Taylor Selina M, Lindsay David, Glass Beverley D
Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health, Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia.
Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition, College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Aust J Rural Health. 2019 Apr;27(2):132-138. doi: 10.1111/ajr.12490.
This two-phase study aimed to explore the influence of a university rural curriculum and clinical placements on pharmacists' choice to practise in a rural or remote area.
A sequential mixed-methods approach involved the design of both a questionnaire and semistructured in-depth interviews to collect quantitative and qualitative data.
Regional, rural and remote practice areas according to the Pharmacy Access/Remoteness Index of Australia classifications.
Ninety-two pharmacists from varied areas of practice, working in rural and remote locations across Australia, participated in the study.
University curriculum and clinical placements during the degree and their influence on the current rural workforce.
In the survey sample, two-thirds of the current rural pharmacy workforce's choice of practice location was significantly influenced by positive rural placement experiences. Rural practice was, however, not included in the curriculum for 50% of the rural workforce in the sample, although graduates from regional universities experienced up to 80% more exposure to rural curricula. In this sample, rural origin was also not found to be a significant determinant of rural practice, while rural lifestyle, family commitments, remuneration, career opportunities and other contractual agreements have had a greater influence than university education.
Although the positive influence of rural placements has been identified, there is still a way to go in terms of the development of a meaningful rural curriculum. This highlights that universities have a role to play in addressing this issue to produce graduates who are better prepared for the opportunities and challenges of rural pharmacy practice.
这项两阶段研究旨在探讨大学农村课程及临床实习对药剂师选择在农村或偏远地区执业的影响。
采用序贯混合方法，设计了问卷和半结构化深度访谈以收集定量和定性数据。
根据澳大利亚药房可达性/偏远程度指数分类的地区、农村和偏远执业地区。
来自澳大利亚农村和偏远地区不同执业领域的92名药剂师参与了该研究。
学位期间的大学课程和临床实习及其对当前农村劳动力的影响。
在调查样本中，当前农村药房劳动力三分之二的执业地点选择受积极的农村实习经历显著影响。然而，样本中50%的农村劳动力所在的课程中未包含农村实习内容，尽管来自地区大学的毕业生接触农村课程的机会多出80%。在该样本中，农村出身也未被发现是农村执业的重要决定因素，而农村生活方式、家庭责任、薪酬、职业机会及其他合同协议比大学教育的影响更大。
尽管已确定农村实习有积极影响，但在制定有意义的农村课程方面仍有很长的路要走。这凸显出大学在解决这一问题上可发挥作用，以使毕业生为农村药房执业的机遇和挑战做好更充分准备。
