide Australian public health service: A cross-sectional survey.

Integrating research with clinical practice is essential for evidence-based practice and continuous improvement in health care. Little is known about the research capacity and culture of the Australian hospital pharmacy workforce, particularly in rural areas and for pharmacy assistants/technicians. This paper aims to characterise the research capacity and culture of a state-wide public-hospital pharmacy service at organisation, team and individual levels, and to explore variables which influence research confidence and success. An online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey using the validated Research Capacity in Context tool was emailed to all pharmacists, pharmacy assistants/technicians and non-clinical staff employed by a statewide pharmacy service in South Australia. Respondent characteristics and organisation, team and individual scores of research skill/success were summarised using descriptive statistics. T-tests compared results for pharmacists and pharmacy assistants/technicians and metropolitan-based and non-metropolitan-based staff. Regression analyses explored predictors of pharmacists individual research skill/success scores. A response rate of 43.4% (n=278/641, 19 sites) was obtained. Respondents were primarily pharmacists (68%) and pharmacy assistants/technicians (28%); 91% were practicing in a metropolitan setting. 47% reported no research experience. Highest scores for research skill/success were observed at the organisational level (mean score 6.0/10) vs. team (mean score 5.6/10) and individual levels (mean score 5.1/10). Within each level specific items that scored poorly were identified. Individual research skills/success scores were higher in pharmacists vs. pharmacy assistants/technicians (mean score 5.2/10 vs. 4.2/10, p<0.01), and were not different between staff in metropolitan vs. non-metropolitan settings (mean scores 5.2 vs. 5.0, p=0.77). For pharmacists, undertaking undergraduate or internship research projects or postgraduate research training were associated with higher individual scores of research skills and success. This research extends understanding of hospital pharmacy research capacity and culture, describes research skills and success in hospital pharmacy technicians/assistants for the first time and highlights low-scoring areas; these could be targeted to improve research capacity and culture at an individual, team and organisational levels.

(Under)valuing lived experience in the disability workforce: A snapshot of Australian job recruitment

AbstractThe Australian disability workforce has grown, and there is compelling evidence that peer work has a number of valuable impacts. Despite these apparent opportunities, there continue to be high levels of unemployment among people with disability and failure to draw on the assets of people with disability in Australian workplaces. To understand these ostensible missed opportunities, this study examined the ways in which lived experience was described as an asset in disability workforce recruitment. Advertisements for positions in New South Wales, Australia, that referred to lived experience or peer work and disability were collected over a 3‐month period. Through a process of content analysis, we found that there were more employment opportunities for people with lived experience of mental illness than for other types of disability. Community engagement was a key function, and peer workers were described as complementary to professionals. Recruitment processes for lived experience jobs were not necessarily accessible. We recommend systemic reforms to facilitate recognition of lived experience as a valuable criterion for disability sector employment and to harness the benefits of a disability peer workforce.

The precarious resilience of aged care employees enrolled in an Australian online dementia course: A cross-sectional study of occupational health and well-being.

Australian aged care workforce surveys offer limited information about those who engage in online dementia education regarding their occupational health and well-being. A salutogenic approach was applied to an aged care context to quantitatively assess both positive and negative aspects of health at work to inform the development of workplace interventions tailored to those interested in self-development. Physical, psychological and occupational health were measured in an online cross-sectional survey of general health, chronic conditions, psychological distress, positive and negative affect, job satisfaction, access to workplace amenities and turnover intentions of aged care workers undertaking an online dementia course in October 2014. Participants (N=662) rated their general physical health as good and a minority experienced chronic conditions such as obesity. Overall, workers had average levels of positive and negative affect and low distress. However, 25% were likely to have a mental health condition. While most were employed on a permanent basis (80%) and reported moderate job satisfaction, 18% were likely to leave their job. There were some gaps in workplace amenities to support health and well-being: for example, 13% reported no access to lunch break areas. Results suggest precarious resilience in aged care workers enrolled in an Australian online dementia course. Workplace interventions that focus on preventative health strategies are required to address the health risks associated with higher than national averages of obesity and mental health, and reduce exposure of workers to physical and psychological harms.

Fostering the use of Learning Health Systems through a fellowship program for interprofessional clinicians.

