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Practice placements are a substantive component of allied health student curriculum that are critical for developing allied health professional competence. Students are situated in practice settings during placement, where their learning opportunities are opportunistic, and shaped according to population, industry, and policy needs: which change over time and in relation to each other as well as external forces. Allied health practice-placements must respond and adapt to the complex and evolving landscapes of practice; and evidence about the processes and products of such innovation is critical. Realist thinking enables consideration of practice placements as open systems that occur within broader open systems – emerging dynamics of industry, workforce and policy. This helps to expose and explore the changing factors that enfold practice placements and render them workable for service providers who manage competing priorities. We contribute a realist-informed exploration of placement models developed for allied health learning during profound transition of the Australian disability sector: from government- to recipient-controlled funding. In the context of declining placement offerings and reports of practitioner fatigue and administrative load, we facilitated an action-research workforce project with university and placement providers of allied health services to develop and trial quality placement education amidst transitional policy implementation. Our investigation seeks to understand innovative placement models that ‘worked’ for placement providers and students during a time of policy and industry turbulence. We apply layered inferential techniques to synthesise qualitative data collection with 40 students, practitioners, educators and placement facilitators about the process/es of innovating student placements ( n  = 50 instances); novel placement features co-designed during the project; and the role of placement facilitation within processes of co-design. Our key findings show that a collaborative approach to practice-placement education supports reflection about novel models, and helps the needs of students and service recipients to become more visible in the relevant context/s of service provision. We further show the importance of developing reciprocity and partnerships for quality placement outcomes, without the need for resource-intensive placement facilitation approaches. This evidence is useful for promoting quality allied health education as the professions continue to expand and evolve, amidst open systems of policy and industry that influence practice and education.

Background A national shortage of allied health professionals, alongside rising demand for services, has heightened concerns about workforce wellbeing and its influence on retention. While factors such as joy in work and job satisfaction are known to affect workforce wellbeing, retention and attrition, they remain underexplored in allied health. This study examined positive and negative influences on joy in work and job satisfaction among allied health professionals in a public hospital. Methods A theory-informed qualitative study was conducted at a major metropolitan Australian public health service that employs > 1000 allied health professionals across its campuses and services (January–May 2023). Allied health professionals across 10 disciplines and varying levels of seniority were invited to participate in focus groups to explore joy in work and job satisfaction; a purposive sampling approach ensured representation. Focus group questions drew on the Institute of Healthcare Improvement Joy in Work (IHI JiW) Framework and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. Transcripts underwent inductive and deductive qualitative content analysis, with themes compared against the two frameworks. Results Five focus groups ( n  = 25) captured perspectives from junior allied health professionals to managers with < 5 to > 10 years’ experience. Six themes shaped joy in work: (1) patient interactions and outcomes, (2) workload balance, (3) teamwork, (4) recognition, (5) time for clinical and administrative tasks, and (6) the physical environment. These aligned with six of the nine IHI JiW components. Analysis also revealed six factors enhancing job satisfaction and nine contributing to dissatisfaction, partially reflecting Herzberg’s Theory. Findings highlighted the interplay between extrinsic (e.g., workload, environment) and intrinsic (e.g., achievement, recognition) influences. Conclusion Joy in work and job satisfaction among allied health professionals in the public hospital setting are shaped by a complex interaction of positive and negative factors that contribute to worker wellbeing. Organisational strategies to enhance workforce wellbeing should adopt a multifaceted approach, addressing systemic and relational determinants to foster retention and reduce attrition.

