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Study confirms Rural Medical Cadetship provides long-term workforce pipeline for rural health


30th November 2024
Rural Doctors Network has welcomed data from the study of the 36-year-old NSW Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship program that shows that 64% of survey respondents have remained working in country communities.

Rural Doctors Network has welcomed data from the study of the 36-year-old NSW Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship program that shows that 64% of survey respondents have remained working in country communities.

Founded in 1989, the successful Cadetship Program is administered by Rural Doctors Netowork and funded by the NSW Ministry of Health. It had an Indigenous Cadetship program added in 2012. 

The National Rural Health Commissioner, Professor Jenny May, has praised the success of the Program. 

“There’s real evidence, and we’ve seen it in the numbers, that spending time…in a rural location is probably the best predictor of rural return and actually trumps rural origin and rural exposure...” Professor May said.

“I’ve been a supporter, I’ve been a mentor…I did the first evaluation, so to me, the Program is really special,” she said. 

The 35-year study is the third longitudinal evaluation of its kind to track the career choice and practice location of former cadets who took part in the Cadetship Program. As part of the Program, successful applicants receive up to $15,000 per year for the final two years of their medical degree or $30,000 for indigenous students spread throughout the course of their study. In return, they agree to undertake two of the first three years of their hospital training in an eligible rural NSW hospital. These hospitals include Wagga Wagga, Albury, Orange, Tamworth, Broken Hill and Dubbo. 

Rural Doctors Network Future Workforce Manager, Chris Russell, said the Program has proven to be a successful initiative in attracting and retaining medical professionals who, previously, may not have considered a career in rural medicine. 

“The results show the Program is a successful tool, not only in attracting medical students from metropolitan areas to the rural medical workforce, but also in recruiting regional and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students,” Mr Russell said. 

“Since the last evaluation, 37 Indigenous medical students entered the program, a significant increase on the seven Indigenous recipients in the years prior. Furthermore, forty-four per cent of all cadets completed their high school education in metropolitan settings, highlighting the Program’s success in attracting medical students from metropolitan areas, into the rural medical workforce,” he said. 

64% of survey respondents now work in MM3-7 locations, an increase of 16% since 2014 and 21% since 2004, with 25% of the total currently working in MM4-7 locations. The MM descriptor is used by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care to define whether a location is metropolitan, rural, remote or very remote, graded from MM1 (metropolitan) to MM7 (most remote).

Mr Russell also said applications for the Program have increased significantly in the last 10 years. 

“The increase in applications is a great sign and important, particularly at a time when the number of rural doctors is either decreasing or plans are being made for retirement,” he said. 

NSW Health, Director Health Professional Workforce, Adjunct Associate Professor Jacqueline Dominish OAM also praised the Program and collaboration with Rural Doctors Network.

“Through our important partnership with the Rural Doctors Network, cadets are offered financial assistance, mentoring and training in a rural based hospital to build their medical skills,” Professor Dominish said.  

“This program has produced an outstanding group of doctors who were able to start their careers in rural medicine and further enabled them to demonstrate their passion and commitment to serving rural communities with 64 per cent of doctors who went through the program still working in regional, rural and remote locations.  

Dr. Lauren Zawal, a PGY2 doctor who completed her Junior Medical Officer (JMO) years in Tamworth, credited the Cadetship program for supporting her final year of studies in a rural location where she now works as a Resident Doctor.
 
“It alleviated the pressure of finding a part-time job to support myself in this new location, and allowed me to focus on my studies, placement, and immersing myself in the local community,” Dr Zawal said. 

Cadet Dominic Horneman will start his internship in Orange this year and says the Cadetship has given him the financial backing to focus on his studies. 
 
“The opportunities I’ve encountered through Rural Doctors Network have solidified my desire to pursue a career in rural health, and to advocate for the future of the rural health workforce,” Dominic said.

Significantly, the Study also found the Cadetship Program is successful in increasing the appeal and likelihood of participants pursuing General Practice with 42% of past cadets choosing primary care (General Practice or Rural Generalism) as their vocation.

Study Recommendations 

The Longitudinal Study includes five recommendations including: 

  • The NSW Ministry of Health continue to fund 48 cadets per annum.

  • Additional RPR hospitals be made available to cadets for their return of service requirements, specifically in regions with ongoing rural doctor shortages.

  • A dedicated general practice and rural generalist stream is introduced into the Cadetship Program

  • The Cadetship Alumni Program is enhanced to support those pursuing non-GP specialty training 

  • The minimum number of Indigenous cadets is maintained, and support offerings enhanced 

 

 

 

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