Underserved rural primary care preceptorship project

In response to the maldistribution of primary care manpower in Georgia, physician assistant (PA) students at Emory were required to participate in a rural and/or underserved primary care preceptorship experience during their terminal months in training. The recruitment and deployment project included selection of students more likely to practice in underserved areas upon graduation, outreach activities to targeted primary care Georgia physicians, training of PA students in underserved and/or rural primary care practice settings in Georgia, as well as employment assistance activities. Of Emory's 274 PA graduates working asd PAs, 70 percent practice in primary care settings (family or general practice, general internal medicine, and pediatrics); 35 percent of these individuals are located in rural and 27 percent in federally designated health manpower shortage areas (HMSAs). Employment of PAs in areas of need can be effected, then, through positive community experiences while in training, financial incentives, and supportive employment services. It is postulated that positive regulatory activities concerning PAs could enhance placement in HMSAs.