Research Study Details
Title
The Aspire 2 Health Career Outreach Program for Regional, Rural and Remote High School Students: A Process and Impact Evaluation
Version Number
v1.1
Griffith University Protocol No.
2024/048
Project Sponsor
Griffith University
Rural Medical Education Australia (RMEA)
Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH)
University of Queensland (UQ)
Researchers
Nicola Cotter, Deputy Director (Darling Downs) Southern Queensland Rural Health, The University of Queensland
Clara Walker, Acting Deputy Director (Darling Downs) Southern Queensland Rural Health, The University of Queensland
Mr Paul Purea, Director of Training, Rural Medical Education Australia, Griffith University
Mr William MacAskill, Research Associate, Rural Medical Education Australia, Griffith University
Dr Anthony Fallon, Research Officer, Southern Queensland Rural Health, The University of Queensland
Ms Chrissie O’Connell, Clinical Educator Speech Pathology, Southern Queensland Rural Health, The University of Queensland
Location
Darling Downs and South West Queensland
Introduction
As your child has expressed an interest in participating in an Aspire2Health event this year, we would like to invite them to participate in our research project “The Aspire 2 Health Career Outreach Program for Regional, Rural and Remote High School Students: A Process and Impact Evaluation”.
This project will investigate whether Aspire2Health influences: 1) regional and rural high school students to select subjects aligned with health care profession pathways, and 2) their final intended career pathway at the end of senior schooling.
Please read this information carefully. Participation in this research is voluntary and your child is not obliged to participate. Your decision for your child to participate, or not participate, in this research project will not impact upon their ability to participate in the Aspire2Health program. Your decision for your child to participate, or not participate, or to participate and then withdraw, will not impact their current or future relationship with any of the institutions, government departments, and charities affiliated with Aspire2Health. You or your child may also elect to withdraw from the research project at any time by emailing rmearesearch@ruralmeded.org.au.
You are encouraged to ask questions about any information on this form which you do not understand or would like to know more about. If you decide that your child is to participate in the research project, you will be asked to sign a consent form. You will be given a copy of this Participant Information and Consent Form to keep upon signing. By signing it you are telling us that you:
- Understand what you have read, and
- Give consent for your child to be involved in the research study described in this Participant Information Sheet
What is the purpose of this research study?
Shortages of health care professionals are an ongoing issue in rural and regional Australia. All professions within the health care system are exposed to these shortages, impacting the availability of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and allied health professionals.
Health career outreach programs, such as Aspire2Healtlh, are designed to encourage school students to consider careers in health care. Participation in these programs has been shown to broaden student’s knowledge of health care professions, entry pathways, financial challenges, and career prospects. These events may assist in addressing health care recruitment issues by increasing the likelihood of students enrolling in health care related tertiary courses. However, the long-term impacts of outreach programs on student’s interest and study choices is unclear.
This research project aims to address this knowledge gap by collecting data on student’s intentions in relation to healthcare careers, school subject selections, quality of experience during Aspire2Health, and perceived barriers and enablers to pursuing a career in health.
This data will be used to assess Aspire2Health’s impact on student’s immediate- and medium- and long-term intentions and actions towards pursuing a healthcare career. It is hoped that by doing so this research will contribute to our understanding of how best to support recruitment in rural and remote health care sectors.
What does participation in this research study involve?
Participation in this research will involve completing two short surveys and participation in one short focus group session (audio-recorded for analysis). Details of each activity, its location and time commitment are provided below.
Pre-program survey (online, on the day of the event at the Aspire2Health venue)
Includes: All participants; 10-minute survey about the student's intention to pursue a health career.
Post-program survey (online, on the day of the event at the Aspire2Health venue)
Includes: All participants; 10-minute survey about the student's intention to pursue a health career and to provide feedback on the Aspire2Health event
Post-senior subject selection survey (online, Term 4 in Year 10)
Includes: All participants; 10-minute survey about the student's senior subject selections and intentions to pursue a health career
Focus group interview (online or in-person, around the end of year 12)
Includes: Sample of participants; 60-minute group interview with questions about the impact of Aspire2Health on the student’s intention to pursue a health career.
Does my child have to take part in this research study?
Participation in this research project is completely voluntary. The decision to participate, or not to participate, in this research study will not affect the child’s eligibility to participate in the Aspire2Health program or their relationship with any of the institutions, government departments, and organisations affiliated with Aspire2Health.
What are the possible benefits and risks / disadvantages of participating?
There are no direct benefits to children, parents or legal guardians from participation in this research project. However, participating in this research project will allow students to express their opinions about Aspire2Health, provide suggestions for how it can be improved for future years, and make a contribution to our understanding of how to best support recruitment to rural and regional health care work forces.
The risks of involvement in this study are minimal. Participation will require approximately one hour of student’s time. If student’s feel distressed by the surveys or focus group discussion, then they, their parents or legal guardians, may withdraw their participation from the research project at any stage. The research team is available to talk about these issues if required and can refer students to support services within their school if needed.
