The Attract Connect Stay (ACS) Solution is founded on a decade of my research and the acclaimed peer-reviewed Attract Connect Stay Framework. The framework and the research that underpins brings an innovative assets-based community development and place-based planning perspective to overcoming health professional workforce challenges in rural areas. It’s also proven to be effective for other industries in rural experiencing skilled worker shortages.
For years, I’ve been on a mission to address the chronic rural health workforce shortages across the country. Now with over a decade of research under my belt, including countless hours of interviews with health professionals and rural community members, I fully understand the key factors fuelling the current workforce shortages and have created a solution.
Findings underpinning the creation of the Attract Connect Stay Framework
It’s not surprising to know there are many complex reasons rural communities struggle to attract and retain a strong health workforce. My key findings are:
- Attracting and retaining a rural health workforce is complex – there are no simple solutions because people are also complex.
- Social factors strongly affect the retention of newcomers.
- The first 12 months are particularly challenging for newcomers.
- Rural communities need to be more inclusive and welcoming of newcomers; they need support to form social bonds, especially with locals.
- To attract skilled workers (and their families) workforce strengthening strategies must be tailored for the particular social and geographical context of the target rural community and actively involve residents in their planning and delivery (i.e. person-centred, place-based and community-engaged).
Drawing on the key findings from my PhD study (2012-2015), as well as other rural health workforce research I have conducted since my PhD was awarded in 2016 ( See publications on the ACS website) as a guide, I created the Attract Connect Stay Framework (in academia referred to as The Whole-of person Retention Improvement Framework).
The Framework encompasses three interconnected domains—Workplace/Organisational, Role/Career, and Community/Place—each with essential preconditions for improving attraction and retention through job and personal satisfaction. At its core, the framework emphasises the individual’s unique needs and experiences, highlighting the importance of a supportive workplace, career development opportunities, and strong social connections across all domains.
The Five Pillars for Implementing the ACS Framework
The five pillars for implementing the ACS Framework emerged from my work since 2016 with rural-based healthcare services to implement the Framework, and finding that additional guidance was needed.
The five pillars for implementing the Framework, were thoughtfully developed to tackle the core issues at the heart of rural skilled workforce dynamics. With a blend of organisational focus and community involvement, we’re setting a new standard for attracting, integrating, and retaining top talent in rural health and social care settings.
- Attract: We guide rural-based businesses and services to identify and engage health professionals who are passionate about rural living, ensuring an ideal fit with the community’s lifestyle.
- Recruit: We share strategies to align recruitment processes with the values and spirit of both the employing organisation or service and the local community, fostering unity and satisfaction.
- Settle & Connect (Organisation): We provide resources to develop comprehensive onboarding programs within the employing organisation, making healthcare professionals feel supported, valued, and motivated from day one.
- Settle & Connect (Community): We show rural businesses and services and community leaders how to kickstart your own Community Connector Program. This ensures healthcare staff and their families, along with other skilled workers from outside the region, quickly establish strong local connections, boosting their sense of belonging and long-term commitment.
- Stay: We offer managers and team leaders working in healthcare and social care organisations development and retention strategies focusing on personal and professional growth of their individual staff members.
If you’re a business owner, senior executive, team leader, or human resource manager operating in rural areas and responsible for recruiting and managing health professionals, then our Attract Connect Stay Launchpad Program is your path to success. By joining this program, you’ll develop a practical understanding of these five pillars and learn the skills needed to craft tailored strategies to implement the Framework for your unique organisation and rural community.
The Benefits
- Learn how to create impactful recruitment campaigns.
- Learn how to spot ‘good fit’ applicants.
- Master new staff onboarding for a seamless, smooth, and supported start.
- Support new staff and their families to quickly settle and make local social connections.
- Develop person-centred support strategies for staff retention.
- Create your personalised organisation roadmap for workforce transformation.
Enrol in the ACS Launchpad Program today and transform your approach to attracting and retaining skilled professionals in rural health and social care.
