Emergence of a New Post-Professional Allied Health Workforce to Address Complex Healthcare Needs of Rural Patients: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

Abstract

Objective: To explore the nature and key functions of emerging allied health post-professional roles and to identify the contextual factors that continue to shape their development and operationalisation in rural public healthcare settings. Design: A qualitative exploratory study design utilising Ritchie and Spencer's team-based five-stage framework and Nancarrow's six principles to enhance workforce flexibility. Setting: Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. Participants: Semi-structured individual and group interviews were undertaken with allied health professionals working in post-professional roles and their managers/directors from four teams across multiple regional and rural areas. Results: Four key themes were identified, two of which related to the nature of the allied health post-professional role: (1) Allied health post-professionals meet clients ‘where they are at’ and (2) Hidden healthcare heroes. Two further themes described the factors that shape allied health post-professional roles in rural health settings: (3) Allied health post-professionals stretch and grow their skillset and the (4) Social construction of allied health post-professional roles. Conclusion: The post-professional workforce exemplifies the six principles of a ‘flexible workforce’ and may play a key role in addressing many system challenges that make client-centred care in rural settings difficult to achieve. However, the ongoing evolution and advancement of this workforce is limited by macro and meso-level constraints. It is thus critical that the value of post-professional roles is structurally supported through macro-level policy levers as well as at an organisational and individual profession level.