Factors affecting recruitment into General Practice: a double binary choice approach

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Workforce Research
• Primary Care

Background:

• General Practice (GP) faces low recruitment globally.
• Understanding factors influencing junior doctors' career choices is crucial for addressing this.
• Previous studies identified attitudinal factors, but quantification of their impact is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the relative impact of various factors on junior doctors' decisions to apply for and accept General Practice training positions.
• To identify key drivers and barriers influencing specialty selection in medical training.

Main Methods:

• An online questionnaire was distributed to candidates applying for UK specialty training in 2015.
• Descriptive statistics and path analysis were employed to evaluate factors affecting GP applications.
• Survey data (n=3838) were synthesized with online application portal data.

Main Results:

• Personality traits and previous General Practice experiences were strongly associated with the decision to apply for GP training.
• Approximately 9% of accepted GP trainees viewed the specialty as a backup plan.
• GP entry appeared comparatively easier than other specialties, influencing acceptance decisions.

Conclusions:

• Recruitment strategies should target doctors considering GP but not applying, or applying without it being their first choice.
• Enhancing GP exposure and highlighting specialty positives (work-life balance, intellectual challenge) are recommended.
• Competition for other medical specialties influences GP post acceptance.