Open AccessDo Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships Impact Choice of Residency Type and/or Permanent Community Practice in Surgery?
Author(s) -
Bennett J. Maki,
Karen C. Riley,
Raymond Christensen,
Kirby Clark,
Paula M. Termuhlen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of regional medical campuses
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2576-5558
DOI - 10.24926/jrmc.v4i3.3621
Subject(s) - workforce , longitudinal study , medicine , medical education , cohort , physician assistants , medical school , family medicine , rural area , academic institution , health care , management , political science , economics , pathology , nurse practitioners , law
Purpose: Rural general surgery experiences during medical school appear to have influenced the decision of prospective general surgery applicants to pursue residency programs that provide rural surgery opportunities. This is an analysis of a single cohort, rural-focused, longitudinal integrated clerkship to determine if there is an association between type of residency program and completion of a rural-focused longitudinal integrated clerkship.
Methods: An institutional database of de-identified, self-reported data was reviewed to identify rural-focused longitudinal integrated clerkship alumni who matched into a surgical residency program.
Findings: Of the seventy-five alumni who chose a surgical residency program, 40 (53.3%) matched into a university-affiliated residency program, and 32 (42.6%) matched into an independent-academic program. There was no association between type of residency program and completion of a rural-focused longitudinal integrated clerkship.
Conclusions: A rural-focused longitudinal integrated clerkship can help increase the rural physician workforce within both the state and region of the sponsoring institution. To facilitate heightened interest in rural general surgery, these types of programs should continue to be promoted.