Graduate research student, Kate Templeman has had two papers published this year in the run up to submitting her PhD thesis in the next few months. Kate’s research focuses on complementary medicine under the supervision of Anske Robinson and Lisa McKenna of the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Templeman, K., Robinson, A., McKenna, L. (2015) Complementary medicine in medicine: Conceptualising terminology among Australian medical students using a constructivist grounded theory approach, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 21: 33-41
doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.01.005

Abstract

Terminology around the use of complementary medicines (CM) within medical discourse is ambiguous. Clear collective discourse within the medical context is required. This study reports the findings of a Constructivist Grounded Theory Method study used to explore medical students’ conceptualisation of terminology and associated value components around CMs as evidenced within their discourse community. The results show that terminology surrounding CMs within medicine is politically charged and fraught with value judgements. Terms used to describe CMs were considered, many of which were deemed problematic. Categorisation of specific medicines was also deemed inappropriate in certain contexts. Conceptualisation of CM terminology, categorisation and value implications, discriminated between levels of evidence for CMs and provided insights into the social change of medicine towards emergence of an evidence-based integrative approach. The results show that terminology surrounding CM is a social construct consistent with fluid conceptualisation and operationalisation in different social contexts.

Templeman, K., Robinson, A. McKenna, L., (2015) Student identification of the need for complementary medicine education in Australian medical curricula: A constructivist grounded theory approach. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 23(2): 257-264.
doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2015.02.002

Summary

Objective

Across the Western world, including Australia, growing popularity of complementary medicines (CMs) mandates their implementation into medical education (ME). Medical students in international contexts have expressed a need to learn about CMs. In Australia, little is known about the student-specific need for CM education. The objective of this paper was to assess the self-reported need for CM education among Australian medical students.

Design

Thirty second-year to final-year medical students participated in semi-structured interviews. A constructivist grounded theory methodological approach was used to generate, construct and analyse data.

Setting

Medical school education faculties in Australian universities.

Results

Medical students generally held favourable attitudes toward CMs but had knowledge deficits and did not feel adept at counselling patients about CMs. All students were supportive of CM education in ME, noting its importance in relation to the doctor–patient encounter, specifically with regard to interactions with medical management. As future practitioners, students recognised the need to be able to effectively communicate about CMs and advise patients regarding safe and effective CM use.

Conclusions

Australian medical students expressed interest in, and the need for, CM education in ME regardless of their opinion of it, and were supportive of evidence-based CMs being part of their armamentarium. However, current levels of CM education in medical schools do not adequately enable this. This level of receptivity suggests the need for CM education with firm recommendations and competencies to assist CM education development required. Identifying this need may help medical educators to respond more effectively.

Darryl Maybery, Anne Grant and Andrea Reupert at Anne's graduation.

Congratulations go to Anne Grant, an SRH PhD student from Ireland, who recently graduated at the ceremonies held in Clayton, December 2014.

Anne’s thesis was titled: ‘Registered psychiatric nurses’ practice with parents who have mental illness, their children and families, within general adult mental health services in Ireland.’

Anne conducted a mixed methods study to investigate registered Irish Psychiatric Nurses’ (RPN) perceptions of their family focused practice (FFP) with parents, who have mental illness, their children and families, in adult mental health services. Findings suggest that RPNs in Study One were generally not family focused, and higher scorers were those practising within community settings. The most important predictors of FFP were skill and knowledge, practice setting and confidence around parenting and children generally. Study Two suggested that high scoring RPNs’ FFP comprised various family focused activities, principles and processes. The findings have enhanced understanding of RPNs’ FFP both in Ireland and internationally.

Anne’s co-supervisors were Associate Professor Darryl Maybery from MUDRIH, Associate Professor Andrea Reupert from the Faculty of Education and Dr Melinda Goodyear, also from MUDRIH.

Dr Susan Waller has joined the team at Monash University Department of Rural and Indigenous Health in Moe as a Senior Lecturer in Interprofessional Education.

Susan is responsible for interprofessional collaboration leadership through coordinating the development, delivery and evaluation of interprofessional education and practice programs across the School of Rural Health and Gippsland health services.

As a paediatric physiotherapist, Susan has practised for many years in various allied health services across the hospital and community sectors, both in Australia and in the Middle East. She experienced firsthand the importance of interprofessional education and collaborative practice to meet service user goals.

Susan studied the impact of an interprofessional student placement in community rehabilitation teams and was awarded a PhD in Interprofessional Education from the University of Queensland in 2010.

She was part of a team that developed an interprofessional curriculum in the first clinical school located in a large private hospital in Brisbane and has run training workshops in practising interprofessionally.

The Master of Advanced Health Care Practice provides health professionals with the opportunity to take the next step in expanding their careers.

The course is interprofessional by nature and designed to give medical practitioners, midwives, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, policy makers, primary health care managers, radiation therapists and radiographers the opportunity to gain a master-level qualification that enhances their professional practice and provides the widest range of options for the future.

More information can be found in the brochure and 2015 handbook.

A forum to provide information and direction on topics that may help develop and shape your career will be held at MUDRIH in Moe on Wednesday 26 November 2014.

The Early Career Research Forum is open to any School of Rural Health staff interested.

Guest speakers will provide expert direction on the topics for discussion:

• translating research into practice
• highlighting your research in the media

The forum runs from 9.30 am to noon, with lunch to follow.

You can attend by video- or teleconference, or in person. RSVP to Janelle McGrail by Monday 10 November on 5128 1016 or email: janelle.mcgrail@monash.edu.

Analysis: mental health academics meeting in Lismore collaborate on a paper. (Note the member joing by videoconference.)

Dr Anton Isaacs from MUDRIH attended the annual meeting of the Mental Health Academics from the University Departments of Rural Health at Lismore in NSW. Dr Isaacs represented Keith Sutton who is on study leave.

The meeting focused on preparing a paper for publication on the scope and work of the MHAs in Australia.

Best wishes: Julie admires her farwell cake.

Colleagues at MUDRIH sadly said goodbye to Julie Irvine who starts a 12 month secondment to SRH Latrobe Valley & West Gippsland on 1 September.

Julie is filling in for Michelle Ryan while she is on maternity leave and will be greatly missed at MUDRIH. Staff wished both Julie and Michelle well.

Dr Anton Isaacs has been invited to be editor of a special issue of the journal, Advances in Mental Health. The issue will examine mental health services and suicide prevention strategies for Indigenous people. See details on the journal’s call for papers.

Bon voyage: Mollie opens her farewell gift

Staff from the Monash Department of Rural and Indigenous Health and the Latrobe Community Health Service farewelled long-time colleague Mollie Burley.

Mollie, who decided to retire at the end of July,  was farewelled on several fronts. Firstly, at a MUDRIH morning tea, Associate Professor Darryl Maybery paid tribute to her significant contribution going back 22 years at Monash. He noted that Mollie had always been a strong voice for nursing and allied health in SRH.

Mollie started work with the School of Rural Health (then Centre for Rural Health) based in Moe. She began as a lecturer, working on a Gippsland health promotion project being undertaken at that time. (more…)

Dr Anton Isaacs acceptes his award from Professor Ross Coppel, Deputy Dean (Research)

Congratulations to Dr Anton Isaacs from MUDRIH who has won the 2014 Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Faculty ECR (Early Career Researchers) Publication Prize for Social and Educational Research for his publication: Help seeking by Aboriginal men who are mentally unwell: a pilot study.

Anton’s article was published in Early Intervention in Psychiatry. The findings from his study informed the development of a new model of integrated mental health service for Aboriginal men in Gippsland.

Video: Anton describes his work developing the Koorie Men's Health Day program