BOPDHB Checkup April 2019 | Page 18

RHIP Academic Coordinator Yvonne Boyes with the Best Clinical Placement Award. Recognition for Whakatāne based Rural Health Interprofessional Programme The Rural Health Interprofessional Programme (RHIP) has been awarded 'Best Clinical Placement Award for Undergraduate Nursing' by Wintec for 2018. This award is generated by student comments regarding their clinical placements. "The RHIP programme has been an incredible experience in my journey as a student nurse. It has helped to shape my career as a nurse and aided in my development as a student nurse." The programme, launched in Whakatāne in 2013, aims to improve the recruitment and retention of our doctors, nurses and other health professionals in rural New Zealand. It's an exciting and collaborative programme that involves several training partners throughout New Zealand, bringing undergraduate students from different health disciplines together to learn and gain clinical experience in rural New Zealand. "RHIP is the kind of placement that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Best experience ever and I would recommend it to everyone." The programme is coordinated by Yvonne Boyes and Matt Sinton and heavily supported by Regional Māori Health Services. You'll see from the comments that the students place high value in the support they have been given as well as the clinical experience they've gained. 18 "RHIP constantly challenged my thought process. With rural health, with implementing tikanga, with understanding social determinants of health, with one size definitely does not fit all, with understanding the total wellbeing of a patient, with implementing more Māori health models, with ALWAYS looking at the big picture." "Their support for the students both on a professional and personal level was second to none and they made themselves freely available when needed. Their warm and approachable demeanour made attending the programme a pleasure. They are clearly passionate about rural health and the health of Māori and this showed through in the nature of the programme and the clinical placements selected for us."