2014 Gippsland Mental Health Vacation School participants at the Lyrebird Forest Walk.
Twelve students from four universities in Melbourne were exposed to career opportunities in the mental health, and alcohol and drug service sectors in Gippsland recently.
The students spent a week of their mid-semester break at School of Rural Health MUDRIH in Moe taking part in the Gippsland Mental Health Vacation School program.
Dr Melinda Goodyear took advantage of numerous opportunities to showcase MUDRIH-led research when she attended a recent international conference on families with parental mental health challenges.
As an emerging early career researcher in this field, Melinda contributed in various ways to the ‘Fourth International Conference on Families with Parental Mental Health Challenges: Addressing the Needs of the Whole Family’, held at Berkeley, California during April.
Melinda secured SRH funding to attend the conference, which she described as “the major conference for our research group and the major international conference for the research field addressing supports for families where a parent has a mental illness (the FaPMI/COPMI research fields).”
The conference was attended by most major researchers in this field and Melinda delivered two oral presentations outlining her work, including an invited presentation in a plenary of family recovery. She also chaired a conference session. (more…)
Panel: local community members took questions from students. L-R Katie Yeomans, Zack Haddock, Chris Saunders, Scott Cross, Phil Perry.
Year A students at Churchill attended an Indigenous health cultural day in March organised by the Indigenous Health Unit at MUDRIH.
The morning was devoted to the cultural safety training program facilitated by Hilton Gruis and Phil Perry. At the end of the session, all participants received a certificate.
The afternoon session was devoted to ‘question time’. Key individuals and Elders from the local Aboriginal community took questions from the students. The session went on for about two hours and students were able to ask what they always wanted to know but were hitherto shy to ask! Students found the sessions very informative and the discussions were lively. At the end of the session, students were seen gathered in groups around the Aboriginal Elders to further clarify their doubts and share experiences.
Students explore Gippsland during the annual mental health vacation school.
The annual mental health vacation school gets underway in mid-July.
Open to third and fourth year allied health and nusing undergraduate, honors and postgraduate students, the school aims to broaden their understanding of the mental health field. It also showcases the range of mental health services provided in Gippsland and explores career opportunities with potential employers in the region.
The mental health vacation school is a novel recruitment strategy developed by the MUDRIH Mental Health Unit and is the subject of a longitudinal research study.
Yallambee Clinical Manager Michelle Crosby, MUDRIH researcher and PhD student Fiona McCook and Yallambee Roster Coordinator Janelle Leighton (pictured) are working together, alongside other Yallambee staff, to enhance patient outcomes at the aged care facility.
The story behind a Participatory Action Research (PAR) process underway with School of Rural Health MUDRIH researcher Fiona McCook and Yallambee Aged Care Services has been described by both parties as “serendipitous”.
The collaboration, which began in February and evolved from opportune “connections and conversations,” has certainly proved to be mutually beneficial.
Last year, as the newly appointed Clinical Manager at Traralgon-based Yallambee, Michelle Crosby, identified gaps in the way the service mentored and supervised students and in the strength of its partnerships with Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).
With the support of CEO/DOC Roslyn Hunter, Michelle was able to pursue options to develop and enhance the program at Yallambee
At around the same time Fiona was considering how to approach her PhD and, with a background in teaching, was keen to explore an opportunity in PAR.
“I’ve always been interested in working with people and I have never been one to sit in an ivory tower,” Fiona said, of her attitude to research.
“I was looking for something I could sink my teeth into so when the opportunity arose to work with this preceptor group (at Yallambee) to develop their teaching practice – and understanding of their teaching practice – in order to create change , I jumped at it.”
Michelle shares Fiona’s passion for creating quality learning environments. “I’m not an academic though so it took me a little while to understand what we were going to enter into with Fiona but the feedback already, after nine sessions, has been so positive,” she said.
That feedback, from both staff and students, indicates the learning sessions – and the changes which have arisen from them – are lifting staff morale, transforming Yallambee’s workplace culture, enriching students’ experiences and, ultimately, laying the foundations for a higher quality of care.
The process has been genuinely collaborative. “Yallambee preceptors developed their own objectives for the preceptor training and for the student placement program,” said Fiona, “this was all done by the team.”
The learning sessions, facilitated by Fiona and involving Yallambee’s leadership team, took on “a life of their own, which is exactly how I hoped it would go,” she said.
The outcomes, evident already, are testament to the enthusiasm with which staff embraced the opportunity to involve themselves in the process, according to Michelle.
“There has been a real flow-on effect, with team leaders letting their people know ‘this is what we now expect in our unit’ and they have met no resistance at all,” she said.
Critical to the change process underway at Yallambee has been an increased level of collaboration with their RTO’s, GEST and TAFE, whose students undertake placements at the aged care hostel .
As part of a shared commitment to improving student experiences, both organisations have “come on board” and Michelle said she hoped for the same level of co-operation next year when Federation Training students commence placements at Yallambee.
