Uni gets telehealth teaching boost

ALLIED health and nursing students will have soon access to start of the art telehealth facilities at La Trobe University.

Hi-tech mobile telehealth hardware and a larger focus on digital health training is part of the new project at university, backed by $1.6 million from the State Government’s Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund and $2.6 million from the higher-education facility.

The project involves refurbishment of the clinical teaching space at La Trobe’s Bendigo and Bundoora campuses with better acoustics, lighting and video equipment.

Associate Professor of occupational therapy, and head of the rural department of allied health, Carol McKinstry said the funding comes off the back of an increase of telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We saw in COVID that there was a rapid pivot to telehealth as a way of supporting people without them needing to come in physically to a service and so everyone had to make that big change,” she said.

“As educators of future allied health practitioners and nurses, we need to make sure our courses are contemporary and make sure that graduates are prepared for that practice.”

Lactation consultant at Bendigo Hospital Rachael Findlay said all their services were provided via telehealth during the height of the pandemic last year, and 30 per cent of their patients is still seen virtually.

Ms Findlay said using the technology is a “steep learning curve” and it’s vital students have telehealth skills embedded in their education.

Fourth year occupational therapy student Remie McMaster said a larger focus on telehealth should provide students like her the confidence and skills to thrive in everchanging workplaces.

“Having the opportunity to learn those skills before you go into a field or a practical setting will really help and make us strong clinicians going into the workforce,” she said.

“As someone who’s about to graduate there’s a lot of jobs that advertise the need to have experience or knowledge of telehealth or jobs that are based online or work from home.”