Welcome to Going Rural Health News! Going Rural Health News is the publication of new and relevant information about all things related to rural clinical placements, education and rural health, from the Going Rural Health team. Team members are located in Ballarat, Shepparton and Wangaratta.

It's been a challenging year for all, especially health service staff. Let's hope you all manage at least a short break to spend time with friends and family, and to recharge for the new year.

It's been a big year for the Going Rural Health team as well. We have supported well over 1000 student regional/rural placements this year, and provided education to more than 500 students and 300 staff members.

Christmas is quickly creeping up on us, which is usually a sign of things slowing down for a little while. The team will, as per usual, be unavailable between Christmas and New Year - the University closes during this time - but at least some of us will be back on deck in early January.

Have a fabulous Christmas and New Year, and we'll be back for a wonderful year in 2023!

 The Going Rural Health team

Going Rural Health student support

Student Health & Wellbeing Support

Going Rural Health People & Promotions

Going Rural Health Student Events

Rural Job Vacancies

Going Rural Health Education

University of Melbourne Events & Webinars

External Events, Education & Resources

Going Rural Health and University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) Research

Going Rural Health Website

Going Rural Health supports students to complete rural clinical placements. Support includes financial assistance, subsidised accommodation in selected areas, education, mentoring support, student activities, & cultural training.  For financial assistance, eligible students may only receive EITHER subsidised accommodation at University of Melbourne owned housing (where available, subject to availability) OR a financial payment for their placement (not both). Financial payment is calculated per day of attendance at placement.

2022 SUPPORT: Bursaries have closed for 2022, and there are only limited subsidised accommodation places left.

2023 SUPPORT: Please note that there will be changes to eligibility criteria for 2023. Applications for 2023 bursaries will not be reviewed until early January. 

More information about the Going Rural Health Student Support Scheme, including how to apply & eligibility criteria, is available HERE.

Our Student Placement Survey is currently offline. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

There are a number of wellbeing supports available to students while they are on placement. Details are available on the Going Rural Health website on our 'Online Resources for Students page, and also outlined below:

1. CRANA Plus Bush Support Services: Toll free 24hr free phone counselling service for those in rural areas, including students while they are on placement. Phone 1800 805 391 anytime.
2. CRANA Plus free course: Adapting Self-Care Practices During Clinical Placement
3. National Rural Health Student Network Mental Health guide: When the Cowpat Hits the Windmill

4. The Going Rural Health Wellbeing & Resilience course:

   To access the course, follow this link HERE.

   You will need to register for the website (if you haven’t already), log-in to the website, and enrol to complete the course.

   If you have any issues with access please contact the team at going-ruralhealth@unimelb.edu.au

5. Health & Wellbeing Service – telehealth appointments:

   The Rural Clinical School offers telehealth counselling services while students are on placement. Please see the link HERE for more details and to book an appointment.

Going Rural Health Team Member Wins Staff Excellence Award

One of our own GRH team members recently won a University of Melbourne Staff Excellence Award.

The award was a 'Global, Place and Community' Excellence Award in the category 'Excellence in Building Student Connection and Belonging'. Trish Thorpe, from our Ballarat team, won the award for the student events she has organised for Going Rural Health students during COVID lockdowns and since, which have included online cooking, online trivia events, 'Fright Night', 'Soup in a jar', & online yoga classes for nursing, allied health and medical students on placements in regional and rural areas.

The events enabled students to connect with our rural campuses, rural staff, and each other, at a time where face to face events were not possible, and also meant that the students' location was not a barrier to participation.

New team member in Wangaratta

We have a new member in our Wangaratta team, Jess Winzer. Jess has been a casual OT supervisor for our students for some time, but joined the team as staff on the 29th of November, in the role of Associate Lecturer in Interprofessional Rural Education. 

Welcome to the team Jess! (we don't have a photo yet, but will snap one soon)

Farewell to Kylie Browne

We recently said farewell to our educator, Kylie Browne, who was based in Shepparton. Kylie is a nurse with background in Peri-operative nursing, and set up our Peri-Operative online course, amongst other courses. 

Good luck with your future endeavours Kylie!

Submit your short video 

Are you a nursing or allied health student currently completing, or have completed, a regional or rural placement?

We're on the look-out for new stories from our student and alumni community to bring our video projects to life. Scan the QR code or follow the below link to get started:

go.unimelb.edu.au/5oxe

NEW Going Rural Health News Page

We have recently added a news page to the Going Rural Health website, available via the top menu under 'News" or via the link HERE.

