Premium
Why we should teach undergraduate medical students in rural communities
Author(s) -
Worley Paul S,
Prideaux David J,
Magarey J Anne,
Strasser Roger P,
Silagy Chris A
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2000.tb124131.x
Subject(s) - workforce , economic shortage , medical education , rural area , rural community , psychology , medicine , political science , sociology , socioeconomics , government (linguistics) , linguistics , philosophy , pathology , law
In the eyes of many, the critical shortage of doctors in rural areas is the only reason for providing rural experiences for medical students. This article reviews the body of evidence supporting rural placements as a long‐term medical workforce strategy and additional evidence regarding the apparent educational benefits of such placements. By enabling medical students to learn for significant periods of time in rural communities, it is now possible for universities to address the medical workforce imperatives of the communities they serve at the same time as providing intrinsic educational advantages to their students.