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(07) 3105 7800
Turrbal and Jagera Country
Level 4, 348 Edward Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Health Workforce Queensland was proud to once again support the RDAQ Conference as a Silver Sponsor, contributing to a packed program of learning, networking and discussion focused on the future of healthcare in remote and rural Queensland.
The sold-out pre-conference Emergency Obstetrics Workshop received enthusiastic feedback from delegates and presenters alike, while the Family Program proved a popular addition for attendees travelling with loved ones.
Throughout the conference, Caro, Keith, Renae and Sandra connected with delegates and exhibitors in the trade lounge, discussing workforce challenges, opportunities and priorities across the sector. For Caro, one of the highlights was meeting a GP preparing for retirement and reflecting on a long and rewarding career in general practice. Equally valuable were conversations with doctors in training, sharing how HWQ can support them along their career journey and exploring current workforce priorities with sector partners.
Keith was on hand to showcase HWQ's Primary Health Workforce Map (PHeW), our bespoke, data-driven and interactive workforce intelligence tool designed to identify, rank and visualise priority areas of workforce need across Queensland.
HWQ also played a role in organising the ever-popular Great Debate and, as it turned out, unofficially managed a little musical talent along the way. Representatives from Queensland's four Rural Health Clubs, Bushfire (Bond University), TROHPIQ (The University of Queensland), Club RHINO (James Cook University) and HOPE4HEALTH (Griffith University), joined local GPs Dr Aileen Traves and Dr Marlow Coates to debate the topic: One system, two mindsets: Should rural healthcare be designed differently to metropolitan care? Expertly moderated by Dr Brianna Smith, with Sahaana Mayooran keeping proceedings on track (cowbell in hand), the debate delivered plenty of thoughtful discussion, humour and unexpected entertainment, including Royce Ocampo breaking into song to launch his opening argument. The audience was treated to a fantastic demonstration of what happens when students and doctors come together to tackle big ideas with creativity, passion and good humour. After a lively contest, the audience poll declared Team Redesign the winner, securing 80% of the vote compared with 20% for Team Status Quo.
For the HWQ team, however, one of the conference highlights was the Rural Workforce Forum breakfast, The Supervision Squeeze. The session sparked valuable conversations about the growing pressures on supervision in remote and rural healthcare settings and the practical solutions needed to support the next generation of doctors. The discussion brought together a diverse range of perspectives from across the sector, generating thoughtful insights that will now contribute to the development of a White Paper focused on strengthening supervision capacity in Queensland. The aim is to translate these conversations into practical actions that support supervisors, trainees and ultimately the health of remote and rural communities.
Read more about The Supervision Squeeze: Finding Practical Solutions for Rural Queensland via the button below.
