Premium
Influence of a Rural Primary Care Clerkship on Medical Students' Intentions to Practice in a Rural Community
Author(s) -
Jones Alma R.,
Oster Robert A.,
Pederson Linda I.,
Davis Mary Kidd,
Blumenthal Daniel S.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
the journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.439
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1748-0361
pISSN - 0890-765X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2000.tb00449.x
Subject(s) - graduation (instrument) , medical school , demographics , medical education , clinical clerkship , family medicine , rural area , psychology , medicine , demography , curriculum , pedagogy , sociology , mathematics , geometry , pathology
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of a rural clerkship to medical students' interest in establishing careers in rural communities. The Association of American Medical Colleges Medical School Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) for years 1988 through 1997 was examined to compare the career plans of students graduating from Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) with those of all students graduating from United States medical schools before the period 1988 through 1992 and after the period 1993 through 1997, after the inception of the rural clerkship at MSM. Select GQ data items examined include student demographics, medical school experiences, and career plans. Statistical analyses were used to compare pre‐ and post‐clerkship responses for MSM students and to compare their responses with the national trends. Results indicate that, following a transition period, MSM students showed an increased preference for a future career in a rural community. A smaller upward trend in the national data was observed. There appears to be an association between the rural clerkship experience at MSM and the stated preferred career choices of the students.