Reporting rural workforce outcomes of rural-based postgraduate vocational training

Kitchener, Scott J

doi:10.5694/mja14.01516

Topics

To the Editor: Following calls to bridge the evidence gap regarding rural exposure and uptake into rural medical practice,1 Rural Clinical Schools (RCS) regularly report graduate rural career outcomes. This permits comparison of approaches and quality improvement of the program.

1 Queensland Rural Medical Education, Toowoomba, QLD.
2 School of Medicine, Griffith University, Toowoomba, QLD.

Correspondence: s.kitchener@qrme.org.au

Acknowledgements:

The Queensland Rural Medical Education program is funded by General Practice Education and Training for the delivery of AGPT up until 31 December 2014, then by the Department of Health for 2015.

Competing interests:

I am employed by Queensland Rural Medical Education, the regional training provider for which data are presented.

1. Ranmuthugala G, Humphreys J, Solarsh B, et al. Where is the evidence that rural exposure increases uptake of rural medical practice? Aust J Rural Health 2007; 15: 285-288.
2. Phillips B, Copeman J, Foster J, et al. General practice education: the way forward. Final report of the Ministerial Review of General Practice Training. Canberra: Department of Health and Family Services, 1998.
3. Mason J. Review of Australian Government health workforce programs. Canberra: Department of Health, 2013. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/work-health-workforce-program-review (accessed Nov 2014).
4. Lawrance R. Can training reduce the rural workforce shortage? Aust Fam Physician 2004; 33: 173-174.

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