Medical Student Attitudes Toward Advanced Practice Provider Independence Legislation.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Policy
• Physician Workforce

Background:

• National shortage of primary care physicians drives legislative expansion of advanced practice provider (APP) scope of practice.
• Little is known about the impact of APP independent practice laws on physician recruitment and retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore medical students' (MSs) attitudes toward APP independence legislation.
• To assess MSs' perceptions of care equivalency, practice choices, and collaboration with APPs.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous survey administered to medical students (MSs) across all four years at a Midwestern medical school.
• Analysis of survey responses regarding attitudes toward APP independence.

Main Results:

• A 21% response rate (109/518) was achieved.
• 86% of MSs disagreed that APP care is comparable to physician care.
• 59% of MSs reported being less likely to practice in states with APP independence, rising to 71% for those interested in primary care.

Conclusions:

• The majority of MSs perceive a difference in care quality between APPs and physicians.
• States enacting APP independence laws may encounter difficulties attracting physicians due to legislative environments.
• Policymakers should consider medical student perspectives when addressing physician shortages.