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Allied Health

Upcoming Events

The Department of Human Services is undertaking a study into the workforces involved in the delivery of radiation oncology, medical imaging and nuclear medicine services. This project will focus on the medical physicist, medical radiation technologist, and medical specialist workforces. The attached information newsletter provides more detail about the study.
Facilitated focus groups will be held at the end of September in 3 different regions of Victoria.

Numbers are limited and we invite your interest in attending the focus groups. We will review attendance of the focus groups to ensure the mix of attendees covers rural, regional, metropolitan, public and private health services and that all professions are represented. Confirmation letters will be sent to all attendees.

If you would like to register your interest to participate in one of the focus groups please read the attached newsletter for more information and confirm your preferred location and subgroup.

Medical Radiation Workforce Newsletter and Focus Group Information

About Allied Health

Allied health is used as the collective term for a wide range of tertiary qualified health professionals, other than medical and nursing, including but not limited to:

The Department is working with professional associations, Victorian Allied Health Leaders Council, registration boards, employers, universities, training institutions and special interest groups to understand and address workforce issues affecting these health professions.

Allied health recruitment and retention initiatives

A number of rural allied health recruitment and retention initiatives have been funded across Victoria during the past three years:

       Summary of allied health recruitment and retention initiatives 2009-10

In 2008-09 the Department appointed Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) to conduct an independent evaluation of three of its funded rural allied health workforce recruitment and retention projects: Region of Choice, MentoringWorks and the Statewide Allied Health Workforce Education Program. The aims of the evaluation were to obtain an independent assessment of the outcomes of each of the three programs, to determine the effectiveness of the way in which the programs work together, and to identify options for future delivery. A copy of the final report is now available and the Department has commenced work to implement the evaluation recommendations.

Evaluation of Victorian Allied Health Workforce Recruitment and Retention Projects

The Victorian Government provides support to health professional students who intend to practice after graduation in rural and regional Victoria. The Rural Health Scholarship Foundation manages scholarship programs for both undergraduate and postgraduate allied health students who can demonstrate a commitment to rural careers. Further information is available on the Victorian Heathcare Association Ltd. website - Rural Scholarships page.

 
Allied Health Assistant Scoping Project
Recruitment and retention in allied health has been identified as a key area of focus as part of a broader strategy to address allied health workforce shortages in Victoria.  In particular, the health workforce is ageing and there is increasing difficulty attracting and retaining allied health professionals.  These trends highlight the need to explore new models of allied health service delivery. The department recognises Allied Health Assistants (AHA) play a pivotal role in enabling allied health professionals to focus on more complex aspects of care, thus enhancing job satisfaction and reducing risk of clinician burn out.
 
Undertaken by Healthcare Management Advisors (HMA) in 2008-09, the Allied Health Assistant Scoping Project aimed to ascertain the current use and practices of AHA in a sample of Victorian health and community services. As well as identifying the current supply and future demand of AHAs within the sample, the project examined barriers to using AHA within health and community services, and uncovered ways in which AHA roles can be supported and enhanced.  This study will assist with informing future policy decisions regarding education, training and support of AHA.

Sonography Workforce Project

In 2008-09, the department engaged the Australian Health Workforce Institute (AHWI) to conduct a study into Victoria’s Sonography workforce.  The study aimed to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Sonography workforce in the Victorian health system, inclusive of public and private health services, to establish a solid body of evidence regarding the workforce issues in Sonography.

 

The report provides information on current Sonography workforce supply, distribution and utilisation, with various data sources reviewed to provide an understanding of workforce demographics.  The exploration of this employment sector also included the key considerations of education and training, supervision, technology and clinical practice.

 

Stakeholder consultation with professional associations, health services, radiology services and training providers from both the public and private sectors played a significant role in contributing to this project.

 

The findings of the Sonography Workforce Project will help to inform future policy decisions in relation to this health workforce group.