In this we have links to all our news items, including our news posts, which are also accessible below.

In mid-November, Going Rural Health, together with our partner Budja Budja Aboriginal Co-operative & Medical Centre, hosted 11 students (and 2 staff) to undertake a cultural training day in Halls Gap. The training was run by Jo Harrison-Clarke (above) and Lissy Johns.

For more information, see our news post via the link below.

The team are now providing another platform for rural and regional organisations to advertise their employment opportunities to our network. Please feel free to send the details of any vacancies for advertising in this newsletter to Trish Thorpe at trish.thorpe@unimelb.edu.au

We can also advertise on our website and social media platforms!

Echuca Moama Physiotherapy

Physiotherapist wanted: Recent graduates and final year Physiotherapy students are welcome to apply.

• Work alongside and be mentored by multiple APA Titled Sports and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists, Women’s Health Physiotherapists and a Specialist Titled Sports Physiotherapist with AFL and International cricket experience.
• Fortnightly team in-services and weekly one on one professional development program for new or recent graduates, plus external professional development support.
• Varied case load including Sports and Musculoskeletal injuries, Women’s health, Paediatrics, and Clinical Pilates.
• Beautiful modern clinics with two fully equipped rehab studios with a picturesque bushland backdrop.
• Above industry standard pay, flexible hours, varied case load, fantastic existing client base, and fun team environment
• Booming town on the beautiful Murray River with great sporting and lifestyle opportunities

Please send your application to admin@echucamoamaphysio.com.au

Online Going Rural Health Education

Have you seen the Going Rural Health Online Learning Centre on our website? We have a number of free courses for both students and health professionals. To access the Learning Centre visit the webpage HERE. 

Participants will need to register for the website, log-in and enrol in courses. Certificates of completion will be automatically generated upon successful completion of courses. If you have any problems with this process please contact the team at going-ruralhealth@unimelb.edu.au

Courses will be added as they are released, but the site currently has 10 free courses & 2 paid courses live:

• NEW! Supervision Principles for the Novice Supervisor: This course, aimed towards novice supervisors, takes participants through the basics of student supervision, in order to get the best out of students. An adjunct workshop is also offered for a small fee; sessions for 2023 will be scheduled early in the new year.
• New Interdisciplinary Graduate Education and Learning (NIGEL) Series: One of our newest courses, this course is targeted towards mostly non-clinical learning for new graduates, especially those working in regional and rural areas. Covering 9 topics, this will help health professionals new to practice with the transferable skills they need in their day-to-day work.
• Human Rights in Healthcare: This course looks at how human rights apply to healthcare, particularly from a regional/rural lens.
• Project Supervision for Student Placements: This course provides some tips on selecting and designing placement projects that fit timeframes, student learning requirements, and desired outcomes for all.
• Online Introduction to Rural Practice: this is our updated course introducing students and new staff to practicing in a rural community. Great for those new to rural health.
• Wellbeing and Resilience: an updated version of our Resilience module, the course has been moved to the Learning Centre for easier access. Health professionals - including health students - as a group don't tend to look after themselves well; this course gives insight and tips as to how to look after ourselves better.
• Giving and Receiving Effective Feedback: This is a combination of our original two separate courses (Giving Feedback, and Receiving Feedback), as much of the content was similar. Provides tips to better receive feedback, especially if it is negative, and ways to provide more effective feedback to staff and students.
• Communication: Tools to optimise your communication skills and ensure the perceived message is the intended message.
• Social Media Posting for Health Professionals. A package, particularly for young health students or experienced health professionals new to social media, that discusses the pitfalls and risks associated with social media posting on various platforms.
• Responding Effectively to Upset and Complaining Patients or Family. This course discusses methods to work with these individuals for best outcomes.
• Critical Thinking & Clinical Reasoning. This topic discusses what critical thinking is and how to implement into your everyday practice as a health practitioner.

Online Cultural Training - for Students ONLY

Going Rural Health, in collaboration with a Yorta Yorta traditional custodian from the Shepparton region, have developed an online cultural training course for students. The course can be accessed via our website HERE.

Education - December 2022

There is no more Going Rural Health education scheduled for 2022. Scheduling for 2023 will begin in the new year.

Please contact the education team via the Going Rural Health email address: going-ruralhealth@unimelb.edu.au  for details of all education, if any issues with bookings, or to book a virtual session from the education list at Education topics.

University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health webinars and events have also completed for 2022. We look forward to bringing you a number of free online webinars in 2023.

Past recordings of webinars are available via the DRH website (link below).

