Projects relevant to the National Training Plan

The projects to the left complement the National Training Plan project.  They are outlined below.

Clinical Supervision Support program

HWA is undertaking a project which aims to expand professional entry student supervision capacity and competence across each professional area, including allied health, dental, medical, nursing and midwifery.

HWA is examining clinical supervision across Australia and aims to expand the capacity through the funding of supervision training support models and resources.

More information on the Clinical Supervision Support program.

Mapping Clinical Placements

A key function of Health Workforce Australia is to support greater training capacity in the healthcare system by providing funding to support growth of clinical placements for professional entry health courses.

As part of this project, an evidence base of quantitative data which details the baseline clinical training placement activity will be developed. This will be complimented by activities which aim to understand the potential for growth in clinical placements, by profession and health provider setting.

More information on Mapping Clinical Placements.

Refining the National Workforce Planning Model

This project has added to the development of the Health Workforce Planning Tool (HWPT) as a useful resource for workforce planning. This included improvements in functionality and flexibility whilst maintaining ease of use. Recommendations made by this project for specific changes to the current model, as well as defining and scoping future work, have been considered and will all be incorporated into the revised HWPT.

This project is now completed; in accordance with its main objectives the project:

• Conducted a comprehensive review of the methods and assumptions underpinning the current HWPT model.
• Developed methods to conduct sensitivity analysis of the model’s results and review the different types of analyses to examine how changes in the assumptions and key parameters of the model influence supply and demand projections. This can be used to prioritise data collection by focussing on those parameters and assumptions that have the most significant impact on predicted workforce requirements.

The HWPT is being used by HWA as the basis for generating health workforce supply and demand projections, including the projection work required for the National Training Plan.

The final report of the Refining the National Workforce Planning Model Project is available on the Publications section of the Australia’s Health Workforce Online website at http://www.ahwo.gov.au. 

Simulated Learning Environments (SLEs)

Health Workforce Australia is examining the problem of insufficient clinical placement positions as well as the need to train healthcare professionals more efficiently and effectively through the adoption of new and innovative training techniques.

Standardizing curriculum delivered through learning using simulation techniques and reaching national agreement by the Deans of the professions will ensure students are trained using best practice education principles.

More information on Simulated Learning Environments.