2012-05-04 Right prescription for serious rural health problems
"HMF702 Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities is conducted completely online, recognising a key issue for rural and agricultural health workers, that of relative professional isolation. I have no hesitation in recommending Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities to both practicing health professionals and policy makers in agricultural regions."
Professor Scott Kitchener, clinical lead in rural health at Griffith University and Medical Director of the Queensland Rural Medical Education and a graduate of HMF702.
Life on the land is increasingly more demanding - physically, emotionally and socially.
And in urgent need of people with the skills and the commitment to help correct the imbalance in the health, safety and wellbeing of rural and remote communities.
The online HMF702 Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities program is the second unit to be offered by the partnership between the School of Medicine at Deakin University and the National Centre for Farmer Health.
It explores how country living impacts on the determinants of health.
The high-value course has also attracted students ranging from some of Australia's leading medical authorities to local bush nurses and rural policy makers.
HMF702 aims to equip each participant to positively influence the high rates of illness, injury and poor health in their local agricultural community.
HMF702 starts on July 9 and runs through to October 19, with lectures and activities taking 2-3 hours per week to complete. And the good news is that it’s all done online - no travel, no classrooms.
Course chair Clinical Associate Professor Susan Brumby, National Centre for Farmer Health, says ongoing research by NCFH and other organisations shows men and women living and working off the land have health outcomes a very distant second to their city cousins.
"We all know health isn’t just about treating injuries and diseases; it’s about preventing them," Sue says.
"So we have designed HMF702 to appeal to a wide variety of students and professionals interested in nurturing a rural environment which promotes physical and mental wellbeing for a sustainable agricultural community.”
If you work (or have aspirations to work) in agriculture, public health, health promotion, social work, nursing and/or medicine in rural and remote areas then this unit will appeal to you.
Cate Mercer-Grant, a previous student, says HMF702 "provided me with an in-depth and comprehensive outlook on the social and environmental factors that impact on health in agricultural communities. The lectures from industry leaders through an online environment also gave opportunity for in-depth discussions which were both engaging and challenging," Cate says. "This unit is well worth the value from both an educational and course enjoyment perspective.”
It is offered at a postgraduate level and is an elective for postgraduate qualifications at Deakin University and a core unit of the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine H522.
The learning materials are unique to higher education in Australia with topics covering climate impacts on health, natural disaster recovery, rural lifestyle disease, food security, rural health workforce shortages, small-town and distance health promotion, remote health planning and policy, nutrition and exercise, alcohol consumption and roles of rural health professionals.
We would value your participation in this cutting-edge course and urge you to enrol now to secure a place for you or your staff. Information on the course is attached.
Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities HMF702 is available as a stand alone subject or as part of the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine.
Clinical Associate Professor Susan Brumby,
Course Chair
For further information contact the National Centre for Farmer Health website at www.farmerhealth.org.au or call (03) 5551 8533.
Course details are available at http://www.deakin.edu.au/future-students/courses/course.php?course=H522&stutype=local&keywords=h522.
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