Department of Rural Health Facebook: DRH Facebook

Department of Rural Health Website: DRH Website

SARRAH Leadership Program 2023 Dates Announced!

Program 1: 13/02/2023/-/31/03/2023
Program 2: 28/08/2023 - 06/10/2023

Gain the skills and knowledge to lead and manage your organisation and enhance your career opportunities through leading, mentoring, and coaching.

This course is ideal not only for allied health professionals but any individuals aiming to become a successful leader and agent for change in the rural and remote health landscape of Australia. SARRAH offers flexible and affordable study options including online learning and discounted rates for SARRAH members.  

The course has been built around four key topics:

• Leadership Vs Management
• "Being" leadership
• "Doing" leadership
• "Maintaining" leadership 

For more information, and to enroll, visit the link HERE.

LGBTIQA+ Group Supervision

Want to learn more about working with LGBTIQ+ people as a health professional? Join Lachlan Slade for these group supervision sessions.

For more information, and to book (various dates available), visit https://events.humanitix.com/group-supe#

RCH Education Outreach

Allied Health Paediatric Videoconference Series

DECEMBER: Paediatric Food Allergy

When: Thursday 8th December, 1-2pm

Presenters: Vikki Wearne, Paediatric Dietitian, Nutrition & Food Services RCH

Registration: Via Eventbrite HERE.

Registration is via the Eventbrite links and it closes 2 business days before each presentation. It is free to attend and we encourage any health professional interested to view one or all of them.

If you have any questions about this series please email education.outreach@rch.org.au

Free Student Resource From CRANA plus:

Adapting Self-Care Practices During Clinical Placement

The resource is for any student preparing for a placement in a rural or remote setting. To access the resource, visit the webpage HERE. 

Allied Health Clinical Educators Network Clinical Supervision Modules

The Allied Health Clinical Educators’ Network (AHCEN), has released some modules on training staff in clinical supervision. They include:

• Setting up a clinical supervision relationship
• Providing effective feedback
• Developing Clinical Reasoning through Supervision
• Supporting Wellbeing through Clinical Supervision

For more details see the document HERE.

Head to Help: A Free Mental Health Service For All Victorians

This is a service available through the Primary Health Network (PHN), for Victorians of any age experiencing mental ill-health - whether they have a GP mental health plan or not. The service is FREE, and no appointments are required.

Phone: 1800 595 212 8.30am - 5pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays).

For more details see the website HERE.

NOTE: This is NOT a crisis service.

For urgent support call Lifeline on 13 11 14

Out of hours and weekends call Beyond Blue on 1800 512 348.

Yarning SafeNStrong - A New Counselling Service for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples

The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service has established Yarning SafeNStrong: a free and confidential counselling service for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The service is available 24 hours, 7 days a week to people and families who need to have a yarn with someone about their wellbeing.

Phone: 1800 959 563

For more information see the website HERE.

Three Rivers UDRH

Three Rivers UDRH supports health professionals, staff and students by offering free online courses. The following two courses are especially relevant:

Three Rivers UDRH Rural Clinical Placements – How to grow your own course .

Three Rivers UDRH Telehealth - Embracing Technology in Healthcare

Student telehealth placements resource

There is a great resource available from SARRAH about student telehealth placements. It is a copy of the presentation from a recent webinar. Access it via the link below:

SARRAH webinar student TH placements Robyn Gill

PHN resources

WestVic PHN and Murray PHN also have education available in regional and rural areas. See their websites for details of what is on in your region:

WestVic PHN: https://westvicphn.com.au/events-education/upcoming-events/

Murray PHN: https://www.murrayphn.org.au/events/.

The Going Rural Health program sits within the University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) of The University of Melbourne. The UDRH undertakes a number of research projects, some of which relate to student placements - from both the student perspective, and of those who support students (supervisors and placement support staff).

Student Placement Survey

As previously mentioned, Going Rural Health are trying to ensure that students get the best placement experience possible. Please help us to do this by directing students to complete our Student Placement Survey. It is a short online survey that should only take students 10-15 minutes to complete.

Supervisor & Placement Support Staff Survey

Going Rural Health are undertaking a research project to gain a better understanding of rural clinical placements, from the perspective of those who support students (supervisors and placement support staff). Many of you will have already received an email from one of the Going Rural Health team members to invite you to participate, and to encourage you to share the invite with your colleagues. Visit the Going Rural Health webpage HERE for more details.

If you would like any further information on any of these projects, please contact the Going Rural Health team at going-ruralhealth@unimelb.edu.au .