Description:
This paper investigates the possible mismatch between current initiatives to attract and retain general practitioners (GPs) to rural areas, and Australian research evidence about the most significant factors affecting recruitment and retention. The results reported here are part of a broader project that aims to use evidence-based research to enhance rural GP workforce planning and management. This phase of the project analysed research reports evaluating the outcome of programs and services aimed at improving rural recruitment and retention. The search strategies for this review included: key word searches of electronic database publications over the last 15 years; hand searching of relevant journals; trawling websites of relevant organisations; and direct contact with relevant organisations to request copies of “grey” literature such as unpublished reports. A total of 22 Australian studies were identified that met these criteria. (It is acknowledged that many other initiatives have been tried, but evaluation reports for these do not exist or were not obtainable. Similarly, many other studies have examined recruitment or retention without evaluating workforce initiatives.) The 22 studies evaluated nine major recruitment and retention initiatives including: medical course admission criteria (2 studies); rural placements (7); student scholarships (1); financial incentives (2); continuing medical education (5); universitylinked rural practices (1); case management (1); and overseas-trained doctors (2); an community capacity-building (1). Demonstrating “causation” requires strong internal and external validity. Overall, however, there is not yet strong empirical evidence for the efficacy of the any of these initiatives. The methodological problems consistently identified in our analysis were: no use of comparison or control groups; an overreliance on surveys of GPs’ attitudes or intentions rather than actual behaviours; inconsistent definitions of key variables including “rural” and “retention”; inadequate sample sizes or unrepresentative samples and selection biases; inconsistent use of definitions of key variables including “rural” and “retention”; cross-sectional and retrospective designs; insufficient information on statistical analyses; and qualitative studies that did not formally and systematically apply techniques for strengthening credibility and transferability. Moreover, many of these initiatives do not appear to be closely aligned with the factors usually thought to influence recruitment or retention. The learnings from this project support the strategic and accessible use of evidencebased health care for rural workforce issues. Government departments and agencies should invest in rigorous evaluations that are then made publicly available. Policy and program development can benefit by drawing upon sound research knowledge. Rural communities can also become more informed and discerning consumers of this information.
Description:
This paper investigates the possible mismatch between current initiatives to attract and retain general practitioners (GPs) to rural areas, and Australian research evidence about the most significant factors affecting recruitment and retention. The results reported here are part of a broader project that aims to use evidence-based research to enhance rural GP workforce planning and management. This phase of the project analysed research reports evaluating the outcome of programs and services aimed at improving rural recruitment and retention. The search strategies for this review included: key word searches of electronic database publications over the last 15 years; hand searching of relevant journals; trawling websites of relevant organisations; and direct contact with relevant organisations to request copies of “grey” literature such as unpublished reports. A total of 22 Australian studies were identified that met these criteria. (It is acknowledged that many other initiatives have been tried, but evaluation reports for these do not exist or were not obtainable. Similarly, many other studies have examined recruitment or retention without evaluating workforce initiatives.) The 22 studies evaluated nine major recruitment and retention initiatives including: medical course admission criteria (2 studies); rural placements (7); student scholarships (1); financial incentives (2); continuing medical education (5); universitylinked rural practices (1); case management (1); and overseas-trained doctors (2); an community capacity-building (1). Demonstrating “causation” requires strong internal and external validity. Overall, however, there is not yet strong empirical evidence for the efficacy of the any of these initiatives. The methodological problems consistently identified in our analysis were: no use of comparison or control groups; an overreliance on surveys of GPs’ attitudes or intentions rather than actual behaviours; inconsistent definitions of key variables including “rural” and “retention”; inadequate sample sizes or unrepresentative samples and selection biases; inconsistent use of definitions of key variables including “rural” and “retention”; cross-sectional and retrospective designs; insufficient information on statistical analyses; and qualitative studies that did not formally and systematically apply techniques for strengthening credibility and transferability. Moreover, many of these initiatives do not appear to be closely aligned with the factors usually thought to influence recruitment or retention. The learnings from this project support the strategic and accessible use of evidencebased health care for rural workforce issues. Government departments and agencies should invest in rigorous evaluations that are then made publicly available. Policy and program development can benefit by drawing upon sound research knowledge. Rural communities can also become more informed and discerning consumers of this information.
Description:
This study explored rural welfare practice issues with six welfare professionals working in contentious fields of practice such as child welfare, family violence and the justice system in the western region of Victoria. Participants were selected on the basis of difference to provide a range of experiences. The six participants completed a questionnaire and were subsequently interviewed in depth about their own experiences. The study asked participants about issues of concern to them and strategies that they find useful in their professional practice in small communities. Issues of concern included: risk and experience of violence and harassment, managing confidential information gathered from formal and informal sources, providing services that are non stigmatising, managing dual and multiple roles and lack of anonymity and privacy. Participants were concerned about the dilemmas of personal privacy versus community “right to know” particularly when they had privileged information about perpetrators of violence and child sexual assault within their communities. Participants shared their practical solutions and personal survival strategies, as well as their concerns. Many employing organisations did not recognise these factors effectively in work practices, and supervision was focused on agency accountability rather than professional development and support. On a broader level, workplaces and educators need to recognise the impact of the occupational demands and stressors relevant for rural practitioners, where anonymity and privacy are frequently compromised, and respond sensitively to these issues. This paper includes a number of recommendations for educators and organisations employing welfare staff in rural areas. The author sincerely thanks the six welfare professionals for sharing their stories in such rich detail and with such honesty and frankness. Identifying details have been altered to protect their privacy.
