'It's not all about GPs': recognising Primary Health Care Scientists in Australia

Medically and non-medically trained researchers make critical contributions to rigorous primary health care research. Non-medically qualified staff face unique challenges compared with medically qualified counterparts when entering academic primary care. They often encounter challenges in professional identity, building a career within a discipline that is medically focused and, accessing continuing academic appointments or fellowship funding which is often restricted to those with medical qualifications. Navigating opportunities for career advancement can be difficult with few easily identifiable and accessible ‘Champions’ for Primary Health Care Scientists. In the UK, the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) recognised this gap and addressed it by creating PHoCuS – a group within SAPC for Primary Health Care Scientists. The PHoCuS group was established to better understand and address the career development needs of SAPC members from non-medical backgrounds. Establishing a similar group in Australia and New Zealand that understands and can address the needs of nonmedical academics and researchers working in academic primary care is a conversation we need to have. Sitting within an overarching representative body like AAAPC, a Primary Health Care Scientists group will give voice and champion the work of non-medical academics and researchers, and facilitate career support and development for this group. How it is relevant to primary care? Non-medical researchers make up as much as 70% of the primary health care research workforce in Australia (Barton et al. 2015, Oliver-Baxter et al. 2016). They play critical roles leading, informing, supporting and enabling primary care research. They enhance the quality of primary care research through using rigorous methodologies and contribute to building a stronger evidence-base for general practice and primary care. And yet, this diverse group, made up of individuals from a broad range of disciplinary backgrounds (Barton et al. 2015, Yen et al. 2010) lacks a clearly defined professional identity and has little professional representation that can advocate for their unique roles and career development needs. Continuing this situation poses an inevitable threat to the development and maintenance of primary care research capacity in Australia and New Zealand. AAAPC has over the years evolved from its original focus on representation and advocacy for Australian academic GPs to today embracing a broad vision of academic primary care that recognises and celebrates the multidisciplinary make-up of the academic primary care workforce in Australia and New Zealand. Establishing a Primary Health Care Scientists group in AAAPC will further demonstrate commitment to this vision. The impact it would make to patients and communities: A Primary Health Care Scientists group will promote a more stable and engaged research workforce. Retention of researchers and academics with specific disciplinary methodological expertise will improve the quantity and quality of primary health care research evidence in Australia and New Zealand.