Systems thinking and conceptualising rural health workforce development with optimised access to sustainable health services

This invited symposium analysed workforce development using a complexity science/systems lens, considered the educational perspective and the role of clinical educators as leaders, and highlighted the implications for education and training. Rural health, health workforce and associated needs-based health services can be seen as wicked problems where new interventions can cause new problems. Systems thinking and collaboration are needed to agree on solutions that address multifactorial issues to optimise outcomes. A conceptual model was presented to assist health professionals, policymakers and other decision-makers in making sense of complexity so that they may be able to work towards optimal solutions.