Occupational therapy students offer innovative care to Myrtleford
University students have provided wellbeing care in Myrtleford, as part of a new initiative to provide mental health and wellbeing services in rural communities in northeast Victoria.
Third year Monash University students (from left to right), Paige Pfeiffer, Laura Bentley, Jade Knight and Anita Sophea, at the Myrtleford Neighbourhood Community Centre.
Four occupational therapy (OT) students undertook a 5-week placement at the Myrtleford Community Centre. Under supervision from a team of experienced clinical educators, the students developed a cooking and healthy eating program for residents, designed to facilitate capacity building in healthy meal preparation skills, and build social connections among community members. This program was part of the ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing for Remote and Aboriginal Victorians’ project, a partnership between Departments of Rural Health at the University of Melbourne, Monash, La Trobe, and Deakin Universities, together with Gateway Health and Budja Budja Aboriginal Cooperative. The project seeks to provide support to rural, isolated, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities where the mental workforce was limited.
Community approach: students working at the Myrtleford Neighbourhood Centre to design healthy eating and wellbeing programs for residents.
The four Monash University students worked in a community-based program designed to address gaps in rural health and wellbeing services while gaining valuable learning experiences. Rebecca Oates, Acting Manager at Going Rural Health from the University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health, described the program as providing an innovative and holistic approach to well-being, and to the prevention of acute mental health conditions for more vulnerable rural community residents. “Social isolation and lack of access to healthcare services are two contributing factors to the rise in mental health issues in rural communities," Rebecca said.
Professor Lisa Bourke, Director at the University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health, said "small towns lack the workforce to provide a range of mental health and wellbeing services. This project utilised the skills of students to provide community programs leading to wellness in Myrtleford. These weren’t all about counselling—social connection and good diet; exercise and sleep patterns has been found to increase mental wellness.”
Professor Bourke also said that “it was crucial that we provided students with exposure and the opportunity to develop the required skillset to appropriately manage patients with an underlying mental health condition because the data suggested that they would come across this in their careers.”
Third-year OT student Laura Bentley, who grew up in a rural area, was pleased when offered the placement in Myrtleford, where she could apply her passion for OT with a hands-on approach in a rural setting. “When I was younger, my dad was involved in a motorbike accident and acquired a brain injury, so that’s when I was introduced to the various allied health disciplines and saw how much of a difference it made for Dad,” Laura said. “I was so happy when I found out I had a rural placement, it’s what I’m used to. I love that it wasn’t as fast-paced, it gave you time to get your bearings.”
The University of Melbourne offers subsidised regional student accommodation to support students on placement.
OT student Paige Pfeiffer highlighted the creative and self-accountability aspects of the rural placement. “OT isn't always in a clinical setting it's also out in the community so we really had to think about the ways we could apply OT in this type of setting.This placement environment has been a fantastic learning experience, challenging us to problem-solve and find the best ways to approach a unique program like this," Paige said.
Students engaged in conversations with residents and local organisations including Foodshare and the local Op Shop owner to ensure the program aligned with the community's needs. Many community members faced food access issues with rising living costs, which can be associated with mental health challenges. The cooking program aimed to equip the community with the skills needed for healthy and affordable meal preparation, bring residents together, and foster connections.
Jill Graham, Manager at the Myrtleford Neighbourhood Centre said, “it was a great experience working with the students, they experienced how rural communities worked closely together and how different it was from the city.”
In addition to helping address healthcare gaps in rural communities, the program aims to provide a positive rural placement experience for the university students in the hope of opening the possibility of pursuing rural healthcare careers.
To demonstrate its commitment to rural community health programs, the University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health provides subsidised student accommodation in Myrtleford and another nine regional sites to ensure students can continue to come to these placements. "Rural workforce research indicated that students who had a positive rural experience were more likely to work in rural settings," Professor Bourke said.
The OT students embraced their experience of regional Victoria. Anita Sophea said: “I’ll definitely miss living with everyone once the placement is over. The biggest thing I’ll be taking away and building on from this placement is communication. We’ve learnt how to adapt to a new setting and work well together as a team.”
Students enjoying the benefits of rural placement by exploring what nature has to offer.
The project is a partnership between the University Departments of Rural Health (UDRHs) of Melbourne, Monash, La Trobe and Deakin Universities, Budja Budja Aboriginal Cooperative (in the Grampians region) and Gateway Health. We acknowledge the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care for funding through the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training program.
To learn more about our allied health and nursing student support program visit goingruralhealth.com.au.