Description:
This study explored rural welfare practice issues with six welfare professionals working in contentious fields of practice such as child welfare, family violence and the justice system in the western region of Victoria. Participants were selected on the basis of difference to provide a range of experiences. The six participants completed a questionnaire and were subsequently interviewed in depth about their own experiences. The study asked participants about issues of concern to them and strategies that they find useful in their professional practice in small communities. Issues of concern included: risk and experience of violence and harassment, managing confidential information gathered from formal and informal sources, providing services that are non stigmatising, managing dual and multiple roles and lack of anonymity and privacy. Participants were concerned about the dilemmas of personal privacy versus community “right to know” particularly when they had privileged information about perpetrators of violence and child sexual assault within their communities. Participants shared their practical solutions and personal survival strategies, as well as their concerns. Many employing organisations did not recognise these factors effectively in work practices, and supervision was focused on agency accountability rather than professional development and support. On a broader level, workplaces and educators need to recognise the impact of the occupational demands and stressors relevant for rural practitioners, where anonymity and privacy are frequently compromised, and respond sensitively to these issues. This paper includes a number of recommendations for educators and organisations employing welfare staff in rural areas. The author sincerely thanks the six welfare professionals for sharing their stories in such rich detail and with such honesty and frankness. Identifying details have been altered to protect their privacy.
Description:
Since the mid 1990s access to advanced communication and information systems has increasingly been seen as critical for economic and social well-being. Information communications technology (ICT) has been identified as having a virtually unlimited potential to enhance business competitiveness. For regional communities ICT has been identified as providing opportunities to ‘level the playing field’ with benefits espoused in terms of ‘location independence’ and for the end of the ‘tyranny of distance’. In terms of community well-being it has been argued that online capabilities can help to stimulate and reinvigorate both geographic communities and communities of interest. However in spite of the context where online capabilities are promoted as critical elements of regional and rural success, few attempts have been made to draw together various intellectual streams of research with examples of community practice, to gain a clear understanding of how regional Australia can grab its share of this wealth and use it to strengthen local communities. This paper reports on collaborative research which is directed towards these very issues. It responds to a call for research to be instigated to collect case studies of rural communities that have successfully developed community-based Internet services for socially and economically beneficial purposes. There are four industry partners supporting this research. They are Ararat Rural City, the Wimmera Development Association, AME Systems and the Shire of Hepburn. The broad research objective is to consider factors that underpin the sustainability of regional and rural communities with a particular focus on investing factors that affect the success of community informatics (CI) initiatives. CI is an overarching term and an emerging field of study that focuses on the use of ICT by communities for their betterment. It links the concepts of social, economic, political and cultural development with emerging opportunities from ICTs. A mixed methodology, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies has been used to achieve the study objectives. Findings indicate that where commitment, compatibility and a shared strategic intent are at the heart of collaborative relationships, success and learning is much more likely to occur. The research demonstrates the benefits and challenges of operationalising online initiatives in a regional and rural context. It also contributes to forming an evidence-based approach to public and private action required to underpin the sustainability of regional and rural communities in Australia.
Description:
Increased access to university by students with different backgrounds and capabilities from those in the past has posed, and continues to pose, dilemmas for lecturers who seek effective ways of addressing the challenge of undergraduate literacy and learning. To this end, we have been engaged on a Committee for University Teaching and Staff Development (CUTSD) funded program that we call TULIP (Tertiary Undergraduate Literacy Integration Program) which focuses on the integration of tertiary literacy within content teaching as a means of enhancing student literacy. The broad aim of the TULIP Project was to build on collaborative and reflective teaching and learning partnerships between lecturers and students, between lecturers across two universities, and between lecturers in disparate disciplines. The project developed, trialed and evaluated a suite of learner-centred literacy strategies that comprise the TULIP Resource Kit which foregrounds the embeddedness of tertiary literacy within content teaching.
Description:
This paper presents the preliminary results of a qualitative study examining the agenda for change being pursued by key influential women in Australia to address male-centred rural general practitioner (GP) workforce policies. Many current recruitment and retention programs do not reflect the needs of female GPs as they are based on the traditional notions of a country GP — that is a full-time, on call doctor with a supporting spouse. As women become the majority in medicine, key women influentials in the rural general practice field are advocating for the restructuring of medicine so that women GPs can be part of the solution to rural health care issues. Previous empirical research and theoretical analyses have suggested that medicine and rural communities are patriarchal. To date data collection for this explorative study consists of 5 in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of key women activists across the spectrum of organised medicine. Preliminary results show how women are pressuring for change but also the sources of resistance they encounter from the dominant medical culture. Key women players use particular collective and individual strategies to advocate for female GP issues. These results reflect some research findings on women leaders and female rural GPs. In conclusion, it is important that women are given equal access to decision-making positions to enable their input into the structure and culture of rural general practice. The recommendation put forward is to build inclusive recruitment and retention rural workforce strategies for female rural GPs.