IntroductionTo address Australian workforce needs, we developed a Learning Healthcare System (LHS) Academy fellowship program for clinicians. In the Academy, fellows complete foundational coursework, an LHS project, and other professional development deliverables to foster their future as digital health champions within their organizations. In this paper, we describe the 11‐month‐long program, as well as our evaluation results from the first 2 months of the program.MethodsIn the first week of the program, we sent all fellows an open‐ended survey asking fellows to describe their digital health professional identities and what they expected to achieve from the fellowship program. At 2 months, we sent a follow‐up open‐ended survey that captured identical measures, their perceived barriers to participation in the program, perceived use of topics in the workplace and to their projects, and recommendations for program improvement. We analyzed the open text responses using qualitative content analysis, to identify categories of responses.ResultsOverall, 2 months into the program, it was evident that participants were finding the teaching model engaging, useful, valuable, and applicable to their work and projects. Fellows perceived barriers to engagement in the program as balancing other commitments, lacking technical expertise, and having difficulty seeing themselves as leaders. Fellows expected that the program will allow them to implement new models of care, provide them with enough expertise to become leaders and champions in digital health, and become mentors for future generations. As far as changes in their professional identity, there was a notable increase in the number of fellows perceiving themselves as leaders.ConclusionFellowship programs are one promising means of developing the healthcare workforce in LHS capabilities. Future studies should describe and evaluate LHS programs, to provide insights and recommendations for other educators interested in implementing similar programs of work within their own institutions.

Merging Motherhood and Medicine: A Qualitative Study Exploring Barriers and Enablers to Motherhood Among Australian Female Doctors

Background: Despite the increasing ‘feminisation’ of the Australian medical workforce, female doctors remain under-represented in leadership positions, many specialty areas, and renumeration levels. A key factor implicated in this disparity is the unequal impact of parenthood on mothers. Australian research on this issue is lacking. Aim: To identify the barriers and enablers experienced by Australian female doctors, when combining motherhood with a medical career. Method: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 18 female Australian physician mothers, during March and May 2020. Interview data were examined using thematic analysis to extract key themes. Results: Six key barriers and seven key enablers were identified. Barriers (B1-6) largely reflected structural and cultural issues operating within health services and the wider medical profession, specifically the (B1) experience of working in medicine; (B2) demands of postgraduate specialty training; (B3) attitudes towards mothers in medicine; (B4) gender inequality; (B5) insufficient entitlements and support; and (B6) competing priorities, conflicting roles. Enablers (E1-7) were predominantly personal and interpersonal supports relating to (E1) supportive partnerships; (E2) non-traditional gender roles; (E3) capacity to outsource; (E4) doctors supporting doctors; (E5) flexible work arrangements; (E6) increasing acceptance and support; and (E7) capacity to combine career and family. Conclusion: This was the first Australian qualitative study to explore motherhood experiences among female doctors. The results indicate that Australian physician-mothers encounter considerable structural and cultural barriers during all stages of motherhood. To facilitate motherhood in medicine, further research is needed to inform policy development and support provisions within Australian health systems.

P15 - Bullying in the Australian and New Zealand Midwifery Workforce: A Scoping Review

The issue of bullying in midwifery was first reported almost three decades ago (Hastie, 1995). Bullying sadly continues to be an inherent part of midwifery workplace culture (Catling et al., 2017), a culture within which the future midwifery workforce is being socialised and is learning and reciprocating these behaviours (Capper et al., 2021). Being bullied at work adversely impacts midwives on a number of personal and professional levels leading to career dissatisfaction, health problems (Gillen et al., 2008), burn out, and workforce attrition (Yoshida & Sandall, 2013). Alarmingly, bullying in maternity services has also been linked to poor outcomes for mothers and babies. In March of this year, an independent review of an English maternity service identified that a culture of bullying and fear had contributed to a number of severe adverse clinical outcomes spanning two decades (Ockenden, 2022). In order to address the midwifery workplace culture issues and the potential for adverse clinical events they can lead to, it is important to understand what is currently known about this phenomenon in the Australian and New Zealand contexts. To undertake a review of the literature to determine what is known about the workplace bullying of registered midwives working in Australia and New Zealand. The JBI framework for conducting scoping reviews (Peters et al., 2020) was used. A total of 13 papers arrived at themes related to bullying and were therefore included in the review. Their extracted data was charted, and a descriptive summary of the results was produced. This summary will be presented at the conference. To date, no research has specifically explored midwives’ experiences of being bullied in the workplace in the Australian and New Zealand contexts. This is an area that warrants further investigation in order for the antecedents to be identified and addressed.

