Does a rural educational experience influence students' likelihood of rural practice? Impact of student background and gender

Abstract

A rural educational experience at the undergraduate level increases the stated likelihood of students participating in rural locums and helps to solidify existing rural affiliations. Students with rural backgrounds have a more favourable attitude toward rural practice. This pre-post study provides further support for the preferential admission to medical school of students with rural backgrounds to help alleviate the rural physician shortage.

Job Location Decisions of Pharmacy Graduates in British Columbia

“…Some studies have found a correlation between exposure to rural practice during medical training and rural career, while others have shown either no association between experiential education in rural areas during training and subsequent rural practice, or an association between experiential education in rural areas and willingness to take temporary but not permanent positions in rural areas. 1,3,[5][6][7] Demographic and other personal characteristics are generally not predictive of rural practice. 1,2 Not all pharmacy graduates with a rural background will choose to work in a rural area upon completion of their education.…”

Predictors of site choice and eventual learning experiences in a decentralised training programme designed to prepare medical students for careers in underserved areas in South Africa

“…The programme structure and mode of delivery were, in principle, well aligned with novel strategies in medical education, [5][6][7] which are geared towards enhancing experiential learning among undergraduate medical students during their early years of medical training.…”

“…The scale was used to rate each learning objective before and after the rotation, as a subjective measure of the change in knowledge/skills on that learning objective. A number of experiential learning variables on the evaluation of clinical placement programmes which are commonly cited in the literature [6,7] were also included in the questionnaire. Students used a 5-point Likert scale to rate their experiences during the rotation period, based on these variables.…”

“…Students spend some time in decentralised training sites with a view to enhancing their experiential learning and increase their chances of eventual career paths and retention in these areas. [6,7] There is also some evidence to show that students from rural origins are more likely to pursue their medical career in rural settings after graduation, compared with those from non-rural origins. [8] To maximise the outcomes of such intervention, particularly those related to experiential learning and desire for a future career in rural settings, it is important to understand what factors influence the choice for training site location, as this may dictate whether an objective approach for student allocation may be necessary.…”

On Linkages: Community-Based Participatory Research and the Escuela De Salud Pública in Mexico

“…Community medical education offers students the opportunity to learn about the needs of people in communities, which contributes to the students' education 8,9 and helps train doctors who will work in these communities in the future. 6,[10][11][12] Close collaboration among the research team, the population, and the decision makers who are responsible for setting public health policies, sustaining future public health, and promoting health is indispensable in community-based research. [13][14][15] Community-based participatory research (CBPR) represents a focal point for research and evaluation that is receiving attention in the public health field.…”