Medical Student Teaching and Recruiting: 50 Years of Balancing Two Educational Aims

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Primary Care Workforce Development
• Family Medicine (FM)

Background:

• Family medicine educators aim to enhance student knowledge and attract them to the specialty.
• A five-decade review examined FM curricular innovations and student interest trends.

Observation:

• Student interest in FM rose initially, surged in the 1990s, but now plateaus at 8-9%.
• This interest level is insufficient to meet national healthcare demands for generalists (30-50% benchmark).
• Curricular innovations occurred in three phases: early clinical exposures, clerkship creation, and ongoing innovations.

Findings:

• Required third-year FM clerkships positively influence student interest.
• Little research exists on the recruitment impact of specific clerkship curricula.
• Primary care/rural training programs and FM Interest Groups also correlate with increased student interest.

Implications:

• Strategic plans to bolster the primary care workforce should prioritize funding and legislation for effective methods.
• Key strategies include establishing/maintaining FM clerkships, recruiting students with rural/primary care backgrounds, developing longitudinal tracks, and supporting extracurricular activities.
• Further research is crucial to optimize educational resource allocation for FM competence and matriculation.