Distressed, detached, devalued and determined: aged care workers’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread impacts on the community and has demanded a rapid response from the aged care sector. System changes for infection control have been required including the use of personal protective equipment, lockdowns, visitor restrictions and changes to activities within aged care facilities. Even prior to COVID-19, the high physical and emotional demands of aged care work were recognised. Objective: This study sought to understand aged care workers’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Using a pragmatic paradigm qualitative data about work experiences during COVID-19 was collected from people employed in different aged care organisations in a range of aged care roles and settings from multiple Australian states. Data was collected using focus groups and interviews conducted online between August-October 2020. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in the data. Results: Participants included 15 people working across a range of aged care roles including clinical, care and management staff and across both residential and community settings. Five themes were identified which characterised aged care workers thoughts about their jobs during the pandemic. These included intensified procedures and emotional demands, feeling undervalued and detached from the frontline, exposure of existing system deficiencies, recognising teamwork and increased confidence in technology. Conclusion: Reflecting on aged care workers’ experiences of COVID-19 highlights the need to better support workers and acknowledge their important role in caring for older Australians. This includes at an organisational level by providing supportive environments and access to online resources as well as at the community and policy level by recognising aged care workers as frontline workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted existing systemic issues in the aged care sector that need to be addressed for the provision of quality aged care in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future. What is already known about the topic? While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the global community, it is disproportionately impacting the aged care sector with higher rates of severe illness and death and wide-ranging system changes to prevent and control the spread of the virus. Prior to COVID-19, aged care work was associated with high job demands and lack of access to resources to support aged care workers in their role. Survey data on the Australian RACF workforce found workers felt prepared for the pandemic with a wide range of measures to control the spread of COVID-19 but they faced several challenges associated with their additional roles and restrictions. What this paper adds This paper provides qualitative and descriptive insights into the challenges experienced by the Australian aged care workforce during COVID-19 including increased workloads and intensified emotional demands of their roles while at the same time feeling undervalued by the wider community. This study has highlighted the need to better support and acknowledge aged care workers in the community through their portrayal in the media and within their organisations by facilitating supportive team environments and providing access to online resources and training. This paper discusses existing systemic issues that have been highlighted by COVID-19 and the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and need to be addressed for the wellbeing of workers and the provision of quality aged care.

Workplace violence in the Australian and New Zealand midwifery workforce: A scoping review.

The aim of the study is to identify and map what is known about workplace violence involving midwives in Australia and New Zealand. Research from the United Kingdom demonstrates that workplace violence within maternity services is a pervasive issue with significant and wide-ranging clinical, individual and organisational consequences. To date, little is known about this issue within Australian and New Zealand maternity services. A scoping review, guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework, was conducted. Reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. Just one identified study aimed to explore midwives' experiences of workplace violence. A further nine arrived at related results or themes. Workplace violence is present in a variety of forms across maternity services in Australia and New Zealand. Its prevalence is, however, yet to be understood. Workplace violence causes physical and mental health issues for midwives, premature workforce attrition, and jeopardizes the quality and safety of maternity care. Workplace violence has been acknowledged as one of the key contributing factors towards premature attrition from the midwifery profession, with new graduate midwives most likely to leave. With the midwifery workforce ageing and evidence of serious clinical implications emerging, workplace violence needs urgent research and organisational attention. Workplace violence is a key contributing factor towards recruitment and retention challenges for managers. To help tackle this, managers have a key role to play in identifying and effectively addressing workplace violence by acting as positive role models, taking a zero-tolerance approach and fostering collegial relationships. Managers, holding key clinical leadership positions, are pivotal to ensuring all complaints raised are handled with transparency and consistency regardless of one's position within the clinical hierarchy and organisational structure.

Exploring the nursing student experience at a remote Australian university campus: a qualitative study

BackgroundNurses constitute most of the rural and remote Australian health workforce, however staff shortages in these regions are common. Rural exposure, association, and undertaking rural clinical placements can influence health students’ decision to work rurally after graduation, however attending university in rural and remote regions has been shown to be a great contributor. An improved understanding of these nursing students’ experiences may inform changes to teaching and support strategies for these students, which in turn could improve their retention and completion rates, contributing to a more sustainable rural and remote Australian nursing workforce. This study aimed to explore and describe students’ experiences of studying nursing in the context of a satellite university campus located in a remote town, with a focus on education delivery methods, staff, support, student services, and barriers and enablers to successful study.MethodologyNine students participated in this qualitative descriptive study. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken, allowing participants to reflect on their experiences as nursing students in the context of a geographically remote satellite university campus. The resulting data were grouped into common themes and summarised.ResultsStudents were generally positive regarding lectures delivered by videoconference or recorded lectures, as they allowed for greater flexibility which accommodated their busy personal lives. Face-to-face teaching was especially valuable, and students were particularly positive about their small cohort size, which enabled the creation of strong, supportive relationships between students, their cohort, and teaching and support staff. However, barriers related to student demographics and some difficulties with course engagement and campus staffing were experienced.ConclusionsThe experiences of nursing students at remote university campuses are different from those experienced by traditional, metropolitan university students. Although these nursing students face additional barriers unique to the remote campus context, they benefit from a range of enabling factors, including their close relationships with other students, staff, family, and their local community.

