Does a mandatory rural exposure change medical students’ rural practice intent?

Abstract

While rural background has consistently been the strongest predictor of rural practice, the Australian medical schools have a vital role to play in changing rural intention. Research on rural exposure during medical training has to date resulted in inconsistent findings. The purpose of this paper is to examine what occurs during a short conscripted rural exposure. A post-test self-report questionnaire evaluating the University of Queensland Rural Medicine Rotation eight-week clinical rotation was completed by 1609 domestic medical students from 2007 to 2011. The most effective single learning outcome was students who strongly agree that the rural rotation experience had increased their appreciation of the greater depth of clinical responsibility inherent in rural practice. These students were more likely to indicate that their intention to practise rurally had been positively rather than negatively influenced and more like to indicate they were very encouraged by the experience rather than merely encouraged to practise rurally. The most powerful group of learning outcomes, in positively changing rural intention from a short mandated exposure were aligned with developing an understanding of the context of rural medical practise. These contribute to our understanding of the role rural exposure.

Keywords:

• Rural
• Australia
• medical education
• rural intention

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to acknowledge the contribution of Associate Professor Bruce Chater and Ms Janine Wyatt, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, and Professor Lucie Walters, Flinders University who provided feedback on an earlier draft of manuscript.