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Practice location preferences at entry to medical school
Journal of Medical Education
|April 1, 1980
Summary
Medical students prefer small towns and primary care, with practice organization being the strongest predictor of location choice. This suggests a desire for independence influences both practice type and geographic preference.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Health Workforce Research
- Rural Health
Background:
- Geographical maldistribution of physicians is a persistent healthcare challenge.
- Previous research suggests practice location is influenced by specialty and residency, but causal order is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the locational preferences of entering medical students.
- To disentangle the causal relationship between specialty, residency, and practice location choice.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of locational preferences among incoming medical students.
- Statistical modeling to identify predictors of practice location preference.
Main Results:
- Majority of students prefer small towns or mid-size cities for practice.
- Approximately 70% prefer primary care specialties (general practice, internal medicine, pediatrics).
- Form of practice organization (solo/small-group) is the strongest predictor of geographic preference, explaining 13% of variance.
Conclusions:
- Practice organization preference, driven by a desire for independence, significantly influences medical students' desired practice locations.
- Findings challenge the assumption that specialty choice solely dictates practice locale.
- Understanding these preferences is crucial for addressing physician maldistribution.