Exploring Doctors' Emerging Commitment to Rural and General Practice Roles over Their Early Career

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Workforce Research
• Career Development

Background:

• Global health policy prioritizes increasing the number of general practice and rural doctors.
• Limited evidence exists on early-career doctors' commitment to these specific career paths.
• Understanding career choice certainty is vital for effective workforce planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how certainty about career choices in general practice and rural practice evolves during early medical careers.
• To compare the certainty levels of general practitioners (GPs) and rural doctors with other specialists and metropolitan-based doctors.
• To identify potential factors influencing delayed career commitment in these critical medical fields.

Main Methods:

• A 2019 survey of 775 University of Queensland medical graduates (2002-2018).
• Analysis of career certainty at different early career stages, including the start of registrar training.
• Comparison of certainty levels between general practice/rural practice and other specialties/locations.

Main Results:

• Specialty choice certainty was similar for general practitioners (GPs) and specialists until registrar training.
• At registrar training, 65% of GPs reported strong certainty versus 80% of other specialists.
• Doctors intending to practice rurally showed significantly lower certainty regarding location compared to metropolitan counterparts at all career points.

Conclusions:

• Career intent certainty is notably delayed for those choosing general practice and rural practice.
• The findings underscore the need for positive early career experiences to encourage uptake of general practice and rural practice.
• Addressing this uncertainty is key to meeting global health workforce policy goals.