TY - JOUR
T1 - Interest in rural clinical school is not enough
T2 - Participation is necessary to predict an ultimate rural practice location
AU - Playford, Denese
AU - Puddey, Ian B.
PY - 2017/8/1
Y1 - 2017/8/1
N2 - Objective: Rural exposure during medical school is associated with increased rural work after graduation. How much of the increase in rural workforce by these graduates is due to pre-existing interest and plans to work rurally and how much is related to the extended clinical placement is not known. Design: This cohort study compared the employment location of medical graduates who professed no rural interest as undergraduates (negative control), with those who applied but did not participate in Rural Clinical School of Western Australia (RCSWA) (positive control), and those who applied and participated in RCSWA (participants). Participants: All 1026 University of Western Australia students who had an opportunity to apply for a year-long rotation in RCSWA from 2004 to 2010, and who had subsequently graduated by the end of 2011, were included. Main Outcome Measure: Graduates’ principal workplace location (AHPRA, Feb 2014). Result: The three groups differed significantly in their graduate work locations (χ2 = 39.2, P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, only being of older age at graduation (OR 2.28 (95% CI 1.40, 3.72), P = 0.001), being from a rural background (OR 2.99 (95% CI 1.85, 4.85), P < 0.001), being a recipient of a Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship (OR 3.36 (95% CI 1.68, 6.73, P = 0.001) and actually participating in the RCSWA remained significantly related to rural work (OR 3.10 (95% CI 1.95, 4.93), P < 0.001). Conclusion: After accounting for other factors relating to rural work, RCSWA graduates were three times more likely to work rurally than either control group. These data suggest that RCSWA has a significant independent effect on rural workforce.
AB - Objective: Rural exposure during medical school is associated with increased rural work after graduation. How much of the increase in rural workforce by these graduates is due to pre-existing interest and plans to work rurally and how much is related to the extended clinical placement is not known. Design: This cohort study compared the employment location of medical graduates who professed no rural interest as undergraduates (negative control), with those who applied but did not participate in Rural Clinical School of Western Australia (RCSWA) (positive control), and those who applied and participated in RCSWA (participants). Participants: All 1026 University of Western Australia students who had an opportunity to apply for a year-long rotation in RCSWA from 2004 to 2010, and who had subsequently graduated by the end of 2011, were included. Main Outcome Measure: Graduates’ principal workplace location (AHPRA, Feb 2014). Result: The three groups differed significantly in their graduate work locations (χ2 = 39.2, P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, only being of older age at graduation (OR 2.28 (95% CI 1.40, 3.72), P = 0.001), being from a rural background (OR 2.99 (95% CI 1.85, 4.85), P < 0.001), being a recipient of a Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship (OR 3.36 (95% CI 1.68, 6.73, P = 0.001) and actually participating in the RCSWA remained significantly related to rural work (OR 3.10 (95% CI 1.95, 4.93), P < 0.001). Conclusion: After accounting for other factors relating to rural work, RCSWA graduates were three times more likely to work rurally than either control group. These data suggest that RCSWA has a significant independent effect on rural workforce.
KW - rural and remote education
KW - rural medicine
KW - rural workforce development
KW - rural/remote GP and rural medicine education
KW - workforce recruitment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84999693691&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ajr.12324
DO - 10.1111/ajr.12324
M3 - Article
C2 - 27862543
AN - SCOPUS:84999693691
VL - 25
SP - 210
EP - 218
JO - The Australian Journal of Rural Health
JF - The Australian Journal of Rural Health
SN - 1038-5282
IS - 4
ER -