Rural Placement Program Research Articles

Doing it together: the Tasmanian interdisciplinary rural placement program.

Doing it together: the Tasmanian interdisciplinary rural placement program.

Approaching Primary Health Care Through ‘Country Week’: The Impact of a Rural Placement Program on The Student Learning Experience

Australian Journal of Rural HealthVolume 11, Issue 5 p. 254-255 Approaching Primary Health Care Through ‘Country Week’: The Impact of a Rural Placement Program on The Student Learning Experience Chris Lockhart, Corresponding Author Chris Lockhart Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, and Department of Anthropology, University of Western Australia, Perth andCorrespondence: Chris Lockhart, Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, PO Box 109, Geraldton, Western Australia 6531. Email: chrisl@cucrh.uwa.edu.auSearch for more papers by this authorTony Lower, Tony Lower Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, andSearch for more papers by this authorJoan Loud, Joan Loud Primary Health Services, Armadale Health Service, Armadale, Western AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author Chris Lockhart, Corresponding Author Chris Lockhart Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, and Department of Anthropology, University of Western Australia, Perth andCorrespondence: Chris Lockhart, Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, PO Box 109, Geraldton, Western Australia 6531. Email: chrisl@cucrh.uwa.edu.auSearch for more papers by this authorTony Lower, Tony Lower Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, andSearch for more papers by this authorJoan Loud, Joan Loud Primary Health Services, Armadale Health Service, Armadale, Western AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 18 December 2003 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1584.2003.00529.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume11, Issue5October 2003Pages 254-255 RelatedInformation

Re-thinking approaches to undergraduate health professional education: Interdisciplinary rural placement program

The Interdisciplinary Rural Placement Program involved the development, implementation and evaluation of a common rural primary health care module. Designed for undergraduate nursing, medical and pharmacy students of the University of Tasmania, students undertook clinical experiences and a collaborative primary health care project at two different Rural Health Teaching Sites across Tasmania. The aim of the project was for interdisciplinary students to work and learn together to enhance their understanding of the cooperative and collaborative nature of professional practice among rural health care workers. This paper will describe the development and implementation of the Interdisciplinary Rural Placement Program and critically discuss the outcomes in relation to nursing. In this paper, three issues will be explored. Firstly, how student nurses questioned their sense of subordination when in fact the level of recognition by their interdisciplinary peers led them to refute this. Secondly, concerns with overcoming the difficulties of coordinating student recruitment and conflicting timetables, while working within existing curricula, will be discussed. The final issue explores the student nurses' recognition that despite inherent tensions and conflict, the need to work as a cohesive and cooperative interdisciplinary team was vital. This project highlighted the challenges that health professions continue to work through in contemporary practice and education sectors. A key recommendation for education providers is that true interdisciplinary education must be achieved through an experiential framework.