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 another busy start to the year for the Going Rural Health team, after a short break to recharge. We have a number of relatively new projects on the go, which is very exciting. See our news page and social media for details - we'll be posting information about them regularly during the year.

And we should soon have another team member on board so watch this space!

Have a great month

 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.

2023 Changes: There have been a number of changes to the eligibility criteria in 2023. Some of the changes are that students are no longer eligible for funding if they apply after their placements have concluded, or if they decline accommodation offered. 

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

Our Student Placement Survey is now back online. 

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 enroll (click 'start now') 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.

GRH Team News

Our team manager, Keryn Bolte, will be taking a leave of absence for a year from early February, to concentrate on completing her PhD. All the best Keryn!

While she is away, our team member Bec Oates will be stepping up to cover Keryn's position. Good luck Bec - we are sure you will do a fantastic job leading the team.

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.

Going Rural Health will again be running student engagement activities in 2023.

Our first event will be chocolate-themed and will run close to Easter. Watch the next newsletter for details!

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!

GV Sportscare

Careers Online is the University of Melbourne's official online careers resource where you can advertise your organisation’s employment and work experience opportunities. More than 10,000 University of Melbourne students, recent graduates and alumni access Careers Online every month.

You can self-post your job ad at this site free of charge, at any time, via the link HERE.  All instructions on how to post are on this page.

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 11 free courses & 1 paid course 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.

We currently have 2 courses in development:

• Supervision for Service Learning Placements
• Interprofessional Education for Rural Student Placements

Keep an eye on the newsletter and our social media platforms - we will advertise the new courses via these when they are released.

Online Cultural Learning - for Students ONLY

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

Education - February/March 2023

When: 7th February, 9am-12pm

Where: Virtual via Zoom

To book, visit our Eventbrite page HERE.

Aboriginal Cultural Learning Workshops 2023

Ballarat region with Bonnie Chew: For students AND staff

BALLARAT: Wednesday 15th February 9.30am - 4.30pm, University of Melbourne Campus

CHARLTON: Thursday 13th July 10am - 4pm, East Wimmera Health Service

MARYBOROUGH: Tuesday 3rd October 9.30am - 4.30pm, Maryborough District Health Service

To book into any of these sessions visit the link  HERE.

Hume Region with Robynne Nelson: For students ONLY

Dates in Shepparton and Wangaratta will be advertised as soon as they are available. Watch this newsletter for details.

Please contact the education team via the Going Rural Health email address: going-ruralhealth@unimelb.edu.au  for details of all education, or if any issues with bookings.

The Melbourne School of Population and Global Health are looking for participants aged 18 – 29 years old and living in rural/regional Victoria to provide feedback on what they’d want in an online sexual health service. All participants will be reimbursed.

Please share this with your networks including friends and family who fit the above criteria. Otherwise, if you fit the criteria please consider participating.

Further information is below:

• Interested participants will be asked to complete an online survey and attend two half-day workshops in person to provide feedback
• Participants will be reimbursed for their time, including travel time
• For all enquiries, contact: e-sti@unimelb.edu.au 

To express your interest, please visit the link and fill in the form HERE.

2023 University of Melbourne Webinars

The University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health have no scheduled webinars  for 2023 as yet.

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

Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health - Free training webinar

When: Thursday 23rd March 12-12.30pm 

Register: via the QR code above or via the link HERE.

Paediatric Nursing Webinars 2023

Allied Health Paediatric Webinars 2023

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 Ren (Lachlan) Slade for these group supervision sessions.

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

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. 

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 .

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If you would like to contribute to Going Rural Health news please email your contribution to trish.thorpe@unimelb.edu.au

Email: going-ruralhealth@unimelb.edu.au

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