Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Clinical Supervision of Healthcare Students in Rural Settings: A Qualitative Study

Priya Martin, Lucylynn Lizarondo, Geoff Argus, Saravana Kumar and Srinivas Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan
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Priya Martin: Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
Lucylynn Lizarondo: JBI, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
Geoff Argus: Southern Queensland Rural Health, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
Saravana Kumar: Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
Srinivas Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan: Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-13

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to healthcare student placements worldwide, including already challenged rural areas in Australia. While accounts are emerging of student experiences in larger centers and from a student perspective, there is a need for in-depth exploration of student supervisor experiences in rural areas at the onset of the pandemic. This study aims to address this gap through 23 individual, semi-structured interviews with healthcare workers from ten health professions who were either direct student supervisors or in roles supporting student supervisors A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to develop four themes, namely compounding stress, negative impacts on student learning, opportunity to flex and innovate, and targeted transitioning support strategies. The findings indicate that healthcare workers with student supervision responsibilities at the onset of the pandemic experienced high levels of stress and wellbeing concerns. This study sheds light on the importance of supporting student supervisors in rural areas, and the need for implementing targeted support strategies for new graduates whose placements were impacted by the pandemic. This is not only essential for supporting the rural healthcare workforce but is also imperative for addressing inequalities to healthcare access experienced in rural communities.

Keywords: student placements; clinical supervision; rural health; COVID-19 pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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