Impact of the Rural Physician Associate Program on Workforce Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Rural Health Workforce
• Primary Care

Background:

• The Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) at the University of Minnesota Medical School (UMMS) is a 9-month longitudinal integrated clerkship focused on family medicine.
• This program aims to prepare medical students for practice in rural settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between participation in the RPAP and key medical workforce outcomes.
• Specifically, to examine if RPAP involvement correlates with practicing in Minnesota, choosing primary care or family medicine, and engaging in rural practice.

Main Methods:

• Workforce outcomes of University of Minnesota Medical School (UMMS) graduates from 1975-2017 were analyzed.
• A comparison was made between RPAP participants (n=1,217) and non-participants (n=7,928).
• Data sources included UMMS databases, American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Masterfile, and National Provider Identifier (NPI) registry.

Main Results:

• RPAP graduates showed significantly higher rates of practicing in Minnesota (65.7% vs 54.4%), primary care (69.0% vs 33.4%), family medicine (61.1% vs 17.3%), and rural areas (41.2% vs 13.9%) compared to non-participants.
• All observed differences were statistically significant (P<.01).

Conclusions:

• Participation in the RPAP is strongly associated with graduates pursuing careers in family medicine, primary care, and rural practice.
• These outcomes align with the urgent need to bolster the rural healthcare workforce.