Strategies for recruiting medical students to physical medicine and rehabilitation

Estimations that the incidence of need for health care among the chronically ill exceeds the need for acute episodic health care in the rest of the population indicate a misdirection of the focus of medical education. Estimates indicate not enough psychiatrists will be trained under the present program to meet the existing demands. Unless there can be some material increase in the number of psychiatrists trained, it appears that there will be extensive disability persisting because of lack of rehabilitation. Failure to expose medical students to rehabilitation, the lack of role models to demonstrate how a psychiatrist practices, and the less dramatic progress which occurs in rehabilitation all decrease the attractiveness of rehabilitation medicine for the medical student. The objective of this study was to develop suggestions for strategies to attract and recruit medical students into physical medicine and rehabilitation. The Regional Advisory Council of the Research and Training Center #2 at the University of Minnesota was asked to brainstorm as a group such suggestions. As a result 37 suggestions were generated which were grouped under 5 headings: A. Whom to recruit; B. Methods; C. Time and Place; D. Impediments; E. Advantages of a career in PM & R. Suggestions in each of the categories were then prioritized.