Meet Brenton

Brenton Kiel, a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and partner at Goulburn Valley Physiotherapy Centre has been a Going Rural Health Supervisor for eight years.

Going Rural Health, a government funded student placement and support program of the University of Melbourne’s Department of Rural Health, are a positive driving force behind student placements in rural health services.

Clinical supervisors play an integral role in the development of students knowledge and learning experiences.

“I use a mixed of Service Based Learning and traditional placement model in my teaching. Students split their week evenly working on a specific project and also treating clients under my supervision.

I try to give students a positive experience, showing them a breadth of clients and the range of opportunities a rural placement offers.”

With the challenges rural communities face in health care, Brenton says there is a shortage of physiotherapists which impacts the way they service patients.

“You might have a patient you’ve seen twice a week in their first week with an acute problem. You put them back in but have no spaces to see them for another 2 or 3 weeks, making treatment longer.

Another challenge is servicing a community that has additional needs, compared to those who live in the city. Paired with the socioeconomic status, it can be difficult for patients to afford the service level they require.”

These challenges are addressed by giving students a positive placement experience, with a range of patients to keep them in rural healthcare. There’s a range of supports, mentoring and professional development opportunities available to students once they graduate.

Brenton says the most valuable part of having students on placement is they’re able to bring new perspectives to the specific projects they work on.

“A recent project that was completed by placement students at Aquamoves was improving access for women using the gym. It has helped to reduce stigma and increase access in the gym, as well as improve health outcomes for that demographic.”

There are many benefits to a rural placement and a rural career.

“Some of the benefits that I like to promote to students are the lifestyle benefits. Students are always shocked by how close everything is. Living close to work and spending less time commuting is a huge benefit, as well as being involved in the community and making friends here.

There’s also more opportunity to get to know your patients a bit more, it’s a great lifestyle.

I encourage students to think about completing a rural placement throughout their study, it’s a lot of fun.”