Background As global healthcare systems contend with rising pressures, strengthening the Allied Health Professions (AHP) workforce has become a strategic priority. In England, national reforms have promoted AHP leadership to unify a historically fragmented workforce and enhance collective influence. While these reforms have established strategic leadership roles and outlined a national AHP strategy, the impact of AHP leadership on shaping a collective AHP identity remains underexplored. This article addresses this gap by examining how AHP leadership influences the development of a shared identity across the AHP workforce. Methods Using a grounded theory methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 registered AHPs. Participants represented 11 of the 14 professions recognised as AHPs in the National Health Service (NHS) in England and represented a diversity of experience and health sectors. Constant comparative analysis was used to develop key categories grounded in participants’ perspectives and experiences. Results The findings identified four interrelated concepts that explain how AHP leadership enhances or constrains the development of a collective identity: broadening perspective, connecting across AHPs, experiencing inequality within the AHP collective, and experiencing underrepresentation. Findings established that inclusive and visible leadership helped expand awareness beyond individual professions and enabled cross-professional connection. In contrast, inconsistent leadership practices, unequal representation, and the absence of effective, senior AHP leadership reinforce professional silos, undermine belonging, and diminished the perceived value of the AHP collective. Conclusions AHP leadership plays a central role in shaping collective professional identity. Where leadership is inclusive, engaged, and prototypical, it promotes cohesion, strategic alignment, and a stronger collective voice. Conversely, limited leadership visibility or inequitable representation exacerbates fragmentation and weakens identity development. To support workforce retention and system impact, policy and practice must prioritise the development of effective, adaptable and inclusive AHP leaders who can create the conditions for meaningful connection, equity, and engagement. These findings offer transferable insights for healthcare systems and a conceptual synthesis of leadership practices that can guide future leadership development and policy.

Background Health professionals working in health services are uniquely placed to carry out research to improve health service provision. Improving research capacity and culture in health organisations benefits patients, health professionals, health services and society more broadly. This cross-sectional observational study aimed to evaluate the current research capacity and culture within the Allied Health workforce in the publicly funded, non-metropolitan Northern New South Wales (NNSW) Local Health District (LHD). Additionally, the study aimed to explore whether Allied Health staff have undertaken research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and if so, whether the research was conducted in a culturally safe and responsive way. Methods The validated Research Capacity and Culture tool was administered to the Allied Health workforce in NNSWLHD to evaluate the research capacity and culture, within and across three domains (Organisation, Team and Individual), including research involvement, perceived barriers and motivators for undertaking research, and participants’ experience in conducting research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, and median responses between domains were compared. Qualitative data were obtained through two open-ended questions and thematically analysed. Results A total of 147 Allied Health professionals from 15 disciplines completed the survey. Participants reported low-to-moderate levels of skills and success across all three domains. Most participants were not currently involved in research. Motivators for undertaking research included encouragement by managers, research mentoring, and a problem identified that needs changing, whilst barriers were lack of time, other work roles take priority, lack of suitable backfill, and staff shortages. Few participants reported having ever contributed to a research project involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Conclusions Research capacity building strategies within Allied Health in NNSWLHD should utilise a “whole of system” approach, including research career pathways, funding, backfill, mentoring, opportunities to upskill in research writing and develop skills to conduct research in a culturally safe and responsive way. Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clinicians to build research capacity can shape the health research agenda, inform health policies, support evidence-led clinical care, and in turn, the well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

Background Engaging health services in research is important for ensuring a strong practice-relevant evidence base. To achieve this, health service staff must be equipped with the necessary research capabilities. Despite growing research engagement by Allied Health (AH) professionals within services, career frameworks that enable staff to map research capabilities are currently lacking. Pre-existing frameworks focus largely on research capabilities within the academic context, and do not adequately capture the specific capabilities required of AH research roles in health services. Equally, existing frameworks assume a career progression that moves from clinical practice, through a PhD and then onto a research academic path, and hence have limited relevance for other types of research roles that exist within health services. Hence, this study aimed to develop a research career capability framework for AH research careers within health services, using the specific setting of Queensland Health, a state-wide Australian public health service. Methods This research involved four sequential phases: 1) A rapid review to identify potential capabilities for inclusion in the framework; 2) Refinement of the rapid review findings into an initial set of capabilities and domains by a Project Reference Group (PRG); 3) An e-Delphi survey with a broad range of stakeholders to gain consensus on included capabilities; and 4) A survey of and consultation with the PRG to refine capabilities and develop final framework elements. Results Twelve articles yielding 2,125 capability statements were identified in the rapid review. These were synthesized into 73 capabilities by the PRG, which went forward to a 2-round e-Delphi with 48 participants. The resulting framework consisted of 61 capabilities under five domains: Research knowledge and skills; Research impact and translation; Clinical and healthcare research context; Research leadership and strategy; and Research capacity building and mentorship. Conclusions Using a multi-phase approach, a research capability framework which represented the diversity of AH research careers within health services was developed. The framework can be used to guide professional development of AH researchers and to support their career development processes. Although developed within a specific health context, the work has application to other locations, as well as professions outside Allied Health.

