Strong partnerships are central to effective rural health education, particularly when preparing students for aged care roles in rural and remote communities. A new paper published in the Australian Journal of Rural Health highlights how these partnerships can support meaningful student placements, with UCRH recognised as one of the pilot sites involved in the research.
The article, Partnerships in Learning: The Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Programme in Aged Care Services Pilot Site Evaluation, explores how nursing and allied health placements can be successfully established in rural aged care settings. Former UCRH researcher Mohammad Hamiduzzaman is a co-author on the paper, alongside colleagues from University Departments of Rural Health and partner aged care services across Australia.
The study draws on interviews with clinical educators and aged care managers involved in the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Aged Care pilot programme. Five pilot sites took part across NSW, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland, with UCRH contributing perspectives from our experience supporting student placements in aged care services.
Researchers identified three connected themes that shaped successful placements. The first was engaged partnership. Participants described the importance of strong relationships, clear roles and shared commitment between universities and aged care providers. The second theme focused on creating a learning environment that benefits everyone. When staff, students and services could all see value in placements, there was stronger buy in and better outcomes. The third theme highlighted the need to adapt to local context. Rural aged care services face unique challenges, including workforce pressure and limited capacity, making flexibility essential.
The findings challenge long held assumptions that aged care placements offer limited educational value. Instead, the research shows that with the right support, rural aged care can be a rich learning environment that benefits students, staff and residents alike.
For UCRH, the publication reinforces the importance of partnership based approaches to placement design and delivery. It also adds to the growing body of rural health research guiding how placements can be strengthened and sustained to support the future rural health workforce.
The full article is available in the Australian Journal of Rural Health.