 

 


PDF File VSNMT Final Report (PDF File - 405.6 kb)
PDF File Final Report of Evaluation of R&R projects (PDF File - 931.1 kb)
PDF File Medical Workforce Study Newsletter (PDF File - 564.1 kb)
PDF File AH R&R Summary 0910 (PDF File - 103.5 kb)
PDF File VSNMT Final Report (PDF File - 405.6 kb)

Workforce Studies

PDF File Medical Radiation Technology Labour Force Victoria 2004 (2007) (PDF File - 2.4 mb)
The Medical Radiation Technologists Labour Force Survey, Victoria 2004 aims to explore the composition of the Medical Radiation Technologists Labour Force within Victoria and provide an understanding about the changing composition and work practices of the profession.

PDF File The Victorian Podiatry Workforce 2003 - 2007 (PDF File - 2.6 mb)
The survey aimed to explore the composition of the Podiatry Labour Force within Victoria, and provide an understanding about the changing composition and work practices of the profession. This report provides an insight into changes in the Victorian Podiatry Labour Force between 2003 and 2007.

PDF File Occupational Therapy Labour Force Victoria 2003 - 04 (PDF File - 1.2 mb)
The data obtained in the survey has been analysed to obtain a profile of the workforce and identify any possible trends in the profession. Data from earlier surveys, in 1998 and 2003, has also been used to assist in identifying trends over time. Occupational therapy is not a registered profession in Victoria. There is a professional association “OT Australia”, and it appears that most occupational therapists are members.

PDF File Osteopathy Labour Force - Victoria 2006 (2007) (PDF File - 375.5 kb)
The report presents the results of a survey sent to all registered osteopaths. Some of the elements analysed include gender, age, hours worked, location of employment, and work intentions.

PDF File Physiotherapy Labour Force - Victoria 2006 (2007) (PDF File - 1.1 mb)
The report presents the results of a survey sent to all registered physiotherapists. Some of the elements analysed include gender, age, hours worked, location of employment, and work intentions.

PDF File Physiotherapy Labour Force Victoria 2003-04 (2006) (PDF File - 730.7 kb)
The survey aimed to explore the composition of the Physiotherapy Labour Force within Victoria, and provide an understanding about the changing composition and work practices of the profession. In order to provide an insight into changes in the Victorian Physiotherapy Labour Force between 1998 and 2003, responses to a Labour Force Survey conducted in 1998 were also analysed, in conjunction with registration renewals for the Physiotherapists Registration Board of Victoria.

PDF File Speech Pathology Labour Force Victoria 2003-04 (2006) (PDF File - 183.3 kb)
The Speech Pathology Labour Force Survey was distributed to members of Speech Pathology Australia in 2004. Some of the elements analysed and included in this report include gender, age, hours worked, work location and future work intentions.

PDF File Pharmacy Labour Force Victoria 2003-04 (2006) (PDF File - 938.7 kb)
The Pharmacy Labour Force Survey, Victoria 2004 was distributed to pharmacists registered with the Registration Board of Victoria to explore the composition of the pharmacy labour force within Victoria. It also provides an understanding of the composition and work practices of the pharmacy profession. Survey data from 2004 describes a workforce that comprises near equal numbers of males and females. With a greater number of females expected to enter the workforce after graduation it is expected that the proportion of females in the workforce will increase within the next 10 years.

PDF File Victorian Oral Health Workforce - 2007 (PDF File - 1.3 mb)
This report provides an insight to the Victorian oral health care workforce including dentists, prosthetists, dental therapists and dental hygienists. The information presented in the report comes from the Victorian responses to the 2007 National Dental Labour Force Survey and Dental Practice Board of Victoria registration data.

Census workforce profiles

The following profiles of allied health professions were developed using data from the 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Each information sheet provides a profile of the profession in Victoria, including numbers, age structure, geographic distribution, industry and sector of employment, income, and change in numbers and age structure between 1996 and 2006.

PDF File Dietitians - Profile using data from Census 2006 (October 2008) (PDF File - 373.0 kb)

PDF File Occupational therapists - Profile using data from Census 2006 (October 2008) (PDF File - 357.2 kb)

PDF File Social Workers - Profile using data from Census 2006 (October 2008) (PDF File - 397.0 kb)

PDF File Speech pathologists - Profile using data from Census 2006 ( October 2008) (PDF File - 363.2 kb)

PDF File Chiropractors - Profile using data from Census 2006 (October 2008) (PDF File - 375.8 kb)