Do rural and remote placements make students 'remotely interested'?

BACKGROUND Australia has a shortage of health professionals in rural and remote areas. Some work has been done on factors that influence medical students entering rural and remote practice; however, less is known about allied health and nursing students, especially in remote placements. AIMS OF STUDY/PROJECT Data was collected across the 11 University Departments of Rural Health (UDRHs) to evaluate the student placement experiences with reference to level of satisfaction and intention to enter rural and remote practice. METHODS Students were invited to complete a questionnaire at all UDRHs that included 21 common questions. Data collected between July 2014 and November 2015 was aggregated and analysed for demographics, placement location, length and type of placement, level of satisfaction and rural practice intention. RESULTS In total, 3,264 students responded, of which 555 (17%) completed a placement in remote locations (MMM 6-7). Overall, before placement 55.8% intended entering rural or remote practice after graduation, while after placement this increased to 61.6% (p < 0.001). Though not statistically significant (p = 0.5), satisfaction was marginally higher satisfaction for rural (91.4%) versus remote (89.3%) placements. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS Though limitations exist, the study suggests students value rural and remote UDRH placements.