Interprofessional Primary Care Course Impact on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Careers

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Workforce Development
• Primary Care Research

Background:

• An interprofessional Primary Care Course (PCC) utilized a low-resource, flexible format engaging diverse health professions.
• The course received high student ratings (99%) and initially increased primary care career plans in 56% of students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess changes in primary care knowledge and attitudes among students participating in the PCC.
• To track the long-term (5-year) primary care career outcomes of PCC graduates.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous online surveys were administered to PCC students at baseline, 1-year, and 5-year follow-up.
• A controlled study compared PCC students with a waitlist group over five years.

Main Results:

• PCC participation led to significant, sustained increases in primary care knowledge and positive attitudes towards its value and role.
• At 5-year follow-up, 74% of PCC graduates worked in primary care, with 48% providing direct patient care.
• Waitlist students showed significantly lower primary care knowledge, attitudes, and career outcomes compared to PCC participants.

Conclusions:

• The PCC is associated with lasting improvements in primary care knowledge, attitudes, and workforce engagement across health professions.
• The course's flexible, low-resource format effectively builds the primary care knowledge base, positive attitudes, and workforce pipeline.