More I than we – the effect of organisational identification in the Australian aged care workforce

PurposeThis paper aims to determine the effects of leadership style (LS) on organisational identification (OID) in aged care provider organisations to inform talent management strategies for the sector, which has quite severe workforce shortages.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports on a mixed-methods study. Study 1 was quantitative in approach that measured responses to an online questionnaire containing the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Identification with a Psychological Group scale. The analytical strategy provided results that demonstrated the socio-demographic characteristics of the sample, the reliability and distributions of data and calculated the correlations between the factors of the deployed tools. The relationship between the factors that comprise both tools was measured, and any differences between the two natural groups were labelled leaders and raters. Study 2 was qualitative in approach, using interpretive phenomenological analysis to provide an in-depth analysis of phenomena.FindingsThe results and findings of this study are that OID was not evident in the quantitative or qualitative samples. There are recommendations for future research relating to the social capital of organisations and the use of social media to determine how these could be harnessed in support of workforce recruitment and retention strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was conducted in Australia with participants from the workforces of aged care providers in three eastern states of Australia. The results and findings may be limited to the Australian aged care context. The researcher evaluated the limitations of this research relating to: Methodology: There may be an overstatement of the strength of the relationships between variables among those motivated to participate in the survey in the quantitative study; Transferability: The qualitative study required the researcher to be thorough in describing the research context, and it may be that those who wish to transfer the results of this study to a different context are responsible for making the judgement on the suitability of the transfer; Credibility: The qualitative analysis was not designed to directly reflect a relationship between each leader and their direct report raters’ experiences; and Confirmability: The researcher maintained an awareness and openness to the dynamism of the results. Frequent reflection and self-criticism about preconceptions that may have affected the research were recorded in field notes after each interview.Practical implicationsAged care providers who must compete in the labour market for staff may use the results and findings of this research to inform recruitment and retention strategies relating to brand recognition and loyalty and social capital strategies.Social implicationsProviding an appropriate, skilled and well-led workforce will assist in providing the appropriate level of aged care service at a high standard of quality and safety that will benefit the community as a whole.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper reports on original research conducted following ethical clearance in part fulfilment of a successful conferral of a Doctor of Philosophy programme. After an extensive search of the literature, no research reports returned that examined LS and OID in the aged care service provision.

Webinar and survey on quality management principles within the Australian and New Zealand ACPSEM Workforce.

Healthcare relies upon the accurate and safe delivery of patient care. This is only achievable when systems are developed to ensure high quality, robust outcomes, for instance quality management systems. The concept of quality management can take on a different meaning depending on the context in which it is found. To add complication, the amount of education required for quality management will vary depending on one's exposure to the implementation of quality systems. In part to address these issues, the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM) Queensland Branch held a quality management webinar for members and non-members across Australia and New Zealand. The purpose of the webinar was to educate and facilitate discussion regarding the application of quality management principles for the ACPSEM profession. In conjunction, a pre- and post-webinar survey was conducted to gain an insight into existing knowledge and attitudes within the professions governed by the ACPSEM and students undertaking related studies. This paper authored by the webinar speakers reintroduces the quality management principles that were discussed in webinar, exemplifies the importance of quality management skills within the ACPSEM professions and presents the results of the surveys, promoting the need for more educational resources on quality management tools.

The Australian pharmacist workforce: distribution and predictors of practising outside of metropolitan and regional areas in 2019

This study describes the distribution of the Australian pharmacists' workforce using a range of indicators and identifies predictors of practising outside of metropolitan and regional areas. A cross-sectional description of the 2019 pharmacy workforce. Pharmacists who completed the 2019 workforce survey as reported in the Australian National Health Workforce Dataset (NHWDS). The main outcome measures were the number of pharmacists per 100 000, the proportion working less than 35 h a week, the proportion with primary qualification from overseas (outside of Australia and New Zealand) and the proportion aged 65 years or older. Additionally, predictors of practising outside of metropolitan and regional areas were also identified. Nationally, there were 102 pharmacists/100 000 with one-third working less than 35 h a week. About 10% of pharmacists obtained their primary qualification from overseas and 4% were 65 years old or older. Males were more likely to practise outside of metropolitan and regional areas [OR, 1.40 (1.30-1.50); P < 0.001], while younger people were less likely to practise outside of these locations [OR, 0.71 (0.66-0.76); P < 0.001]. Those who had obtained their primary qualification overseas were also more likely to practise outside of metropolitan and regional areas. Analysis of the 2019 NHWDS suggests an uneven distribution of the pharmacist workforce. Also, three predictors of practising outside of major cities and regional centres were identified.