Using secondments in tertiary health facilities to build paediatric expertise in allied health professionals working in rural New South Wales.

OUTLINE OF PROBLEM: Allied health professionals working in rural settings have broad caseloads requiring advanced skills as general specialists. This can include children with specialised needs.

DESIGN: Educational secondments were coordinated for allied health professionals to achieve self-nominated learning objectives. Learning objectives were assessed using pre and post evaluations to determine the effect of the educational secondment on knowledge and confidence specific to the nominated learning outcomes.

SETTING: Educational secondments were undertaken by allied health professionals from New South Wales Health facilities in regional or rural locations outside of the Sydney metropolitan area. The educational secondments occurred in tertiary-level hospitals or specialist health facilities.

KEY MEASURES FOR IMPROVEMENT: Using self-reported questionnaires, allied health secondees' outcomes were assessed prior to the secondment, immediately following and again at 6 months post-secondment, and their managers at 6 months post-secondment. The program aimed to improve the allied health professional's knowledge and confidence around self-selected learning objectives related to the specialised care of children with complex health needs in rural settings.

STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE: Allied health professionals reported increased knowledge and confidence immediately following the secondment which was sustained at 6 months. On the basis of this outcome, the secondment program will continue.

EFFECTS OF CHANGE: The secondment program resulted in changes to the ongoing clinical practice of participating clinicians as well as other health professionals within the departments where they worked.

LESSONS LEARNT: Educational secondments can improve the knowledge and skills of allied health professionals working in rural and remote locations with a view to improving access to equitable health care for children living in rural settings.