Trial Review

The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been endorsed by the ANZCTR. Before participating in a study, talk to your health care provider and refer to this information for consumers
Trial registered on ANZCTR


Registration number
ACTRN12620000797976
Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
1/06/2020
Date registered
7/08/2020
Date last updated
7/08/2020
Date data sharing statement initially provided
7/08/2020
Type of registration
Prospectively registered

Titles & IDs
Public title
Allied health and nursing student placements and remote and rural workforce location outcomes study
Scientific title
How does assigning allied health and nursing student placements in remote and rural workforce locations influence future choice of professional workplace location?
Secondary ID [1] 301414 0
Nil known
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
U1111-1252-8371
Trial acronym
Linked study record

Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Allied health service availability in rural and remote areas 317694 0
Condition category
Condition code
Public Health 315771 315771 0 0
Health service research
Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation 315772 315772 0 0
Other physical medicine / rehabilitation
Public Health 316168 316168 0 0
Other public health

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Observational
Patient registry
False
Target follow-up duration
Target follow-up type
Description of intervention(s) / exposure
In this study, the exposure being studied is having undertaken a student placement in the Northern Territory of at least one week in length. As part of standard accreditation processes, university level health professional courses are required to demonstrate graduate competence in application of knowledge and skills to patients/consumers of health care. Workplace-based placements, sometimes known as work-integrated learning (WIL) activities are therefore a cornerstone of the curriculum because the students are working in healthcare workplaces under the supervision of a qualified health professional, learning to deliver the graduate competencies of the profession.
The supervision requirements, length, curriculum and assessment, of student placements, varies according to the needs of the specific profession. We recognise that the exposure being studied includes student placement experiences that are not homogenous. From the perspective of workplaces, it is commonly assumed that student placements are a mutually beneficial recruitment strategy, allowing both the workplace and the student to consider the suitability and attractiveness of employment once graduated.
Following student placements, all students are asked to complete an on-line study specific process evaluation questionnaire asking about their satisfaction of the placement and perceptions of learning outcomes. After graduation, students will be followed-up via a 20 minute on-line survey to assess currency of professional practice and identify workplace location (rural and remote location).
Intervention code [1] 317724 0
Not applicable
Comparator / control treatment
No control group
Control group
Uncontrolled

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 323976 0
The primary outcome is the health professional's workplace location using the Modified Monash Model (MMM) with MMM 4 and 5 considered rural and MMM 6 and 7 considered remote. The Modified Monash Model defines whether a location is a city, rural, remote or very remote based on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard - Remoteness Areas (ASGS-RA) framework. Any health service provision in areas classified MMM 4-7, whether full or part-time in the previous 12 months will be considered a rural or remote workplace location.
Timepoint [1] 323976 0
Annual surveys (September) from 2020 to 2029
Secondary outcome [1] 383486 0
Nil
Timepoint [1] 383486 0
Nil

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
Study participants will be students or graduates over the age of 18 years, of an Australian allied health or nursing training program and will have undertaken a Northern Territory placement as a student.
Minimum age
18 Years
Maximum age
No limit
Sex
Both males and females
Can healthy volunteers participate?
Yes
Key exclusion criteria
Nil

Study design
Purpose
Natural history
Duration
Longitudinal
Selection
Defined population
Timing
Prospective
Statistical methods / analysis
Descriptive analysis of de-identified aggregated data is planned. This will include survey response rates, numbers of student placements by profession and location (using the Modified Monash Model, not town location), length/number of placements, gender, rural origin, NT residency, influences on placement. Factors associated with remote work location (MMM 4-7 versus MMM 1-3) will be analysed using logistic regression.

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Not yet recruiting
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
14/09/2020
Actual
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
17/09/2025
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
29/10/2030
Actual
Sample size
Target
900
Accrual to date
Final
Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
ACT,NSW,NT,QLD,SA,TAS,WA,VIC

Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1] 305853 0
Government body
Name [1] 305853 0
Australian Government-Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Expansion Program
Country [1] 305853 0
Australia
Primary sponsor type
University
Name
Flinders Northern Territory
Address
Royal Darwin Hospital
105 Rocklands Dr,
Tiwi NT 0810
Country
Australia
Secondary sponsor category [1] 306302 0
None
Name [1] 306302 0
Address [1] 306302 0
Country [1] 306302 0

Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
Ethics committee name [1] 306114 0
Flinders University Social and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee
Ethics committee address [1] 306114 0
Flinders University
Sturt Rd,
Bedford Park SA 5042
Ethics committee country [1] 306114 0
Australia
Date submitted for ethics approval [1] 306114 0
Approval date [1] 306114 0
01/02/2019
Ethics approval number [1] 306114 0
Project Number 8245

Summary
Brief summary
Flinders University has a long history of delivering education and training to develop the Northern Territory health workforce. In 2016, Flinders University was awarded a national federal government grant (the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Expansion Program) to provide Territory-wide support for work integrated learning placement students from nursing and allied health professions. The grant encourages rural/remote placements as a strategy for recruitment of health professions to the rural/remote workforce. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this program, this study will track the career location decisions of former placement students and explore the impact of their NT placement on their work choices.
This research is a tracking study of the work practice locations of all nursing and allied health students annually for five years after completing a Northern Territory work integrated learning placement. The study will also investigate the factors that contribute to the work location decisions of the participants; and to determine if, and how, a Northern Territory placement influenced career decision-making.
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 102758 0
A/Prof Narelle Campbell
Address 102758 0
Flinders Northern Territory
Royal Darwin Hospital
Rocklands Dr,
Tiwi NT 0810
Country 102758 0
Australia
Phone 102758 0
+61 8 8920 0207
Fax 102758 0
Email 102758 0
[email protected]
Contact person for public queries
Name 102759 0
A/Prof Narelle Campbell
Address 102759 0
Flinders Northern Territory
Royal Darwin Hospital
Rocklands Dr,
Tiwi NT 0810
Country 102759 0
Australia
Phone 102759 0
+61 8 8920 0207
Fax 102759 0
Email 102759 0
[email protected]
Contact person for scientific queries
Name 102760 0
A/Prof Narelle Campbell
Address 102760 0
Flinders Northern Territory
Royal Darwin Hospital
Rocklands Dr,
Tiwi NT 0810
Country 102760 0
Australia
Phone 102760 0
+61 8 8920 0207
Fax 102760 0
Email 102760 0
[email protected]

Data sharing statement
Will individual participant data (IPD) for this trial be available (including data dictionaries)?
Yes
What data in particular will be shared?
After de-identification, student course and profession, time and length of placement, satisfaction with placement, demographic information (age, sex, Aboriginality, NT residency, rural origin), annual work location (rural/remote versus other).
When will data be available (start and end dates)?
No end date, after Dec 2029 when data collection is complete
Available to whom?
Researchers who provide a methodologically sounds proposal
Available for what types of analyses?
Those consistent with the aims of the study.
How or where can data be obtained?
Principal Investigator - [email protected]


What supporting documents are/will be available?

No Supporting Document Provided



Results publications and other study-related documents

Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.

Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.