Rural mental health workforce difficulties: a management perspective

Purpose – The Gippsland Mental Health Vacation School program has been shown to positively change student participants’ interest and attitudes to living and working in a rural area. A range of factors are impacting on the future viability of the initiative including: limitations on the number of student participants, the reusability of content, staffing, time pressures, a dwindling funding base, and a drop-off in interest in living and working in a rural setting. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A three-phase Delphi Study was employed to engage with expert knowledge of the program’s key stakeholder groups (student participants and service provider staff) in order to inform the initial steps of shifting the program toward a blended model, distributed across space and time. Findings – The results suggest that: first, the current mode of delivery, a week-long intensive face-to-face format, should be transitioned to a more sustainable blended learning approach that includes both on-line content and an in situ component; and second, trailing the use of social media as a mechanism to maintain student interest in rural mental health work following the vacation school. Originality/value – This study highlights how the transition to a sustainable approach to the delivery of a novel rural mental health workforce recruitment strategy was informed through a three-phase Delphi Study that involved the key stakeholders (groups of student participants and service provider staff). The study has important implications for addressing the shortage of mental health practitioners in rural areas. It will and be of interest to educators, administrators, researchers and bureaucrats.

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The immediate impact of a brief rural mental health workforce recruitment strategy

Rural Society ◽

10.1080/10371656.2016.1194327 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 87-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Keith Sutton ◽

Kent Patrick ◽

Darryl Maybery ◽

Kaytlyn Eaton

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Rural Mental Health ◽

Recruitment Strategy ◽

Mental Health Workforce

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Employment of Advanced-Practice Psychiatric Nurses to Stem Rural Mental Health Workforce Shortages

Psychiatric Services ◽

10.1176/ps.2008.59.1.109 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 109-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Nancy P. Hanrahan ◽

David Hartley

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Rural Mental Health ◽

Psychiatric Nurses ◽

Advanced Practice ◽

Mental Health Workforce ◽

Workforce Shortages

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Bringing them home: a Gippsland mental health workforce recruitment strategy

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah11003 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 79 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Keith Sutton ◽

Darryl Maybery ◽

Terry Moore

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Allied Health ◽

Career Decisions ◽

Rural Mental Health ◽

Health Work ◽

Mental Health Workforce ◽

Workforce Shortages ◽

Mental Health Work

This paper reports on preliminary findings of a novel program piloted in 2010 to address rural mental health workforce shortages. The program involved exposing allied health and nursing students from rural backgrounds studying in Melbourne to mental health service employment opportunities in Gippsland. A longitudinal study is underway to evaluate the effect and outcomes of the program and includes surveying participants’ interest in rural mental health work through an online questionnaire immediately prior to and following the program; and surveying career decisions at 6 months and yearly intervals. Paired sample t-tests were used to analyse participants’ level of interest in rural work (pre-event 4.67 (1.50); post-event 5.93 (0.96); P = 0.001), career in a rural setting (pre-event 4.67 (1.63); post-event 5.67 (1.23); P = 0.006), mental health work (pre-event 4.73 (1.39); post-event 6.07 (0.80); P < 0.000) and rural mental health career (pre-event 4.73 (1.33); post-event 5.80 (1.21); P = 0.002). These findings indicate a significant increase from pre- to post-event and are supported by strong effect sizes suggesting that the program had a significant effect on participant interest in rural mental health work. Longer-term evaluation will determine whether the program influences participant career decisions and thereby addressing mental health workforce shortages in Gippsland. What is known about the topic? Despite the ongoing challenges that regional and rural mental health services face recruiting and retaining mental health professionals, there is a lack of evidence available to inform rural mental health workforce recruitment strategies. What does this paper add? This paper describes a novel recruitment initiative and preliminary data from a longitudinal evaluation program. The initiative targets allied health and nursing students with rural backgrounds who are studying at a large urban centre (Melbourne). What are the implications for practitioners? This study provides a potentially successful recruiting tool for mental health sector policy-makers and managers which will be evaluated over the long-term.

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