Rethinking registrar attributes for Australian rural general practice training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Rural Health Workforce Research
• General Practice Training

Background:

• Geographical maldistribution of general practice registrars persists despite increased training positions.
• Understanding factors influencing rural practice selection is crucial for addressing workforce shortages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify attributes of general practice registrars who choose to work in rural practice.
• To inform strategies for improving rural general practice workforce distribution.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study using self-report questionnaires.
• Surveyed 452 general practice registrars on socio-demographics, training, personality, and resilience.
• Ordinal logistic regression analyzed factors predicting rural practice settlement.

Main Results:

• Male registrars, those identifying as rural, with rural partners, and enrolled in rural training pathways showed increased interest in rural practice.
• High levels of cooperativeness were significantly associated with a greater likelihood of settling in rural practice.

Conclusions:

• A model combining socio-demographics, prior training, and personality predicts rural practice selection.
• A holistic approach to general practice training, considering personal attributes and geographically focused pipelines, is needed to encourage rural practice.
• Fostering rural identity and connectedness is key to retaining registrars in rural communities.