Increasing quality and quantity of student placements in smaller rural health services: It can be done

Problem: Future rural nursing and midwifery workforce shortage and current shortage of placements for undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. Design: Developmental evaluation. Setting: Five small hospitals and a regional community health service. Key measures of improvement: Increased number of placements available for students; sustainable, quality clinical placement system in place for the future. Strategies for change: Clinical facilitators developed a clinical facilitation model and resources that increased quality and quantity of student placements, assisted clinicians to provide higher quality teaching to students, enabled students to develop skills in rural health care service provision and enhanced knowledge around future career options. Effects of change: Placement targets were met and all health services involved chose to continue the model of clinical facilitation developed after project funding ceased. The clinical education skills developed by staff under the project remain in the region to support future students. Lessons learnt: It is possible to create a sustainable, high-quality, rural placement experience for larger numbers of nursing and midwifery students. Funding sources are available to continue the clinical facilitation model in to the future, but for it to work optimally, a steady supply of students across the year is required.