New research involving authors from university departments and schools of rural health at the University of Melbourne, University of Tasmania, University of Newcastle, La Trobe University and UCRH has looked at how ready health students in Australia felt to start their careers, especially in rural areas, after training during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The research, Perspectives of work readiness among Australian health students trained during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been published in BMC Medical Education. UCRH’s participating author was Dr Jodie Bailie.
As part of the work, students in their final years of health degrees who had done rural placements were surveyed and interviewed. The authors found that most students felt ready to work, but many were worried about their clinical skills due to reduced hands-on practice and online learning. Despite these challenges, students gained valuable skills like adaptability and resilience.
The study concludes that universities can support work readiness during pandemic circumstances by fostering clinical skills development through continuation of quality placement experiences and face-to-face curriculum delivery.
Although health graduates trained during the pandemic are likely to have a range of additional work ready skills, health services will need to proactively support their transition into the workforce in the coming years.