Key initiatives to stem from the PAR process have included enhancing the orientation process for students and ensuring reflections and feedback in students’ competency books are more comprehensive. This has also helped Gippsland Employment Skills Training (GEST) and TAFE teachers to better track students’ progress from each rotation.
“Each team leader now provides a constructive report to students at the end of their rotation in that unit, providing feedback on what a student might need to address and how they can do that, to ensure things are being done correctly,” said Roster Coordinator Janelle Leighton .
Michelle said this process also provided valuable insights into the most effective ways to teach students.
Additional components have also been built into Yallambee’s orientation procedures. “Team leaders now talk to students about their own journeys and students come in to have this orientation before their placement begins,” said Michelle. “We have also revamped our orientation folder for the next round of students.”
Janelle said all of the changes evolving from the PAR process had collectively served to boost morale.
“Instead of there being a sense of ‘here we go again’ before placements commence, the culture has really shifted,” she said. “The supervision is better, the debriefings are more regular…this is seen as an opportunity now and the staff are taking pride in the process.”
Michelle said that sort of change was crucial to promoting aged care as a career path, respecting the complex responsibilities inherent in aged care and helping to develop a bank of good students for future recruitment.
For Fiona, the learning journey has been reciprocal.
“This has been a complete eye opener for me, to see what a fantastic job the people here do, and their commitment and passion,” she said. “What has emerged for me also is how much they can do all of this themselves – the skills and knowledge are there, it has just been about raising awareness of teaching and learning issues and building confidence in their ability to create an effective learning environment.”
Pictured is Tracey Minister with Helen Chambers at Tracey’s farewell morning tea.
It was with a lot of hugs and tears that MUDRIH farewelled Tracey Minster at a morning tea on Thursday 19 June.
Tracey has been at MUDRIH for nearly three years, contributing enormously to the efficient running of the unit during some challenging and stressful times.
Tracey has now decided to take up the challenge of a new role as Manager for SRH Latrobe Valley, West Gippsland and Churchill where she is certain to make her mark.
Everyone at MUDRIH will miss Tracey for her advice, efficiency and friendship. Staff would like to wish her well in her new position and expect to still see her around the traps. “We hope that staff at SRH Latrobe Valley, West Gippsland and Churchill appreciate her as much as we did,” they said.
Pictured at the Summit are (from left) Jenny Moloney, Katie Yeomans and Jane Taylor.
The MUDRIH interprofessional team was represented at the recent People in Health Summit. Jenny Moloney, Project Manager of Gippsland Regional Interprofessional Program in Simulation (GRIPS), Katie Yeomans (Indigenous Lecturer) and Jane Taylor (Adjunct Lecturer/interprofessional) all attended the health summit, representing Senior Lecturer Mollie Burley who was on leave.
Three papers were presented at the Summit which showcased a range of work by the team. These sessions were well attended despite the late time slot.
Jane’s presentation outlined the four years of multifaceted capacity building MUDRIH has undertaken in partnership with Latrobe Community Health Service. Jane said the highlight for her was seeing Katie, as a proud Aboriginal woman, talk about the inspirational work she is doing with her own community in delivering Indigenous coaching sessions for non-Indigenous health workers in Gippsland. The enthusiasm and questions from the audience underlined the interest aroused by this innovative approach to cultural safety.
According to Jenny, the Summit was a good opportunity to meet face-to-face with key Department of Health personnel. She said it was also inspiring to hear about other groups’ programs.
International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare
Dr Hanan Khalil has accepted the role of Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare (IJEBH). Ms Helen Chambers will be the managing editor.
Published quarterly, The International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare is dedicated to communicating important new studies relevant to current debates and developments in evidence-based healthcare. Papers are grouped under the categories of Evidence Synthesis (translation), Evidence Transfer (dissemination), and Evidence Utilisation (implementation and evaluation).
The journal also features original commentary, articles on methodology and letters to the editor, providing a global forum for discussion of multidisciplinary, evidence-based healthcare practice.
“In the next era of the International Journal of Evidence based Healthcare, I am looking to include the work of a number of disciplines such as pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry and other allied health practitioners that adopt partnership models to facilitate translation of science into practice in order to inform policy making,” Dr Khalil said.
“New knowledge about approaches that promote the implementation of evidence to improve patient care across various practice settings and populations has the capacity to inform practice change.
“The IJEBH welcomes articles that describe and report on active involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders in terms of methodological development related to ways to communicate knowledge. We will be also looking to publish innovative articles of scientific rigour using the most appropriate methods to produce valid, generalizable answers on how to implement evidence into practice.”
“Clinical practice guidelines is another section that I would like to introduce to the journal. Practice guidelines are a result of a comprehensive assessment of the current scientific evidence. They provide detailed, evidence based guidance for clinicians to assess and manage various conditions. The journal will devote a section to clinical practice guidelines development to inform various practice models.
