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Effect of Rural Clinical Placements on Intention to Practice and Employment in Rural Australia: A Systematic Review

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  • Claire Ellen Seaman

    (Three Rivers Department of Rural Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia)

  • Elyce Green

    (Three Rivers Department of Rural Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia)

  • Kate Freire

    (Three Rivers Department of Rural Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia)

Abstract

Background: Supporting the provision of clinical placement (CP) experiences in rural areas is a strategy used worldwide to promote the rural health workforce. While there is international evidence for this intervention in medicine, there is limited understanding of the influence of rural CP for nursing, midwifery, allied health, and dentistry health professions in Australia, which have received substantial federal investment. This review examined the relationship between rural CP and non-medicine health students’ future rural practice intentions and workforce outcomes. Methods: Four databases were systematically searched; papers were screened using defined criteria and appraised using the mixed-methods appraisal tool (MMAT). Findings were synthesized using a critical narrative approach. Results: The methodological quality of the 29 eligible studies (13 quantitative non-randomized, 10 mixed method, 4 qualitative, 2 quantitative description) was appraised. Ten high-quality studies were identified. The review found that positive CP experiences may influence intention to practice rurally amongst undecided students and serve as a reinforcing experience for those students already interested in rural practice. There were mixed findings regarding the influence of CP length. The review also found that there is currently only evidence for the short-term effects of CP on students’ future practice outcomes in rural areas with focus thus far on early practice outcomes. Conclusions: Those looking to use rural CP to promote the rural health workforce should focus on supporting the quality of a large number of CP experiences that are undertaken in rural areas, as there are currently differing findings on the role of rural CP length. Future studies of rural CP should consider greater use of social and educational theories to guide them.

Suggested Citation

  • Claire Ellen Seaman & Elyce Green & Kate Freire, 2022. "Effect of Rural Clinical Placements on Intention to Practice and Employment in Rural Australia: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-24, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:9:p:5363-:d:804241
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hannah Beks & Sandra Walsh & Laura Alston & Martin Jones & Tony Smith & Darryl Maybery & Keith Sutton & Vincent L Versace, 2022. "Approaches Used to Describe, Measure, and Analyze Place of Practice in Dentistry, Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Rural Graduate Workforce Research in Australia: A Systematic Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Catherine Cosgrave, 2020. "The Whole-of-Person Retention Improvement Framework: A Guide for Addressing Health Workforce Challenges in the Rural Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-14, April.
    3. Jens Holst, 2020. "Increasing Rural Recruitment and Retention through Rural Exposure during Undergraduate Training: An Integrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-19, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Elyce Green & Sarah Hyde & Rebecca Barry & Brent Smith & Claire Ellen Seaman & Jayne Lawrence, 2022. "Placement Architectures in Practice: An Exploration of Student Learning during Non-Traditional Work-Integrated Learning in Rural Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Maria Jose & Amarech Obse & Mark Zuidgeest & Olufunke Alaba, 2023. "Assessing Medical Students’ Preferences for Rural Internships Using a Discrete Choice Experiment: A Case Study of Medical Students in a Public University in the Western Cape," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(20), pages 1-15, October.

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