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Rural News
Nursing and Allied Health Rural Locum Scheme (NAHRLS) now includes pharmacists
Do you: - work in rural Australia and can’t take leave because no-one is available to fill in for you?
- want to work as a locum in rural and remote Australia?
There are ten pharmacist placements available for the remainder of the 2012/2013 financial year. As part of the trial, placements are limited to ASGC areas RA4 (Remote) - RA5 (Very Remote) with the inclusion of RA3 (Outer Regional Australia) in smaller centres where they are the sole pharmacist within reasonable travelling distance of their place of practice. To meet the forecast need for locums, NAHRLS is currently seeking pharmacists who would like to join us. For further information, please contact Nada Milosevic on 02 6203 9580 or nada@nahrls.com.au. Background:
The Nursing & Allied Health Rural Locum Scheme (NAHRLS) was established by the Australian Government to support nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in rural and remote Australia to take leave from their work for up to 14 days. NAHRLS is different from other locum agencies. The service is focused on supporting health professionals by administering an uncomplicated start-to-finish locum placement service. The service includes recruiting and placing credentialed locums, and paying their travel, accommodation, meals allowance and incentives during their placement. The hosting organisation is only responsible for covering the base locum wage for the period during which the locum is required. More at the NAHRLS website.
Thinking about a rural internship?
Read about Kelvin Cao's experience as an intern at Dubbo Base Hospital in 2012 in this SHPA NSW Branch Newsletter (scroll to page 5).
Victorian Healthcare Association Rural Allied Health Scholarship Program
The Victorian Healthcare Association offers scholarships to support rural allied health professionals and students. These scholarships are available:
National Rural Health Conference 2013 - call for abstracts NOW open7-10 April 2013, Adelaide, SA | call for abstracts | conference website The Conference in Adelaide will capture the inspiration and success of previous Rural Health Conferences, while focusing more than ever before on the positives: on the creativity, teamwork, resilience and sense of community that characterise so many rural and remote areas. In all likelihood the Conference in April 2013 will find itself just four months out from a Federal Election. In this context it will be critical to keep rural affairs strong on the national agenda, to ensure that progress towards good health and quality of life in rural areas is maintained and quickened.
New-look Rural Pharmacists Australia alliance
SHPA’s Rural Adviser Anne Leversha is the Deputy Chair of the Rural Pharmacists Australia alliance (RPA). SHPA has joined forces with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Australian College of Phar-macy and National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association to form the new-look RPA group.In coming months, RPA will consider a number of issues relating to rural, remote and indigenous health policy from pharmacists’ perspectives in both community and hospital settings. More in this joint media release.
Locum opportunities in rural hospitals
Read the article from the Australian Journal of Pharmacy August 2011 issue by Anne Leversha. Anne shares the story of Jennifer Todio who worked with her as a locum at the Latrobe Regional Hospital, Traralgon, Vic. Jennifer describes her positive experience of working in a rural hospital.
Health Workforce Australia - Rural and Remote Health Workforce Innovation and Reform Strategy
Development of the Rural and Remote Health Workforce Innovation and Reform Strategy is a crucial piece of work with potential to make a significant improvement in the health workforce in rural and remote areas. SHPA has made a formal submission. Thanks to all the members who sent their feedback to SHPA for includion in the submission.
Rural Health Education Foundation
The Rural Health Education Foundation is a provider of television-based health education for doctors, pharmacists, nurses and allied health professionals.
The Rural Health Education Foundation broadcasts most of its programs through the Optus Aurora satellite platform, which requires a special satellite dish and decoder to view the programs. Channels 4 and 23 are both accessed through the Optus satellite. Click here for a list of viewing sites around Australia where you can view these programs. A number of the Foundation's programs are also web-cast live at the same time as the live satellite broadcasts. Certain programs are also broadcast by other Australian television services from time to time; when these broadcasts occur, they are also listed on the Upcoming Programs page on the RHEF website.
Centre for Remote Health Bursary
The Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Program (PHCRED) is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Funding is provided to all University Departments of Rural Healthand University Departments of General Practice to build research capacity and to promote research and the dissemination of research findings.The Centre for Remote Health (CRH) is offering small bursaries (up to $5,000) to enable those working or involved in rural and remote primary health care within the Northern Territory to conduct research or evaluation in the field of Primary Health Care and to disseminate findings. PHCRED Bursary website
Information sheet
Indigenous Allied Health Australia
Visit the Indigenous Allied Health Australia website which has been created for Indigenous allied health professionals and students wishing to network together, share information and ideas and join in the activities of this Indigenous lead allied health professionals association. It is also for non-Indigenous allied health professionals and students who wish to be better informed about Indigenous Australians’ culture, society and requirements of health services and who wish to contribute to strategies to improve Indigenous health in Australia.
You can also view video interviews of Indigenous Australians speaking of their passion for their allied health careers, including pharmacy student Jess.
Rural Pharmacy Workforce Program
Go to the Rural Pharmacy website for information about the program, scholarships, grants and much more, including the CPE/Professional Development Allowance which provides financial support to assist pharmacists from rural and remote areas to access CPE and Professional Development activities. The allowance may be awarded to practising pharmacists, pre-registration pharmacists, pharmacists preparing to re-enter pharmacy practice, or a professional educator travelling to a group of practising pharmacists to deliver CPE. More here. NOTE: CPD events must be accredited to provide Group 2 CPD credits to be eligible for funding.
SHPA Strategic Plan
Included in the SHPA vision and mission, is that 'policies for the future will ensure that equity of access to services, particularly for members in rural and remote districts is maximised'.
SHPA Rural Adviser
The role of the SHPA Rural Adviser is to:
- Provide Federal Council with advice on rural issues that affect hospital pharmacy.
- Inform Federal Council of issues which affect rural hospital pharmacy.
- Represent rural hospital pharmacy at appropriate forums.
- Promote rural hospital pharmacy.
- Establish a network of rural hospital pharmacists.
The SHPA Rural Adviser is Anne Leversha
Director of Pharmacy, Latrobe Regional Hospital, Traralgon, VIC
Senior Lecturer, Monash University, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, School of Rural Health
Clinical Senior Lecturer, Monash University, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Centre for Medication Use and Safety
Email: anne.leversha@monash.edu
SHPA Rural Network
The SHPA Rural Network has representatives from the states/territories listed below. The network meets by audio-teleconference three times a year, and is planning to develop closer links with the rural members.
Contact your State representative with ideas on how your Rural Network can work for you!
Teleconference Minutes (members only)
SHPA RepresentationRural Pharmacy Workforce Program SHPA has a representative on the Advisory Committee for this program. The program includes these services: - CPE/Professional Development Allowance Scheme
- Undergraduate scholarships
- Pharmacy Placement allowance scheme
- Rural pharmacist pre-registration incentive allowance
- Academics at University Departments of Rural Health
- Rural and Remote Pharmacy Infrastructure Grants Program
Go to the Rural Pharmacy website for more information about these programs and for closing dates and application forms.
Allied Health Professions Australia Rural and Remote (AHPARR)
AHPARR provides Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) with rural and remote allied health representation and voice at a national level. Click here to visit the AHPARR page of the AHPA website.
Rural Pharmacists Australia - Rural Interest Group
SHPA is a member of the RPA, and as such represents Pharmacy on the National Rural Health Alliance.
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