Introduction Clinicians within public healthcare organisations, including allied health professionals are becoming increasingly research active. Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) employed an embedded Research Fellow in 2010 to build the capacity and capability under a state-wide initiative resulting in increased activity over time. A Research Capability Framework (RCF) was introduced in 2018 with intent of having a briefer measure of activity than the previously used research ‘spider’. This study measures and explores the growth in research capacity and capability over 12 years. Methods A mixed methods triangulation design compared two ways of measuring research capacity including interviews and self-rating of the RCF objectives by Discipline Directors (DD), and a survey of allied health professionals to measure their level of research experience and knowledge of health services research methods. The interviews were themed and quantitative data was analysed descriptively. Results 12 DDs, 5 Team Leaders and 105 clinicians participated. Four major themes were identified from the interviews: clinical practice provides a rich environment for quality improvement and research activity, influence of health service managers on research culture, prioritising clinical care over research, and the effect of collaborations on research. High levels of research participation were noted, and varying levels of methods knowledge were evident. Discussion Similar results in consuming and producing research activity by both instruments suggest the shorter RCF could replace the more onerous research spider. Qualitative data collected simultaneously with the Objective ratings can be used to plan the future direction of capacity building efforts. The high levels of experience in quality improvement skills but limited knowledge of research translation methods suggest this knowledge gap may be a barrier to the translation of allied health research.

Background Rural and remote communities in Aotearoa New Zealand face significant challenges in recruiting and retaining Allied Health Professionals (AHPs). While targeted investment exists to increase the numbers of doctors and nurses entering the rural workforce, comparatively little attention has been given to Allied Health Scientific and Technical professions. This study aimed to explore what matters to AHPs’ in rural contexts and how these insights could inform recruitment and retention practices. Methods Drawing on Interpretive Descriptive methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 AHPs from diverse professions, ethnicities and geographical locations across Aotearoa who had experience working in rural and/or remote settings. All participants were female, ranging in age from 23 to 63 years, representing seven allied health professions; social work ( n  = 7), physiotherapy ( n  = 4), occupational therapy ( n  = 2), music therapy ( n  = 2), psychology ( n  = 1), dietetics ( n  = 1), and pharmacy ( n  = 1). Participants identified as Pākehā | New Zealander ( n  = 11), Māori ( n  = 4), Samoan ( n  = 1), and beyond the Pacific ( n  = 2). Interviews explored career journeys, rural practice experiences, and employment decision factors. Data were analysed using six-phase Reflexive Thematic Analysis with ongoing researcher reflexivity and supervisory input. Results Three key themes were constructed: (1) Sense of Connection and Belonging , highlighting the importance of feeling connected to teams, community and place; (2) Safe and Supported Practice , emphasising appropriate resources, professional development, and leadership relationships; (3) Creating Roles People Want to Come For , encompassing recruitment experiences, variety of work, growth pathways and scope of practice. These themes were infused with a cross-cutting concept of ‘Fit’, a felt sense of being in the right place, personally and professionally that emerged as a protective factor during challenges and key element for retention decisions. Conclusion Successful recruitment and retention requires attention to both professional and personal factors, with particular emphasis on creating environments where AHPs feel valued, supported to develop their practice, and connected to their communities. The Fit concept offers a novel framework integrating professional, personal and place-based elements for understanding rural workforce retention. These insights provide evidence-based guidance for health policy makers, rural health organisations, professional bodies and tertiary education providers seeking to address persistent rural workforce shortages.