Description:
This paper presents the preliminary results of a qualitative study examining the agenda for change being pursued by key influential women in Australia to address male-centred rural general practitioner (GP) workforce policies. Many current recruitment and retention programs do not reflect the needs of female GPs as they are based on the traditional notions of a country GP — that is a full-time, on call doctor with a supporting spouse. As women become the majority in medicine, key women influentials in the rural general practice field are advocating for the restructuring of medicine so that women GPs can be part of the solution to rural health care issues. Previous empirical research and theoretical analyses have suggested that medicine and rural communities are patriarchal. To date data collection for this explorative study consists of 5 in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of key women activists across the spectrum of organised medicine. Preliminary results show how women are pressuring for change but also the sources of resistance they encounter from the dominant medical culture. Key women players use particular collective and individual strategies to advocate for female GP issues. These results reflect some research findings on women leaders and female rural GPs. In conclusion, it is important that women are given equal access to decision-making positions to enable their input into the structure and culture of rural general practice. The recommendation put forward is to build inclusive recruitment and retention rural workforce strategies for female rural GPs.
Description:
Global optimization problems continue to be a challenge in computational mathematics. The field is progressing in two streams: deterministic and heuristic approaches. In this paper, we present a hybrid method that uses the discrete gradient method, which is a derivative free local search method, and evolutionary strategies. We show that the hybridization of the two methods is better than each of them in isolation.
Description:
Global optimization problems continue to be a challenge in computational mathematics. The field is progressing in two streams: deterministic and heuristic approaches. In this paper, we present a hybrid method that uses the discrete gradient method, which is a derivative free local search method, and evolutionary strategies. We show that the hybridization of the two methods is better than each of them in isolation.
Description:
Introduction: This study examined the effect of yoga on the state anxiety and mood states of athletes. Yoga has long been practised by athletes but its influence on the mood state of athletes has not been empirically examined. Method: Participants were 15 female netball players, aged between 18 and 27 years (M = 20.97, SD = 3.09) who completed the Abbreviated Profile of Mood States (APOMS) and the state anxiety inventory (A-State) before and after each of six yoga or strength and conditioning sessions completed one night per week. Participants acted as their own controls with all participants completing both treatments. The main hypothesis was that yoga participants would report significantly greater changes in mood state and state anxiety than strength and conditioning participants. Results: A One-Way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) indicated that yoga sessions had significantly greater pre to post test change on overall mood state and state anxiety compared to strength and conditioning sessions. In addition, on the subscales of the APOMS, yoga produced significantly greater pre to post test decreases on confusion and tension than strength and conditioning. Conclusion: Results support the use of yoga to positively enhance mood state and decrease state anxiety in athlete populations.Implications for coaches and athletes are discussed including the potential use of alternative and holistic training methods for the management of mood and anxiety. Future research directions are also discussed including investigating alternative approaches to the management of mood and anxiety in athletes and further investigation into the components of yoga.
Description:
Fruit production typically involves a period of investment and developmental expenditure which continues until the orchard is fully productive. During this period cash flows are negative. Once the orchard bears fruit, positive cash flows can result. In time, as the orchard trees age and yields decline or new varieties replace the existing varieties, negative cash flows reappear. The duration of this cycle can vary and periods of time ranging from ten to fifty or sixty years would not be uncommon. This study focuses on the Moutere Hill apple and pear fruit in the Nelson Province in the South Island of New Zealand during a recent period when the region as a whole experienced a severe decline in orchard incomes as a result of the failure of orchardists to adjust to changing economic and technological conditions which in turn resulted in orchards consisting of a large number of old trees with a high percentage of less preferred varieties.
Description:
The aim of this paper is to outline a conceptual model and research design for measuring trust in inter-organisational networks which has the potential to be a ‘blueprint’ for a large-scale, multilevel study of trust in networks. Inter-organisational networks are increasingly recognised as a means to achieve economic and social exchange yet, how these networks operate is less widely understood. Trust is widely identified as being essential to the functioning of networks forms of organisation. In order to analyse trust in networks the Social Relations Model (Kenny 1994) of interpersonal perception is applied here. Insights from this model are used to specify relevant components of trust; and extended by incorporating measures of trust at the level of the work group.
Description:
The aim of this paper is to outline a conceptual model and research design for measuring trust in inter-organisational networks which has the potential to be a ‘blueprint’ for a large-scale, multilevel study of trust in networks. Inter-organisational networks are increasingly recognised as a means to achieve economic and social exchange yet, how these networks operate is less widely understood. Trust is widely identified as being essential to the functioning of networks forms of organisation. In order to analyse trust in networks the Social Relations Model (Kenny 1994) of interpersonal perception is applied here. Insights from this model are used to specify relevant components of trust; and extended by incorporating measures of trust at the level of the work group.