Women living in a remote Australian mining community: exploring their psychological well-being.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors believed to influence the psychological well-being of women living in a modern remote Australian mining community. DESIGN: A qualitative phenomenological study conducted through focus group discussions. SETTING: Remote Australian mining town. PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen women living in a remote Australian mining town with a partner undertaking shiftwork at one of the local mines. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women in a remote Australian mining community revealed, through focus group discussion, the factors influencing their psychological well-being. RESULTS: Four themes were identified to be of importance for the women. These were the impacts of mining work, isolation, culture and the social environment on their happiness and well-being, and that of their families and the broader community. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological well-being of women in a remote mining community might be improved through better local medical services, increased efforts at social inclusion and community connectedness, greater access to child care and better community infrastructure and pleasant surrounds. The findings also question the stereotypes of strong masculinist cultures and limited activities and services in such communities. Further research is highly recommended.

Development of a common national questionnaire to evaluate student perceptions about the Australian Rural Clinical Schools Program.

The Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing provided funds for the Australian medical schools to establish Rural Clinical Schools. This workforce initiative has enabled medical students to learn in a diverse range of rural and remote healthcare settings. A common questionnaire was developed and agreed on by all the directors of the Rural Clinical Schools. Use of this common questionnaire will facilitate reports on student attitudes and program outcomes, both within individual Rural Clinical Schools and at a national program level. The data analysis will inform the community and the Australian Government about the effectiveness of the national Rural Clinical School program in (1) meeting the primary aims of providing high quality rural medical education; and (2) addressing the medical workforce shortage in rural and remote areas.