Can there be continuity of care? Flying in and flying out of the workplace

No Thumbnail Available
File version
Author(s)
Stehlik, Daniela
Chenoweth, Lesley
McAuliffe, Donna
OConnor, Barrie
Jervis-Tracey, Paula
Klieve, Helen
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)

Ann-Marie Cook, Rob Fisher

Date
2013
Size
File type(s)
Location

Oxford, United Kingdom

License
Abstract

Delivering essential health, education and human services in rural and remote communities remains a critical problem for Australia. Our landscape, its geographic size and population spread has historically demanded unique responses to the nature of ‘work’. In the past decade a national adaptive response has resulted in a marked increase in the number of professionals who now fly-in/fly-out (FiFo) of their workplaces. Commencing initially as a response to the mining boom of the early 2000s, and largely focused on engineers and geologists, it is now on the cusp of becoming institutionalized in other professional settings (traditionally seen as the caring professions) including health services, social work services and education services. Drawing on three year research conducted with a grant from the Australian Research Council (DP0988473 Managing tensions in professional statutory practice: living and working in rural and remote communities) and framed against the context of our larger study (n = 800) of professionals (nursing, social work, education and police) working in rural and remote Queensland, this paper considers the nature of this form of work from the perspective of FiFo health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the far north of tropical Queensland. The paper discusses a number of important aspects to this new practice including the changing nature of the roles of professionals in small communities, where they may be located for several consecutive days, but do not live permanently: for example, juggling relationships (personal and professional); boundaries of professionalism; maintaining confidentiality and role specific tensions. It concludes with some insights into the future challenges of what has come to be seen as a ‘solution’ to increasing demands for more equitable service delivery. It remains my personal choice to choose this way of working. My life was a suitcase, laptop and a room when I lived in [Queensland remote community … and any] travel home to my family [860 kms away] was self-funded and on my days off.

Journal Title
Conference Title

3rd Global Conference: The Value of Work (VoW3)

Book Title
Edition
Volume
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
DOI
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

Education Assessment and Evaluation

Persistent link to this record
Citation