Who is suited to work in remote First Nations health? Perspectives of staff in remote Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services in northern Australia

Abstract

Objective: There is a shortage of nurses, Aboriginal Health Practitioners, GPs and other staff in remote Australian health clinics. There is also high turnover of staff, leading to questions of ‘who’ is appropriate for remote First Nations practice? The aim of this paper was to identify the characteristics of staff who are likely to work well in remote First Nations settings, from the perspectives of remote health practitioners. Design: This is a qualitative study involving content analysis of interviews. Setting: The study is conducted in and with 11 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across northern and central Australia. Participants: Eighty-four staff working in these clinic..