Privacy and confidentiality will be maintained at all times. Students, parents and legal guardians will not be identified in any reports or publications resulting from this study. All survey responses will be de-identified. All focus group recordings will be de-identified and transcribed (audio recordings will not be published). We ask that all participants respect the confidentiality of others participating in the focus group and refrain from repeating anything discussed within the focus group.
What if I, or my child, withdraws from this research study?
If you or your child may decide to withdraw their participation from the research project at any time. We would ask that you email rmearesearch@ruralmeded.org.au to inform the research team of your decision. After data is de-identified it will not be possible to segregate individual responses from the data set. This is because data is re-identifiable only until the point of data analysis. If the student wishes to leave during a focus group, they remain free to do so at any point. However, it will not be possible to exclude an individual’s contribution to a focus group session once it has commenced.
What happens when the research study ends?
At the end of this research project no further commitments are required. The results of this project will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. A summary of the study findings will be available to participants and their parents or legal guardians upon request following project completion. If you wish to receive this summary, provide your email address at the end of this form. This will be stored securely, and separate to the study data, and will be used only to circulate a summary of the study findings at the conclusion of the project.
What will happen to our personal information?
By signing the consent form the parent or legal guardian consents to the research team collecting and using information provided by yourself and your child to fulfil the aims of this project. This will include providing contact details for yourself and your child. You will be CC’d into all email correspondence between the research team and your child. You also consent to this data being included in any future longitudinal or comparative Aspire2Health research projects. Any information obtained in connection with this research project that can identify a child, parent or legal guardian will remain confidential. All data, including audio recordings, will be securely stored within password protected computer files and servers. At all times research is only able to be accessed by Aspire2Health researchers. Information will only be used for the purposes described above and will only be disclosed with your permission, except as required by law. You and your child’s anonymity will be safeguarded at all times. For further information consult the:
- Griffith University Privacy Plan at https://www.griffith.edu.au/about-griffith/corporate-governance/plans-publications/griffith-university-privacy-plan or telephone (07) 3735 7181.
- University of Queensland Privacy Plan at https://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/
1.60.02-privacy-management or telephone (07) 3365 9044.
Surveys will be conducted online via Qualtrics™. All survey data collected will be stored electronically and password protected on Qualtrics™. Data may be transferred to a Qualtrics TM server outside Australia. All communications to/from the Qualtrics TM servers are encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security). The Qualtrics servers are protected by Web Application Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems to enhance security.
The audio recordings of the focus group sessions will be transcribed using software called SONIX TM. All audio recording and transcription data will be stored electronically and password protected on SONIX TM. Data will be transferred to a SONIX TM server outside Australia. All communications to/from the SONIX TM servers are encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security). SONIX TM servers are protected by Web Application Firewalls and Intrusion Detection systems to enhance security.
Data will be securely stored on a SQRH and RMEA servers for 5 years from the date of final publication in accordance with Schedule of Retention Periods for Research Data and Primary Materials" (Annexure to the Griffith University Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research"). Following this time period, all data will be permanently deleted.
It is anticipated that the results of this research project will be published and/or presented in a variety of forums. Numerical results will be presented as aggregate data and will not contain individually identifiable data. Free-text surveys and focus group responses will be de-identified. Any other potentially identifiable information collected (e.g., program location, school name) will be anonymised before dissemination of results to ensure that students cannot be individually identified.
The conduct of this research involves the collection, access, storage and/or use of you and your child’s identified personal information. The information collected is confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent, except to meet government, legal or other regulatory authority requirements. Only authorised personnel will have access to the information you and your child provide. A de-identified copy of this data may be used for other research purposes, including publishing openly (e.g., in an open access repository). You and your child’s anonymity will be safeguarded at all times.
The data may, in the future, be linked with information collected from other Aspire2Health cohorts, data available from the UQ Faculty of Medicine and the Griffith Faculty of Dentistry and Medicine, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and the UQ and Griffith surveys of medical and allied health students. When participants are contacted with an invitation to participate in the focus group sessions (around the end of Year 12) they will be given the chance to register their interest in participating in future research projects associated with Aspire2Health.
Who is organising and funding the research?
This research project is being conducted and funded by the Griffith University, Rural Medical Education Australia, University of Queensland, and Southern Queensland Rural Health. No member of the research team will receive a personal financial benefit from your child’s involvement in this research project (other than their ordinary wages).
Questions and complaints
This study adheres to the Guidelines of the ethical review process of The Griffith University and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. To discuss your child’s participation in this study with project staff, please contact Dr William MacAskill (w.macaskill@ruralmeded.org.au, 07 4638 7999). If you have any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of this research project, you are encouraged to contact the Manager, Research Ethics, Griffith University on 07 3735 4375 or research-ethics@griffith.edu.au.