The regional medical campus model and rural family medicine practice in British Columbia: a retrospective longitudinal cohort study

Abstract

I n Canada, as in many other countries, access to a family physician remains problematic for many patients, espe cially those in northern, rural and remote commun ities. 1-4 In 2016, there were 234 physicians per 100 000 pop ulation in Canada; 92% were located in urban areas and only 8% were located in rural areas, 5 yet 18% of Canadians live in rural areas. 6 Regional medical campuses represent an educa tional strategy for addressing health care workforce needs. 7 Traditionally, regional medical campuses provide training in basic science, clinical training or both. Physician maldistribution is evident in British Columbia, where physicians cluster mainly in urban areas. 8 In 2004, the University of British Columbia (UBC) established a com bined regional medical campus model 9 where, in addition to the main campus, 2 regional medical campuses provided both basic science and clinical training. Since then, many other medical schools in Canada and the United States have devel oped regional campuses. 10 Students from rural backgrounds are more likely to practise in rural areas, 11 and previous stud ies suggest that undergraduate rural training (especially longi tudinal rural training) increases the likelihood of rural practice. Research regarding undergraduate rural education models is sparse 12 beyond descriptive studies, and evidence is lacking that these educational interventions increase the rural workforce. 13 The primary objective of this study was to deter mine the association between a combined regional medical campus model and rural family medicine practice. Methods Setting Community action in BC led to a collaboration between the UBC Faculty of Medicine (the only medical school in the province), the BC government,

Comprehensiveness of Distributed Medical Education Systems: A Regional Population-Based Perspective

“…Distributed medical education systems, where medical trainees conduct much or most of their training in smaller satellite or branch sites of a large traditional medical school has evolved in several countries in order to address the limitations of the traditional model 12,18−20 . Previous work has focused on the distribution of undergraduate medical education and family medicine programs and nds positive outcomes in experiences and perceptions of learners in regional and rural sites, bene ts to communities and acquisition of competencies tailored to broader population needs 2,[7][8][9]18,[21][22][23] . A number of important social and economic bene ts related to enrichment of the medical community by a distributed system have been identi ed 2,21,24,25 .…”

Comprehensiveness of Distributed Medical Education Systems: A Regional Population-Based Perspective

“…Distributed medical education systems, where medical trainees conduct much or most of their training in smaller satellite or branch sites of a large traditional medical school has evolved in several countries in order to address the limitations of the traditional model 12,[19][20][21] . Previous work has focused on the distribution of undergraduate medical education and family medicine programs and nds positive outcomes in experiences and perceptions of learners in regional and rural sites, bene ts to communities and development of competencies tailored to community needs 2,[7][8][9]19,[22][23][24] . A number of important social and economic bene ts related to enrichment of the medical community by a distributed system have been identi ed, including increasing social diversity in medical education 2,22,25,26 .…”

“…The shortage of family practice physicians in smaller communities has propelled distributed medical education systems forward; and the establishment of longitudinal rural and regional campuses have led to physician migration from large urban centers, addressing some shortages in smaller communities 8,9,19,21,25,26,[31][32][33][34] . This is evident in British Columbia; since 2004, the University of British Columbia, Physician specialists are, however, underrepresented in smaller communities and there is little evidence of specialty residency training programs and/or academic faculty distribution.…”

Establishing Regional Medical Campuses to Ensure Comparable Experiences: Recommendations From a Narrative Review

“…24 More importantly, studies have shown that students who completed their clinical rotations at regional campuses are more likely to return there to practice. 13,28,29 Therefore, it is essential to set up a long-term outcome tracking system for match outcomes and eventual job placement. We are currently working with the university's workforce development analysts to develop a cohesive evaluation agenda that considers UNC SOM long-term outcomes as well as satisfying stakeholders at the state level.…”