Experiences of pursuing an intensivist career in regional and rural Australia: An interview study
Article
Cheung, Benjamin K, Anderson, James G, Giles, Alexander J and Martin, Priya. 2024. "Experiences of pursuing an intensivist career in regional and rural Australia: An interview study." Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. 52 (4), pp. 223-231. https://doi.org/10.1177/0310057x241242813
| Article Title | Experiences of pursuing an intensivist career in regional and rural Australia: An interview study |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 15669 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Cheung, Benjamin K, Anderson, James G, Giles, Alexander J and Martin, Priya |
| Journal Title | Anaesthesia and Intensive Care |
| Journal Citation | 52 (4), pp. 223-231 |
| Number of Pages | 9 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Place of Publication | United States |
| ISSN | 0310-057X |
| 1448-0271 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/0310057x241242813 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0310057X241242813 |
| Abstract | The regional and rural intensivist workforce is vital to delivering high standards of healthcare to all Australians. Currently, there is an impending workforce disaster, with higher senior medical officer vacancy rates among regional and rural intensive care units, with these units being staffed by junior doctors who are in earlier stages of their training, which in turn increases supervisory burden. There is a lack of comprehensive literature on the barriers and enablers of training, recruiting and retaining regional and rural intensivists. To address this gap, a qualitative study was conducted, involving 13 in-depth, structured interviews with full-time and part-time intensivists from eight Australian regional and rural hospitals. Content analysis of the interview data resulted in the identification of four major categories: unique practice context, need for a broad generalist skill set, perks and challenges of working in a regional/rural area and workforce implications. The study findings revealed that regional and rural intensive care practice offers positive aspects, including work satisfaction, supportive local teams and an appealing lifestyle. However, these benefits are counterbalanced by challenges such as a heavier burden of on-call work, a higher proportion of junior staff which increase supervisory burden and limited access to subspecialist services. The implications of these findings are noteworthy and can be utilised to inform government policies, hospitals, the College of Intensive Care Medicine and the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in developing strategies to enhance the provision of intensive care services and improve workforce planning in regional and rural areas. |
| Keywords | Intensive care unit; intensivists; workforce; education; regional and rural Australia |
| Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 420321. Rural and remote health services |
| Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Byline Affiliations | St Vincent's Hospital, Lismore, Australia |
| University of Queensland | |
| Mater Adult Hospital, Australia |
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https://research.usq.edu.au/item/z9z65/experiences-of-pursuing-an-intensivist-career-in-regional-and-rural-australia-an-interview-study
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