Leaving the bush : why did they do it?

The demand for allied health professionals (AHPs) in rural areas is increasing due to changes in lifestyle, disease and disability of the population. Recruitment and retention of AHPs in rural Australia is an issue that continues to challenge policy makers. However, recent initiatives from the Commonwealth Government have focused on boosting the rural health workforce through grants that support education and training, expand health services and increase the number of rural and remote clinical placements. In addition to this funding, suggested restructure of the current allied health service delivery model is gaining much attention. Although this funding and organisational reform is much needed and welcomed, the changing nature of allied health work, increasing demand, and shortages across most rural areas highlight the need for research to address the complexities associated with recruitment and retention of these professionals.<br /><br />Gaining insight into the experiences of rural AHPs can assist with enhancing government funded recruitment and retention programs and developing sustainable and efficient workforce policies. This study hopes to build on our previous research that implies recruitment is enhanced when retention is optimal, since AHPs are willing to recommend their workplace. Therefore, the factors that influence retention are just as valid and important as the factors that influence recruitment, but many of the existing workforce models have solely focused on recruitment.4 Additionally, these models do not adequately address issues regarding rural employment, they are difficult to implement, and costly to sustain.<br /><br />In order to make policy recommendations on recruitment and retention in Australia, this paper aims to explore the experiences of AHPs who resigned from rural employment<br />