Why doctors choose small towns: A developmental model of rural physician recruitment and retention

Measuring the attractiveness of rural communities in accounting for differences of rural primary care workforce supply

“…Overall, these data support the idea that the distribution of the rural medical workforce is skewed towards more affluent and educated areas, and away from smaller, poorer and more isolated rural towns which struggle to attract adequate primary care services. Rural communities are often idealised as offering high local amenity, including good recreational opportunities, a wealth of natural environmental attributes, improved lifestyle and close-knit supportive communities [44][45][46] . However, these community characteristics often go hand-in-hand with characteristics that are less attractive to doctors, such as relative isolation, poorer access to other desirable services and professional opportunities, and the lack of anonymity in small communities 46 …”

Proportion of doctors who stayed in the state of Tocantins after finishing medical residency: preliminary results from a cross-sectional study

“…No exact answers have been presented, but the following have been found to be predictive of continued retention in the face of adversity: revision of medical school curricula to encompass current inpatient-oriented training programs; 10 hiring of doctors with residency in family or community practice; 11,12 working in a greater city area; 12 satisfaction with community health centers; 12 and prior resilience under adverse circumstances. 13 Landry et al 14 observed that medical training at the undergraduate level did not affect the likelihood of ever or currently practicing in a Canadian province. However, doctors who had been exposed to a training program during postgraduate residency were 5.9 times (95% confidence interval, CI: 2.3-14.9) and 3.2 times (95% CI: 0.9-11.6) more likely, respectively, to practice in the province than were doctors without postgraduate exposure.…”

Generational differences in practice site selection criteria amongst primary care physicians.

“…A great deal of research has been done on what social, personal, and demographic variables influence physician's openness to choosing a particular practice site, especially when choosing between rural and urban sites. These studies have indicated that those with rural backgrounds and training experiences are more likely to practice in rural areas (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6) and spousal wishes and family connections also play a large part in the decision process. (7)(8) Much of this previous research however has not determined what the newest generation is seeking when they choose a practice site or whether their motivations are different from previous generations.…”