Abstract
Objective
Child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) disorders are a major public health problem in Australia, especially outside metropolitan areas. The issue is compounded by a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs). CAMH receives minimal coverage in health professional training, training opportunities are scarce, and support for generalist health professionals, who treat most cases, is lacking. Novel approaches to early medical education and teaching are required to strengthen the available skilled workforce in rural and remote settings.
Method
This qualitative study explored the factors influencing medical student engagement in a CAMH videoconferencing workshop as part of the Rural Clinical School of WA.
Results
Our results confirm the priority of personal characteristics of medical educators, over clinical and subject matter expertise, on student learning. This research affirms that general practitioners are well-placed to facilitate recognition of learning experiences, especially given that students may not readily recognise exposure to CAMH cases.
Conclusion
Our findings support the effectiveness, efficiencies, and benefits of utilising general medical educators in supporting child and adolescent psychiatry expertise in delivering subspecialty training within medical school curricula.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.