Changing how ‘rural’ is understood in health professional education

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33966/hepj.7.1.17713

Abstract

Purpose: For students enrolled in tertiary education courses, learning to work rurally is mainly reliant on placement experiences. An international scoping review (Adams 2023) found that rural placement and other learning experiences are seldom supported by published evidence or evaluative research related to rural theory, specific curricula content, pedagogy or assessment. The implications of the scoping review findings are discussed using relevant theoretical perspectives. This argument aims to raise awareness amongst health professional educators of opportunities and outcomes that may support confident, capable, autonomous work in broader scopes of practice through specific, structured rural content in health professional curricula.

Findings: Once theoretical foundations of rural education are established, structured evaluation of educational design and advancement of the scholarship of learning and teaching can occur.

Research implications: Extension of research into educational practice in rural contexts can contribute to rural health professional retention and improved health outcomes for rural populations.

Originality/value: This paper highlights a novel approach to rural health professional education for rural practice beyond standardised curricula delivered in rural contexts.

Limitations: The lack of published research does not mean that rural curricula and pedagogy do not exist in health professional curricula. Instead, it highlights that rural health education rarely includes analysis/evaluation of health programme content.

[1] The terms ‘rural’, ‘remote’ and ‘regional’ are often poorly differentiated and used interchangeably in the literature. ‘Rural’ is used throughout this document, although the authors wish to acknowledge the considerable differences between the practice contexts.

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Author Biographies

  • Margaret Adams, Independent researcher

    Margaret Adams has had ten years working in rural nursing practice and ten years teaching and researching in the University sector and will commence a PhD in rural health professional education in 2024.

    She has completd a Masters by research and has published one article from her Masters relating to Indiustrai halth professional eductaion and another in 2023, an international scoping review related to education for rural health professionals.

  • Margaret Yen, Charles Darwin University

    Dr Margaret Yen is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at Charles Darwin University. She has worked as a health manager in rural contexts, and as an academic in nursing and health management for 19 years. She has a Masters degree in education and has experience in teaching and curriculum leadership. Margaret has published several papers on health services management and curriculum.

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Published

2024-04-18

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Articles

How to Cite

Changing how ‘rural’ is understood in health professional education. (2024). Health Education in Practice: Journal of Research for Professional Learning, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.33966/hepj.7.1.17713