Health Career Promotion in the New England Area of New South Wales: A Program to Support High School Career Advisers

OBJECTIVE: To facilitate the area's high school careers advisers' ability to effectively promote health careers to students. DESIGN: Three cross sectional evaluation surveys at the end of each one-day workshop. SETTING: Conference rooms in three regional centres (Armidale, Moree and Tamworth, New South Wales). SUBJECTS: Twenty-two high school careers advisers. INTERVENTION: One-day workshop. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: High school careers advisers' self-rated assessment in terms of the effective delivery of appropriate information and opportunities to network. RESULTS: Participants agreed that the workshop conveyed relevant information (3.8), were of high standard 3.5) and enabled them to identify students wanting to pursue health careers (2.9). Networking between health professionals and career advisers was rated as the most beneficial aspect by a majority of participants (60%). The scenario was rated as a useful tool to educate advisers about health careers (3.8). CONCLUSION: Collaborative workshops between advisers and health professionals are useful in facilitating networks to promote health careers in high schools in rural areas. The use of a farm injury scenario as a learning tool was effective in educating advisers about health careers. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN: Previous research carried out in the USA6 and Australia demonstrated that high school careers advisers needed to target high school students earlier in their studies before senior subjects were decided and that about a quarter of careers advisers indicated poor knowledge about health careers.10 WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Provision of practical support to high school careers advisers, such as distributing a mentorship directory and up-to-date health career kits as well as facilitating networking with health professionals constitute effective means to promote health careers to high school students.