“Through the incorporation of those sections mentioned above, we are hoping to address some of the gaps identified in translation science by making use of the strengths of multidisciplinary collaborations for better knowledge translation across the health disciplines, to improve health outcomes worldwide.”
The International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare also publishes research conducted by the Joanna Briggs Institute. JBI is an international collaboration of health researchers and clinicians that aims to promote best practice in healthcare.
Published since 2003, the journal moved to Lippincott Williams & Wilkins earlier this year. It continues on a quarterly publication schedule, in an online format.
Submit your paper online at http://ijebh.edmgr.com/
Aged Care Health Professionals: Interprofessional Sim Family/Carer Clinic Project
The Interprofessional Simulation team at MUDRIH have included in their Extended Gippsland Regional Interprofessional Partnership in Simulation (EGRIPS) project engaging with Yallambee, a Central Gippsland-based aged care facility.
This collaboration has resulted in the development and implementation of the Interprofessional Sim Family/Carer Clinic project. The project’s aim is to improve co-operation, collaboration, communication and teamwork between families/carers and aged care facility staff, from various disciplines, to deliver best practice outcomes for residents.
The clinics are facilitated by MUDRIH staff who are trained in delivering interprofessional collaborative practice through simulation. Five MUDRIH staff have also volunteered and been trained to act in the role of simulated family members.
To date, six case scenarios – based on de-identified real life situations – have been developed, focusing on known challenging areas, including dealing with dementia, managing difficult family members and cultural issues.
The first two of six scheduled Interprofessional Simulated Clinics commenced on 13th June at MUDRIH. The clinics require between two and four health professionals from a minimum of two different disciplines to participate in sessions of up to four hours duration. They include training on Interprofessional Collaborative Practice.
The desired outcome of these clinics is to ultimately improve resident care and family satisfaction. These simulated clinics provide training in a safer environment than on-the-job training with real residents and their family members, and promote better teamwork through developing problem solving skills and communication with other disciplines. They are also fun!
If you have any inquiries please contact Jenny Moloney, EGRIPS Project Manager.
This project was made possible through funding from Health Workforce Australia.
MUDRIH is based in Moe in the very building where the Monash School of Rural Health started more than 20 years ago.
The story is now part of the school’s history; the first office was in the cleaner’s cupboard of the old Moe Hospital. Today, the Monash University Department of Rural and Indigenous Health (MUDRIH) occupies a large section of the former hospital building.
MUDRIH has been involved in education prior to, and since becoming a Federal Government funded University Department of Rural Health. Teaching and learning remain a critical focus of the school’s activities.
Its teaching strengths include research methods; program evaluation; rural health practice; Indigenous health and cultural awareness; interprofessional collaboration; mental health; alcohol and other drugs; counselling; public health; and rural pharmacy.
Research also plays a significant role in MUDRIH’s activities. The school is responsible for supervising students throughout the school undertaking higher degrees by research including research masters and PhDs.
Research strengths are in: pharmacy; interprofessional education; simulation; cancer; Indigenous health; health services; aged care and carers; mental health; health workforce; and health and medical education.
The Indigenous Health team is focussed on improving the health of Indigenous Australians through a partnership approach across multiple programs. MUDRIH encourages Indigenous Australians to undertake careers in the health sector and works in co-operation with other services and organisations toward this outcome. The collaboration between medical, nursing and allied health professionals is vital for good client/patient care. Interprofessional education at MUDRIH brings these professions together as students and practitioners to learn how to work as teams through the delivery of workshops, training and ongoing research
The Rural Pharmacy Program, funded by the Pharmacy Guild ofAustralia, is another of MUDRIH’s many effective collaborations, this one being between Monash University and the University of Melbourne. Its primary aims are to maintain and improve access to quality pharmacy services for rural and remote communities as well as increasing the total pharmacy workforce starting and staying in practice.
MUDRIH is committed to improving access to mental health services. Its work in this area aims to improve the capacity of non-mental health workers and other professionals to deal with mental health issues among clients and patients while also increasing awareness in the general community and mentoring and supervising students and practitioners. It runs a well-supported Gippsland Mental Health Vacation School each year. Staff also focus on research and evaluation in this area.
The Chronic Diseases Management (CDM) Node is one of more than 50 affiliates with the Joanna Briggs Institute at the University of Adelaide. CDM sees MUDRIH and the School of Nursing and Midwifery partner with Latrobe Regional Hospital and Latrobe Community Health Service to collaborate in chronic disease management research and clinical experience.
MUDRIH has worked in partnership with a number of Victorian Integrated Cancer Services to implement and evaluate supportive care into routine patient care and clinical practice.
It has also developed several partnerships to provide research and education that supports elderly Australians with positive ageing, supporting frail aged people to remain in their own homes as long as possible.