A recent meeting in Rockhampton, Queensland, has helped the Physiotherapy Board of Australia learn more about the issues faced by physiotherapists working in rural and regional areas of Australia.

The Board has committed to holding at least two meetings per year outside of Melbourne (where Ahpra and the National Boards are based) to gain a better understanding of local concerns, challenges and practice in different locations around the country.

The visit to Rockhampton was the first Board meeting in a regional area since Darwin in May 2022. Physiotherapy Board of Australia Chair Kim Gibson said it was an ideal location to meet a range of stakeholders working in both the Rockhampton area and the more isolated rural communities surrounding the city.

‘It’s important for us to get firsthand knowledge of what it means to be a physiotherapist in a regional or remote community and the unique challenges and issues they encounter,’ Kim said.

‘We met with physiotherapists working in both the public and private systems in these communities, who offered Board members insight into aspects of practising in rural communities and the complexity of rural
health, both for the practitioners and for their clients.

‘The Board was also able to meet with Aboriginal physiotherapists, who shared their own perspectives on working in rural environments, especially within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.’

Supporting rural physiotherapy and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander physiotherapy are each priority areas for the Board, due to poor health outcomes for both rural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.

Twenty-eight per cent of Australians live in rural and remote areas and 19 per cent of physiotherapists registered in Australia support these communities.

The workforce was highlighted as an issue by local practitioners, who said that attracting good, experienced allied health professionals to rural and remote areas and then retaining them is an ongoing challenge. 

The physiotherapists the Board met were extremely passionate and well integrated into the local
community. 

These practitioners indicated that trust, shared experiences and established relationships are particularly important in a smaller community and enhance the understanding between clinician and patient.

As well as meeting with local physiotherapists, the Board was fortunate that Dr Sean Ledger, president of the Council of Physiotherapy Deans Australia and New Zealand and a senior lecturer in physiotherapy at Central Queensland University, was available to discuss the current, post-pandemic approach to clinical
training and education. 

The challenges and benefits of clinical placements for rural and remote communities were considered by all.

The Board also met Central Queensland University physiotherapy students, who talked about student life and the difficulties faced by those who had to travel large distances to attend the university as well as
other key issues of interest and concern.

‘The Board would like to thank all the physiotherapists and students who took the time to share their goals, challenges and experiences with us,’ Kim said. 

‘Their passion for being a physiotherapist working in a rural community was evident to all the Board members.’

Content supplied. Visit physiotherapyboard.gov.au to find out more.