Assessment of Factors for Recruiting and Retaining Medical Students to Rural Communities Using the Community Apgar...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Rural Health
• Family Medicine

Background:

• Rural communities face challenges in recruiting and retaining family physicians.
• The Community Apgar Questionnaire (CAQ) is utilized to assess factors influencing this decision.
• Understanding these factors is crucial for developing effective recruitment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine factors influencing medical students' decisions to pursue rural family medicine.
• To identify key considerations for recruiting physicians to underserved rural areas.

Main Methods:

• Survey administered to 282 third- and fourth-year medical students from 10 US medical schools.
• Students ranked 62 factors related to rural practice using the CAQ.
• Data analyzed for importance based on future practice setting, gender, and background.

Main Results:

• 40% of surveyed students intended to practice in a rural setting.
• Top factors for rural practice consideration: spousal satisfaction, call frequency, and collegiality.
• Significant variations in factor importance were observed based on demographics and future practice location.

Conclusions:

• Medical schools and rural communities should prioritize factors highly rated by students.
• Addressing spousal needs, workload, and professional environment can enhance rural physician recruitment.
• The CAQ provides valuable insights for targeted recruitment initiatives.