Background While allied health plays a central role in healthcare, workforce challenges are straining the sector. Challenges are shaped by population changes, emerging models of care, and educational limitations, and were exacerbated by COVID-19. This study aimed to identify drivers of recruitment and retention for allied health clinicians in an Australian metropolitan setting. Identifying and addressing these factors is essential to the design and implementation of tailored, evidence-informed workforce strategy and policy. Methods This cross-sectional, online survey explored workplace attraction, job seeking behaviours, and workplace perceptions. 29 Likert-scale statements informed by the existing literature examined factors influencing allied health retention. Allied health employees from a single Australian metropolitan health network were invited to participate. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and deductive content analysis were undertaken. Results 42.6% ( n  = 593) of those invited participated in the survey, with 45.7% ( n  = 271) of participants having been with the organisation for six or more years. 35% ( n  = 197) of respondents to a question about intention to leave agreed that they aimed to leave their current role within six months. Variables associated with intention to leave were not feeling a sense of satisfaction with their role (odds ratio [OR] 1.51, 95% CI 1.22–1.85), not being recognised and rewarded by the team manager (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.12–1.67), not working in the preferred clinical area (OR 1.56; 95% CI 1.25–1.95), and feeling burned out by the job (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.16–1.78). Qualitative findings support the centrality of aspects of the job (job characteristics), the organisational context (rewards offered; climate; organisational support) and person-context interface (peer/group relations; work-life conflict) to attraction, retention, and attrition in roles. Conclusion This study identifies factors affecting recruitment, retention, and attrition of allied health professionals in a metropolitan setting. Findings are impacted by the personal and professional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Results provide a baseline upon which the impact of interventions can be measured, while informing the prioritisation and design of tailored workforce strategies. Further, findings may inform local policy responses to improve the allied health workforce and ensure excellent care for the community.

Background Incorporating occupational therapists (OTs) into primary care requires adapting services to patient needs and depends on how colleagues within the multidisciplinary team perceive the OT roles and collaborate in daily practice. This study explored the feasibility, impact on the care team, and challenges of incorporating an OT into the home-based care service of a Spanish primary healthcare center. Methods A two-phase sequential exploratory mixed-methods study was conducted. First, structured interviews and a stakeholder focus group were conducted over the six months following the introduction of the OT. Thematic analysis identified factors that hindered or supported integration. Second, a cross-sectional study described patients who received OT care within 12 months of service implementation. The electronic health records provided patient profiles and OT interventions. Descriptive statistics and the Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to examine the associations between the study and patient characteristics. Results Six themes emerged: introduction of the OT role, team coordination, impact on team functioning, impact on patient and caregiver, contributions of the OT, and structural limitations and challenges. OT integration improved interdisciplinary collaboration and patient-centered care; however, initial role ambiguity and a lack of referral criteria were challenges. Over 12 months, 248 patients were visited (mean age, 88.2 years; 70.9% women), with an average of 11.1 chronic conditions. Overall, 45.6% had severe or total dependency in activities of daily living, and 43.2% reported at least one fall in the past year. OT interventions focused on risk assessment (65.6%) and home adaptation (52.5%). Patients with moderate-to-severe functional dependency received more risk assessment activities (median: 2; p  = 0.005). No significant associations were found between intervention frequency and fall history or other functional domains. Conclusions Integrating an OT into a primary health care team appears feasible and valuable. Sustainable implementation may require clear patient profiles, defined professional roles, structured integration processes, robust evaluation frameworks, and service standardization-based workforce planning.

Background In July 2025, the NHS (National Health Service) Plan was published signalling the need for strong workforce supply pipelines to support shifts towards care in the community and early access to diagnostics and treatment. Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) are vital to diagnostic pathways, in and out patient care, rehabilitation and home care as well as public health and prevention, thereby keeping people independent, and participating in society. Conducting a national analysis of AHP career choices can inform targeted recruitment strategies for the AHP workforce and individual professions to meet this need. The aim of this study was to understand the influence of sources driving career choices and the stage in which AHP students in England choose their profession to identify recommendations for stimulating demand for AHP careers. Methods An online questionnaire was disseminated to undergraduate and postgraduate students and apprentices on pre-registration AHP courses in England. Results A total of 1,318 participants completed the questionnaire with all professions represented. The majority of AHP students make their career choice after a first career (32.5%) or during college/sixth form (26.6%). Conducting your own research , impact of a role model and university open days and information were the most influential sources. Conversely, a careers advisor , or print and television adverts appeared as some of the least influential sources. Conclusions Qualified AHPs should continue to be utilised and better supported as role models in particular in acting as ambassadors when disseminating learning about their profession to patients, for schools and in outreach work to target career changers. The role of universities in acting as a source of influence is wide-ranging and includes engaging more with schools to promote the AHPs as part of the curriculum and engaging with current university students about an AHP career choice. Careers advisors should be supported to deliver effective career advice about the AHPs. These three stakeholders should be backed by the NHS, AHP professional bodies and healthcare organisations to act as key sources of influence.