Informa Interview - Shannon Nott National Rural and Indigenous Officer Australian Medical Students' Association

Shannon Nott, National Rural and Indigenous Officer of Australian Medical Students' Association, talks about the ageing population in rural areas, breaking down barriers of lack of understanding of what is actually involved in working in the health sector and prejudices surrounding rural life.

An ageing population, coupled with mounting demand will place increasing strain on health services in rural and remote areas. Current service leaders are rapidly approaching retirement and bringing a new generation of health workers into the picture will be critical in dealing with the coming exodus.

Engaging under 35s to enter into careers in rural health requires the overcoming of a number of significant stumbling blocks. Many stereotypes exist surrounding life in regional areas; not least of which that it is boring. There are a good spread of clinical schools but they are overprescribed and under resourced to satisfy demand for training places. There is also an increasing need for inter-professional training to deal with the challenges of complex health needs in smaller service teams.

Shannon Nott, the National Rural and Indigenous Officer of the Australian Medical Students' Association, a leading advocate for rural workforce development, will discuss his efforts toward meeting these challenges at Informa's upcoming National Health Workforce Reform conference. To be held at the Sydney Harbour Marriott from November 23rd - 24th, the forum will address a range of key national health workforce development priorities, including rural health reform, with a strong focus on cross-service and interdisciplinary collaboration.

For more information, go to www.informa.com.au/healthworkforce