Allied Health Professionals
Eligible allied health professions
To access locum support from Rural LAP you must belong to one of the following professions:
- Aboriginal health worker (Certificate IV)
- Audiologist
- Chiropractor
- Dental & Oral Health Professional
- Dental Assistant
- Dental Therapist
- Dietitian
- Exercise Physiologist
- General Dentist
- Medical Radiation Scientist
- Occupational Therapist
- Optometrist
- Orthoptist
- Osteopath
- Pharmacist
- Physiotherapist
- Podiatrist
- Psychologist
- Radiographer
- Radiographer (with Fast Scan)
- Social Worker
- Social Worker – Child Protection
- Speech Pathologist
How our program works
Rural LAP offers a simple, streamlined process for requesting locum support.
We’re here to make things easy for you.
At least two weeks before your leave, request locum support by completing the application form and providing permission from your organisation to approve the locum placement. Once received, a program officer will confirm the details and begin searching the locum register for suitable locums who match your desired skill set.
Suitable candidates will be contacted by email and asked to express their interest within 48 hours. The CVs of all interested candidates will be sent to you for your review and to make a decision. Rural LAP will then notify the successful candidate.
Travel, accommodation and the contract of engagement for the locum are arranged by our program officers. Once these have been finalised, you will be notified of the travel itinerary by one of our travel coordinators. You are only responsible for paying the base salary of the locum, Rural LAP pays for the locum’s travel, accommodation and incentives.
You will need to arrange a comprehensive handover with the locum before and after the placement to ensure proper orientation of the health service and continuity of care for patients. Once the placement is completed we ask that you complete and submit a feedback form.
Should there be an issue with travel or accommodation – or if the locum withdraws from the role – you will be notified and the issue will be resolved by our program officers to the best of their ability. All efforts will be made to ensure that a suitable locum will cover your period of leave.
Health service eligibility
A variety of health services are eligible for locum support placements under Rural LAP including hospitals, health practices/clinics, Aboriginal medical services, aged care facilities, non-government organisations, community health centres and others.
You must be geographically and/or professionally isolated
In assessing the rurality of the locum placement, the Modified Monash Model (MMM) will be used. The MMM uses seven categories to classify geographic locations:
- Major cities of Australia (1)
- Inner and outer regional Australia that are in, or within 20km road distance, of a town with a population >50,000 (2)
- Inner and outer regional Australia that are not in MMM 2 and are in, or within 15km road distance, of a town with a population between 15,000 and 50,000 (3)
- Inner and outer regional Australia that are not in MMM 2 or MMM 3, and are in, or within 10km road distance, of a town with a population between 5,000 and 15,000 (4)
- Inner and outer regional Australia in all other areas not yet classified (5)
- Remote Australia that is not on a populated island separated from the mainland in the ABS geography and is more than 5km offshore (6)
- Very remote Australia and areas on a populated island that is separated from the mainland in the ABS geography and are more than 5km offshore (7).
Eligible applicants must be located within categories 2 to 7 except Aboriginal medical services which may be located in any category. The level of rurality will be used to prioritise applications.
You must be seeking locum support to cover permanent employee leave only
You may be eligible for up to 14 days for placements in MMM categories 2-4 and up to 28 days for placements in MMM categories 5-7 (noting that priority will be given to placements with a CPD component or located in MMM categories 6 and 7).
Organisations employed by the state or territory located between MMM categories 2-4 are not eligible to apply for locum support.
Locum support will not be provided for vacant positions.
At least two weeks’ notice be given
Requests for locum support must be made at least two weeks prior to the commencement of the placement. Short notice applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Employing the locum must benefit the participant and/or the local community
To determine eligibility, you should demonstrate how employing a locum will benefit you and/or your local community.
Frequency of previous locum support and feedback concerning previous placements
When considering an application for support, Rural LAP will take into consideration previous locum support at your organisation as well as any feedback provided back to us. This will help Rural LAP determine the most suitable way to provide support.
Other demonstrated need for locum support
Applications that don’t meet the criteria above may be approved. Use your application form to describe your need for a locum and Rural LAP will consider it.
