Evaluating the rural health placements of the Rural Support Network at the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape
| dc.contributor.author | Naidu, C S | |
| dc.contributor.author | Irlam, J | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-04-23T12:23:38Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-04-23T12:23:38Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2012 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2016-04-21T07:13:12Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Objectives: The Rural Support Network (RSN) is an undergraduate student society that aims to raise awareness among the student body of the plight of rural health in South Africa, and organises individual and group placements in rural hospitals during vacations. This research aimed to evaluate these placements from the students' perspectives. Design: In-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 students and nine placement-reflective reports were reviewed. The data were analysed and coded for key themes using a constant, comparative grounded theory approach. Setting: Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the University of Cape Town. Subjects: Students who had been on RSN placements in 2010. Results: Students reported that the experience exceeded their expectations of learning new skills and observing and performing procedures. They gained significant insights into rural health care and were inspired to contribute to rural health in future. Their experiences helped them to gain confidence and an appreciation of the psycho-social aspects of patient care. The importance of community empowerment and of connecting and building relationships with communities was also emphasised. Challenges pertained to conflict within groups, incidents of unprofessional health care and being unable to help as much as they would have liked. Conclusion: The study highlights the impact that positive experiences of rural health may have on health science students' interest in, passion for, and commitment to practising in underserved rural areas. Students' key recommendations for the FHS included the development of a rural programme within the undergraduate curriculum. Better group composition and improved planning and co-ordination of placements by the RSN were also recommended. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20786204.2012.10874248 | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Naidu, C. S., & Irlam, J. (2012). Evaluating the rural health placements of the Rural Support Network at the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape. <i>South African Family Practice</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19152 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Naidu, C S, and J Irlam "Evaluating the rural health placements of the Rural Support Network at the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape." <i>South African Family Practice</i> (2012) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19152 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Naidu, C. S., & Irlam, J. (2012). Evaluating the rural health placements of the Rural Support Network at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town. South African Family Practice, 54(4), 352-357. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2078-6190 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Journal Article AU - Naidu, C S AU - Irlam, J AB - Objectives: The Rural Support Network (RSN) is an undergraduate student society that aims to raise awareness among the student body of the plight of rural health in South Africa, and organises individual and group placements in rural hospitals during vacations. This research aimed to evaluate these placements from the students' perspectives. Design: In-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 students and nine placement-reflective reports were reviewed. The data were analysed and coded for key themes using a constant, comparative grounded theory approach. Setting: Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the University of Cape Town. Subjects: Students who had been on RSN placements in 2010. Results: Students reported that the experience exceeded their expectations of learning new skills and observing and performing procedures. They gained significant insights into rural health care and were inspired to contribute to rural health in future. Their experiences helped them to gain confidence and an appreciation of the psycho-social aspects of patient care. The importance of community empowerment and of connecting and building relationships with communities was also emphasised. Challenges pertained to conflict within groups, incidents of unprofessional health care and being unable to help as much as they would have liked. Conclusion: The study highlights the impact that positive experiences of rural health may have on health science students' interest in, passion for, and commitment to practising in underserved rural areas. Students' key recommendations for the FHS included the development of a rural programme within the undergraduate curriculum. Better group composition and improved planning and co-ordination of placements by the RSN were also recommended. DA - 2012 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - South African Family Practice LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2012 SM - 2078-6190 T1 - Evaluating the rural health placements of the Rural Support Network at the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape TI - Evaluating the rural health placements of the Rural Support Network at the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19152 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19152 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://medpharm.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/20786204.2012.10874248 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Naidu CS, Irlam J. Evaluating the rural health placements of the Rural Support Network at the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape. South African Family Practice. 2012; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19152. | en_ZA |
| dc.language | eng | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | South African Academy of Family Physicians | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.department | Primary Health Care Directorate | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.rights | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 South Africa License | * |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/za/ | en_ZA |
| dc.source | South African Family Practice | en_ZA |
| dc.source.uri | http://www.safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj | |
| dc.subject.other | rural placements | |
| dc.subject.other | undergraduate medical education | |
| dc.subject.other | voluntary student society | |
| dc.title | Evaluating the rural health placements of the Rural Support Network at the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Journal Article | en_ZA |
| uct.type.filetype | Text | |
| uct.type.filetype | Image | |
| uct.type.publication | Research | en_ZA |
| uct.type.resource | Article | en_ZA |