Alumni strategies
Many people work in or near the places where they spent time as children or during their professional education. ‘Alumni’ also serve as ambassadors for those places, recommending them to their friends and colleagues. Strategies which involve maintaining contact with previous residents and those who have visited on professional placements can lead to improved recruitment outcomes. Activities might include a yearly newsletter, or a social media group, or an invitation to an annual ‘alumni’ function.
ImplementabilityRelatively difficult to implement
This requires a commitment and a long-term investment from those maintaining the relationships with potential ‘Alumni’. This may also be more successful in careers that can accommodate potential work experience or have the potential to offer ‘placement’.
Implementation examples
The Australian Medical Students Association (AMSA) Rural Health Committee offers bursaries for medical students undertaking rural electives. Placements must be a minimum of four weeks.
Success factors
Research has found that maintaining contact with past residents and acknowledging their professional achievements can create a sense of goodwill, and even lead to people returning to work in locations that they might not otherwise have considered (Mathews et al, 2012). Success comes from the maintaining of personal and sincere relationships, rather than overt promotion of the location. Success is ultimately dependent on encouraging local youth to consider careers in the professions in local demand, and welcoming visiting students. ‘Alumni’ strategies can be linked with offers of summer jobs or research scholarships.
Challenges
‘Alumni’ strategies require long term investment. They may be less successful for locations with poor education infrastructure (both standard and professional education). However, alumni may be recruited from near or distant locations, making these strategies useful for rural and remote locations.
Doctor
Nurse
5001-30000 inhabitants
Making a move to a rural or remote community, relocating and building a life there is a major consideration. Prospective employers want to reach recruits with more than just a job advertisement; it must be easy for target recruits to access any information that would influence them in making this major life decision. Professionals may have families including a spouse who needs to find work, and children requiring education and activities.
Engagement of communities in defining their recruitment and retention strategy is essential to the development of partnerships that will make the entire suite of interventions work. Having communities involved in defining the approach that will be used in their community ensures that solutions are feasible in their specific environment, and that community members are more likely to sustain them.
In rural remote communities, professionals often work in isolation, without access to specialist support that they may have enjoyed in previous urban roles or in their training. Rural and remote health leaders who report that they have overcome challenges in recruitment and retention of professionals typically report that they consider supporting team cohesion to be a major part of their role. They involve their team of professionals in decisions on who to recruit to the team, they create opportunities for their team to socialize and learn together, and offer them some control over their work environments (shift scheduling, strategic planning, creation of leadership roles among professionals, such as regional professional development lead).
Mathews M, Seguin M, Chowdhury N, Card RT. Generational differences in factors influencing physicians to choose a work location. Rural and Remote Health(Internet) 2012; 12: 1864. Available: http://www.rrh.org.au/articles/subviewnew.asp?ArticleID=1864